The first and oldest cemetery was in old Pakruojis, on the town-side bank
of the river Kruoja.
This cemetery doesn’t exist anymore.
The Germans had destroyed the cemetery by taking the gravestones to the local
mill where they were pulverised. After
the war the cemetery was used by the Soviets to bury their fallen soldiers,
perished in the battle against the Germans in 1944.
The area of this cemetery is about
The second and newer Jewish cemetery is located about
one and a half kilometres Northwest
of old Pakruojis, across the river from the old town. The overall size of the
cemetery is more than
In 1941, though, after the German invasion and occupation,
Dojokas, one of the main members of the group
of Pozela, gave the order to cut all the trees adjacent to the new Jewish
cemetery. He wanted to use them for constructing a new house for himself. The
trees were cut but he, himself, got never the opportunity to have built the
house.
On the whole about fifty stones can be seen, about thirty are in the
fenced-off area and twenty outside the fence.
Rivka Shapiro’s father Moishe Shapiro was buried in
this cemetery, in the mid-twenties. We
tried to locate his tombstone , but till now without any success.
During the German occupation animals were pastured on the Jewish cemetery. The wall around the cemetery was then destroyed.
Read here how Jews bury their beloved ones
memorial stone.
About 1994 a memorial stone was erected on
the new Jewish cemetery, its foundation was made of fragments of tombstones
found on the cemetery.
This stone commemorates the atrocious killings of the Jewish men, women
and children of Pakruojis in July-August
The memorial stone was paid by the citizens of Pakruojis and as people told me one of the killers at that time had a great share in the payment of the memorial stone. He stood aside when the memorial stone was unveiled and people say he suffered from what he had done, he had a great remorse for it. The local priest was present at the unveiling and people prayed. Some young women wore traditional clothes.