Štetlai is a lost side of Lithuanian history

We are talking with the historian of the Vilnius University (VU), dr. Akvile Naudžiūniene. Valerija Jakštienė, a former teacher and enthusiast of the history of Jewish history in Žasliai, invites you to familiarize yourself with the life of the sethel.

Stethlet: what is that?

How 15 minutes explained dr. A. Naudžiūnienė, the primary and main definition of the Sethel used by historians, states that these were the cities that existed in Central and Eastern Europe before World War II, where more than 30 percent of the population was Jewish. However, the historian stressed, it is only outer layer of estetano, in other words, a naive description to value culture based solely on population.

“This is only a completely conditional calculation, because we look at the history of the Litvaks in the 19th and 20th centuries. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was seen that these peoples also existed, where the Jews constituted a slightly smaller part of the population, but they were a very active and economical and innovative part of the community. Most importantly, the ancient inhabitants of the city, their children, already after the war and the tragedy of the Holocaust, remember that settlement as a sethel and call it that ” he explained.

Therefore, according to dr. A.Naudžiūnienė, even if there were only 10 or 20 percent in the city. of the Jewish population, but survivors of the post-Holocaust city tell the story of this place like their stethoscope, can we deny it so naively, mathematically, because of that small percentage?

Stethlo’s uniqueness, according to 15 minutes Spoken by historians, it is a unique cultural area of ​​Jewish Ashkenazi in a foreign Christian environment and a constant multifaceted relationship with that environment.

“We are faced with another crucial element in the definition of the Sethel,” he added, “the fully developed infrastructure of Jewish religious life that exists in the settlement, consisting of a synagogue, permanent rabbi, mikva, religious schools, ritual butchery, fraternity funeral home, cemetery, etc. “

The historian noted that although the 20th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were tendencies of secularization, but religion, Judaism, occupied a very important place in the life of the communities. According to dr. A. Naudžiūnienė, the third aspect that defines the statute is related to historical memory and the self-concept created through language: “The concept shtetl appeared among the Ashkenazi as a tiny Yiddish word shtot shape “.

The interlocutor explained that word. shtot means city, and shtetl – A smaller town. In his words, the emphasis is different from the larger cities. Interestingly, the earliest estatals in the Republic of the Two Nations (ATR) were called private cities with a market square, owned by nobles where Jews were allowed to live and trade, and made up a significant part of the population here. Later, according to the historian, with the disappearance of these types of cities, the concept of the shtet expanded.

To which town, which existed at the time, was there a star.

“So how many were there before the Nazi occupation of Lithuania? We can say that there was a change in any city that existed at the time, and the exceptions are very rare. As one of the largest stethals (in terms of population and percentage of Jewish population) in the 20th century. We can point out Molėtai, Joniškis, Pakruojis in Lithuania at the beginning of – the historian spoke.

The traces of Jewish culture in Lithuanian cities: how to recognize them?

“Unfortunately, a large part of the Jewish heritage in Lithuanian cities has disappeared or radically changed during the Soviet era. We have synagogues, which not only become warehouses, but also become residential houses, – the interlocutor asked and advised: if you are looking for Jewish heritage, I suggest you look in each city to see the old market square or just the central street of the city, as the local Jews used to develop, live and work here ”.

15 minutes interviewed by dr. A. Naudžiūnienė explained that ancient Jewish houses can often be identified from the door, which, unlike in the case of Lithuanians, Poles or Belarusians, generally faced the street. They provided access not only to the home but also to the store, tailor shop, shoe shop and the like located here.

According to the interlocutor, the Jewish cultural heritage can be found in the most unexpected places in Lithuania. For travelers and those seeking to learn about the history of Lithuanian state-runrs, dr. A. Naudžiūnienė recommends using the recent An interactive map of the Jewish cultural heritage in Lithuania, where you can find more than 200 Litvak heritage objects with short descriptions.

According to the historian, urban planners note that the omen was dominated by a concentrated and densely built city: densely built houses. Such a construction is typical of the market squares of Lithuanian cities, near which the Jews often developed. In addition, according to her, there are important elements of rural culture: life in Štetle was much more related to the rural way of life than to the urban one. Dr. According to A. Naudžiūnienė, in the 20th century. In the early 19th century, Jews were the first to bring innovations to cities: photography, gas stations, and electricity generators.

“For example, in Plungė, due to the first electricity generators installed by the Zaks brothers, even the light bulbs of the townspeople have been called zaxines. XX a. With all modern innovations, the daily lives of city and town dwellers changed, and members of the Jewish community became key players in the modern world. carriers to the province, “he explained.

The first step is to know the history of your country.

15 minutes historian interviewed dr. A. Naudžiūnienė considered that there are no initiatives for the preservation of Jewish culture and history in Lithuania, although it is questionable whether they reach the target group: youth in smaller cities.

“I think,” said the interlocutor, “that the main focus should be on teaching history at school, with students talking to teachers about local (urban, rural) history, linking heritage sites with stories about the past, including part of the history narrative in teaching, eg written stories of grandparents and parents. “

This means that people are interested and willing to know the local Jewish cultural heritage.

The second term, according to the historian, should be related to professional initiatives to popularize the story that meets the target group. According to her, it could be puzzles, comics, movies and the like.

