Vilkaviskis during the
First World War 1914-1918
During WW1 Vilkaviskis passed several times from one administration to another, the Jews suffering from abuse and maltreatment by Russian soldiers, and many left. During the German occupation (1915-1918) the Jews, like every one else, suffered from the various restrictive edicts of occupation rule and Jewish community life was paralyzed. The Jewish Bendet Rabinovitz was the mayor of Vilkovishk during these years.
VILKAVISKIS
A small town in Southern Lithuania
Where the Jewish Community is no more


From Litvak SIG Members site
"Because Jews, as a group, were suspected of disloyalty to the Russian Empire, they were hastily thrown out of western Kovno gubernia in May of 1915 as the Germans attacked from East Prussia, bringin WWI to Lithuania. Most were sent to interior Russia. After the war, tens of thousands of the surviving displaced Lithuanian Jews tried to return to Lithuania, almost all of them passing through the frontier quarantine station in the tiny town of Obeliai. This was, for all practical purposes, the only route back from Russia. In Obeliai, each returnee (or family head) filled out a questionnaire indicating where they intended to go if readmitted to Lithuania and including significant personal details about each family member such as the date and place of birth, maiden name, father’s name, etc. Many of these questionnaires have been preserved in the LCVA. We are pleased to present these records.  The total number of records is approximately 20,000. As we translate more records, they will be appended to the existing spreadsheet".
Pictures of Jewish Vilkaviskis 1915 -1918
Jewish children infront of the Great Synagogue
Old men infront of the Great Synagogue
German soldiers at the side of the Great Synagogue
German soldiers at the side of the Great Synagogue
Jewish Cemetery in Kapu Street, Vilkaviskis
General view of Vilkaviskis 1915 -1918

This site was built by Ralph Salinger of Kfar Ruppin, Israel
It is built to the glory of the Jewish Community of Vilkkaviskis
You can contact me with any comments at salinger@kfar-ruppin.org,il