Eržvilkas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eržvilkas
Town
Coat of arms of Eržvilkas
Eržvilkas is located in Lithuania
Eržvilkas
Eržvilkas
Coordinates: 55°15′50″N 22°42′30″E / 55.26389°N 22.70833°E / 55.26389; 22.70833
Country Lithuania
CountyTauragė County
MunicipalityJurbarkas District Municipality
Population
 (2011)
 • Total429
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Eržvilkas (Samogitian: Eržvėlks) is a town in Taurage County, Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 429 people.[1]

Eržvilkas mound
Eržvilkas tumuli

History[edit]

Jewish history[edit]

Before World War II and the Holocaust, the village had an important Jewish community. In 1923, they were 46% of the total population.

Among others, Hermann Schapira (1840-1898), a mathematician and important forerunner of the Zionist movement, was born in the village.

At the beginning of the Second World War there were 180 Jews living in the village.[2][3]

In 1941 these Jews were exploited as forced labour.[4] In September 1941, they were murdered in mass executions perpetrated by an Einsatzgruppen of Lithuanian policemen at the Gryblaukis forest.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2011 census". Statistikos Departamentas (Lithuania). Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  2. ^ "Pinkas Hakehillot Lita: Erzvilkas". jewishgen.org. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  3. ^ "ERZVILKAS: Kovno | lithuania - International Jewish Cemetery Project". iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  4. ^ "המכון הבין-לאומי לחקר השואה - יד ושם". yadvashem.org. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  5. ^ "Taurage county - Online Guide of Murder Sites of Jews in the Former USSR - Yad Vashem". yadvashem.org. Retrieved July 15, 2017.