Town Viekšniai (Vecksna, pronunciation for English speakers: Veksh-ney) is located in the Šiauliai (Shavli) District, Kaunas (Kovno) governorship, Lithuania. This project aims to share records, useful links, and family facts (described within the "About" section in profiles) to help genealogical research for families that lived in the Viekšniai Jewish community.

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In the 17th century, Jews settled in Viekšniai. Their houses were located from the current bridge over the Venta river going East all the way to the watermill (south side of the town, but north from the river Venta). In the current center of the town and on Akmenė Street, there were mostly Jewish shops and artisan workshops.

In 1766, the Viekšniai Jewish community (Kahal) already counted 274 members of its members. In 1775, over ten Jewish surnames were mentioned in the inventory book. In 1847 - 1120 Jews already lived in the town. A synagogue was built. Circa 1860, Rabbi Aba Joffe built a pharmacy building. On May 28, 1858, 612 female and 498 male Jews were registered in the census list (revizskaja skazka) as members of the Jewish community of Viekšniai township, Šiauliai county, Kaunas province (gubernia in Russian Empire). In 1897, according to the population census of the Russian tsarist government, the town had 2,951 inhabitants, including 1,646 Jews. This represents 56% of the total population. There were even several chedras - primary schools for 7-13-year-old boys for teaching Torah and its commentaries, and an advanced Yeshiva school. Some sources claim that there were two synagogues. One for winter, the other for summer. Other sources claim that there were even three synagogues, and the Jewish charitable society "Linat Hazedek" was active. Regrettably, in 1941 the synagogue was turned into a potato warehouse.

After the First World War, the Jews of Viekšniai, like others, were deported to the depths of Russia. After the war, only about 300 Jews returned to Viekšniai. Some of them died in the war or died of starvation. Some of them went to Palestine, South America, through the port of Odesa (Ukraine). In 1918, following the "fashion," a communist club was established in Viekšniai. It was led by Ch. Zarcin. When the Jews returned after the war, they quickly got to work. They rebuilt Viekšniai, which suffered a lot from the war. Jews took up trade and market business again. In 1924, they established the Jewish People's Bank. It had 31 members. A school for Jewish children began to operate. The library opened. A drama club was formed. Various youth movements began to gather. Bertha Gordom (Berta Gordomaitė) established a cinema, and Ella Laer (Elle Laerienė) opened a tea house in Viekšniai town.

During the interwar period, there were even two hotels in Viekšnai. Their owners were Pesė Rubinšteinienė (Pesa Rubinstein) and Chachelis Garbelis (Chachel Garbel). In 1931 there were several Jewish shops on Akmenė street: no. 40 - Šulė Goršelaitė's (Shule Gorshel) crockery shop, Leiba Blank's egg warehouse and shop, no. 13 - Moisiejas Shein's (Moyshe Sheyn) flax and linseed trading office and warehouses, Kanusev Abraham's meat shop, Bero Chaim's old things and clothes shop. Galperin Jankel (Yankel) and Kenigsberg traded in metal products. Azikman Abel sold bicycles, sewing machines, turntables, and radios. There were six fabric stores, six farm products, two crockery shops, two butchers, etc. - all for Viekšniai citizen needs. Fish Wolf and Jaszczyk Berel had a shoe workshop. Fabrics and wool were dyed in Golberg Jakob's and Mauša Lionski's (Myshe Lyonsky) dyehouses. Beilis Mauša (Beili Moyshe) and Rabinović Šlioma (Shlomo Rabinowitz) produced carbonated water in their workshop and provided it to Viekšniai residents during the summer. Lesemanas Joselis (Yosel Leyserman) owned the water mill, wool carding mill, and spinning mill; he provided services not only to residents of Viešniai but also to the farmers of the surrounding area. Michelana and David Ginde produced clay pots in their workshop.

During 1938-1939 Bencel Berenstein had a horse-drawn stagecoach and transported passengers to and from the Viekšniai railway station. Medical services were provided by Dentists Turbe Goldman (Goldmanaitė Turbė) and Samuel Gelfund (Gelfundas Samuelis) and by doctors of medicine Moršovičienė-Glikmanaitė (Glickman, wife of Morshovitz) and Tamhrin Lipman (Lipmanas Tamchrinas). During that time, nineteen Jewish families used telephone services.

