Dirva = Field. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1915-current, 1944-10-20
LITHUANIANS - FRIENDS OF
VlLNlUS JEWS

capture of the city by the Russians
in September 1889, until they re-
took it in the following June, the
Jews underwent a medley of emo
tions and experiences :. Before
the city was .ceded to the Lithuan-
ians, the Russian soldiers bought
freely whatever they needed, es-
pecially clothing, tea, sugar and
other comestibles, thus depicting
the local stocks. Besides, the RI
sian authorities themselves requis-
itioned considerable material. The
result was seriously to affect the
economic position both of large
numbers of Jews and of the COM
munity as whole, and to aggra-
vate severely the main problems
with which both the municipal and
! the Jewish authorities had to dea
the relief of a great hest of re
fugees. The city of Wilma, whici
had been place of refuge so Of
ten in it's checkered history, was
now called upon once again to
serve as an asylum to those whc
had fled from the new dangers. A
least $4,000 people swarmed o.
smuggled themselves into the city
from districts which had fallen in
j to the hands of either the Germans
or the Russians, and of that num-
Der some $4,000 were Jews -.
Once the Lithuanian government
was ir undisturbed control of the
Wilma district, systematic measures
were taken for the relief of the
refugees. Under it's auspices
co. ordinating committee was for
med =. while the government it.
self gave subsidy to fifty per
cent of all the funds received from
abroad Nor was any discrimi-
nation shown on the ground of race
or religion i. :.
The attitude of the Lithuanian
government itself . . was one of
gratifying tolerance. 1t issued
manifesto in Yiddish to the Jews
Of Wilma, guaranteeing them equal
ity of rights. 1t formally recog-
nized the legal status of the Ike
hillah'. 1t approved the appoint
ment of d Jew as vice-mayor. 1t
allowed the Wilmer Tageblatt and
two other Jewish papers to resume
publication Four streets IN the
city were renamed in honor of the
popular Jewish writers, Mendele
Mocher Seforim, Perez, Dick, and
the distinguished Jewish communal
worker, DR.. Shabad.
The Lithuanian minister in Mos
cow was instructed to secure the
assent to the Soviet authorities to
the repatriation of a number OF
prominent Jews of Wilma who had
been deported to Russia. And fo1
the first time in Lithuanian history
government official was tried or
charges of anti -Semitism made by
fourteen non-Jewish colleagues.
No wonder the Jews in Wilma
both the regular inhabitants and the
refugees, despite their material dis
tress and the occasional hoollganlsn
of the "Endeks", regarded them
selves as particularly fortunate
: when they heard of the slavery
torture and starvation of the fel
low-Jews under the Nazis
This seemingly idyllic state o.
affairs came to an early end
The Lithuanian Republic, after
having been allowed to enjoy th'
possession of Wilma for elgh
months, was absorbed (togethel
with Latvia and Estonia) in tht
Soviet Union. This change of re
gime had very profound and un
settling effect upon the Jewlsf
community Of Wilma, both economic
ally and spiritually =. The char
: acteristic and distinguishing feat
ures of Jewish life in the famet
citv were abolished; the pillars o.
, it's sacred traditions were shattered
! It's elaborate religious organlza
/ ton. which had flourished for cen
turies. was disrupted. All forms
j., of expression of Jewish natlonallsn
were banned and suppressed. Al
Zionist societies and kindred bodle:
were dissolved. The Palestine I'm
migration Office was closed. Ever
the Yiddish papers had to cease
though a successor was soon pro
vided in the shape of Communis
daily -. =,
Usrael Cohen, Wilma Jew1sl
Communities Series,
Philadelphia, 1943, PIP. 47o-fo)