“A major initiative that has been in Europe for 20 years and has been successfully established in Lithuania for the past decade is the European Days of Jewish Cultural Heritage in September. During them, events are organized every year on a different theme from the Jewish culture Although few people know this statistic, they want to be happy with it: Lithuania is the leader among many other European countries in terms of the number of events and its visitors at the European Days of Jewish Culture. This means that people are interested and wants to know about the local Jewish cultural heritage. ” 15 minutes he said to dr. A.Naudžiūnienė.

Jewish cemetery: supervision cannot be neglected

As for the Sethel, the question of preserving and maintaining the old Jewish cemetery is inevitable. It is true that some of them have been fixed, but others so far have been abandoned and forgotten by all. 15 minutes The interviewed historian explained that the situation is really complicated: in the largest cities, cemeteries are organized on the initiative of local Jewish communities and municipalities, but in smaller cities, when there are no local Jewish communities, the old cemetery does not receive enough attention. According to dr. A. Naudžiūnienė, many Jewish cemeteries were severely destroyed and desecrated during the Nazi occupation, and their demolition and contempt continued during the Soviet era: headstones were used to install the foundations of private buildings or public spaces (walls, stairs).

“Such practices are doomed and no longer apply in Lithuania, which has regained its independence,” he said, emphasizing that to improve the situation in smaller cities, strong initiatives and mutual cooperation are needed from both the Lithuanian Jewish community and the local government. An example of such a successful story of caring for old abandoned Jewish cemeteries is the old Zapyškis Jewish cemetery, which is constantly cleaned and maintained. ”

Dwarves: life before war

In the Kaišiadorys district, between the three lakes, there is Žasliai, where 15 minutes He met the second interlocutor, V. Jakštiene, who had worked as a geography teacher for many years, one of the cities whose streets and walls of old houses still recall the culture that existed here before the Nazi occupation. The interlocutor contributed to her memory along with her students by collecting the memories of the ancient inhabitants, Lithuanians, about the Jews who lived in Žasliai, their culture and traditions, and mutual relations.

When asked why he was interested in this topic in general, V.Jakštienė said that in his youth from his native Utena, where he was friends with the Jews who remained here after the war, he came to Žaslius to come and teach that this culture is little known here. This led to a broader interest in the history of the city.

The interlocutor said that before World War II, Jews made up the majority of the population in Žasļi. According to the 1897 According to the census, up to 1,325 of the 1955 population were Jews. So this is the truest thing to do. According to V.Jakštienė, the Jews settled in this place quite early. It is known that in the sixteenth century. In the mid-19th century, the Jews of Žasliai, after receiving threats from the Trakai voivodeship, complained to the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund Augustus, who indicated that a fine would be imposed for the mistakes made.

According to the interlocutor, it is estimated that before the Second World War, there were 62 Jewish factories in the city, as well as several shops, tea rooms and even a restaurant. The latter, incidentally, is associated with a funny story about several young Lithuanians who were fascinated by the Jew who worked here, and thus broke a strict tradition: not visiting the restaurant for some, unaccompanied. V.Jakštienė said that panels that violated the ban received reprimands for such immoral behavior.

Let’s walk through the streets of ancient Žasliai. In the center of Stethlo is the old stone market square. It is true, according to 15 minutes interlocutors, the stone pavement used to cover the entire square, and today it occupies only a small central part of it. The square is surrounded on all sides by a wall of old houses lined up side by side. At first glance, they don’t stand out, but on closer inspection, they are completely different than usual for Lithuanians.

Have you ever noticed that when walking the streets of the cities, have you noticed that the houses located in the central streets are generally connected by a common feature: double doors that open onto the street? This, as the historian dr. A. Naudžiūnienė and V. Jakštienė showed live, typical of Jewish houses, where shops, workshops or other activities were located.

V.Jakštienė said that there were up to three synagogues in Žasliai. It is true that the location of one of them is still unknown. 15 minutes historian interviewed dr. A. Naudžiūnienė added that in the 20th century. At the start of the fire, all the houses of prayer burned down, and only two synagogues were rebuilt a few years later. In the interwar period, according to her, it was planned to install another house of worship near the railway, and although this is mentioned in the documents, there is no evidence that a third synagogue has been built. According to the historian, it is likely that the plans were thwarted by the outbreak of war.

On the way south from the city’s central square, there are Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish synagogues next to each other. In the latter, according to the interlocutor, there were also lessons. Today, a cultural center is located here, connected to the most recently equipped modern center for traditional crafts. Incidentally, it currently exhibits a Clyde Navickas Jewish carp exhibit.

And did you know that the famous pianist Leopold Godowski came from Žasliai?

While walking through the old streets, V.Jakštienė explained that the Jewish primary school, the bank branch, the library, the sports organization “Maccabi”, a group of firefighters, a paramedic and a pharmacist used to work on the stethl. In other words, there was everything you could need. The interlocutor considered that if World War II had not started, Žasliai could have become a great city. Unfortunately, the lives of Lithuanian Jews were destroyed by the Holocaust, and the culture that has existed for centuries is remembered for the cultural heritage values ​​that have survived to this day.