Viekšniai Jewish Cemetery

Viekšniai Jewish Cemetery is located on the western outskirts of Viekšniai town, near Venta river, next to the Catholic cemetery, on Mažeikių street. The area is 1.4 ha. The date of establishment is unknown.

Earlier, the cemetery was surrounded by a stone wall, fragments of which remain on the western side. Now the entire area is surrounded by a new fence. The oldest part of the cemetery is in the southern part, and the newest part is in the northern part. There are surviving late 19th century - early 20th century tombstones - macevs (about 160 in total). The oldest tombstone dates back to 1858. All tombstones are oriented in the west direction. It is estimated that a third or a quarter of the gravestones have survived to this day.

The tombstones of the 19th century within the cemetery are simple, without any symbols. Several massive tombstones have survived. Newer tombstones are characterized by sparse symbolism - a carved Star of David or a three-pointed candlestick. One monument from 1911 is richly decorated, on which a three-pointed star is carved, occupying the major part of the monument. There are several double monuments in the cemetery.

Some tombstones are located in the western and slightly southern parts of the cemetery. There are several monuments made of two parts as a Book of Moses. Lithuanian local stone material was used for the production of the monuments. The obverse (front) side is decorated and engraved with a text in ancient Hebrew. All monuments are rectangular in shape, erected vertically. One grave has a cast concrete slab laid horizontally. There is no note. The front side of several stones is polished, the texts and the Star of David are clearly visible. No perfectly ornamented stones have survived. Lavishly ornamented gravestones are a rare occurrence in Lithuania, but they are the most abundant in inscriptions comparing to others in Europe. The two letters at the top of the monument mean: "resting here are". The letters are often carved in the center of a six-pointed Star of David. This means that the tomb belongs to the deceased of the Jewish faith. Here is one text exampl: "Kagan Jakub Zap. So that your soul is woven into the wreath of eternally living souls." It is believed that the text was carved at the end of the 19th century. Another memorial stone clearly reads Rahmel. It can be both a surname and a first name. Jews did not have surnames for a long time. Emanuell means loving God. Ell in Hebrew means God. The date is illegible (broken). The inscription may have been carved at the beginning of 20th century. The front side of the stone is polished in 2003 by Rahmel's relative, who came from Israel in July and visited the cemetery, said that four generations of his grandparents rest in this place: grandmother, great-grandmother, her mother, etc. Another stone says that in 1912 a woman was buried, the daughter of the Jewish people, the daughter of Jahoda.

The grass in the cemetery is now cut on a schedule. Until the Second World War, the public organization Chebra Kadiš looked after the cemetery. Graves did not need special care because in the writings of the Jewish people, a flower is a thing that means almost nothing, and a stone is sacred. It is believed that the cemetery keeper's house once stood on the hill located in the western part of the Viekšniai Jewish Cemetery. Maybe someday after reading it and translating it into Lithuanian, we will find out where is the resting place for remains of people, who contributed to the prosperity and development of the Viekšniai town: Zlata, wife of Giršas (Hirsch), Icik's wife Cipa, Bencel's wife Cirke and daughter Chaime, Volifer Abraham, Moyshe Krup, Mendel Korzon, Josif Bessel, Abraham Krim, Leyzer Fisher, Markul Faivel, Leyzer Wolff and his sons Leyba, David and Wolff and others.

In 1992 in the Viekšniai Jewish cemetery, about 250 fallen matzevs were rebuilt and cleaned.

List of rabbis of the Viekšniai Jewish community:

• Shabtai Yofe, before 1840;
• Yekutiel Zalman, before 1848;
• Mozeh Shapiro, Mosheh Shapiro; moved to Riga and died there;
• Josef Shalofer;
• Elje Boruch, Eliyahu-Barukh Komai (1840-1917), rabbi of Viekšniai in 1881-1888, teacher of Mir yeshiva;
• Aba-Ya'akov Borohov, before 1900; later went to Palestine;
• Arje Leib ben Yedidya Lipkin (Jedidja Lipkinas), Arje Aryeh-Leib Lipkin (1840-1902), Rabbi of Viekšniai in 1901-1902;
• Yekutiel-Zalman Levitas;
• Ben-Zion-Ze'ev Karnitz, before 1913;
• Barukh Levenberg (1875-1920), rabbi of Viekšniai 1898-1914;
• Solomon ben Aaron Joozap Fainzilber, Shelomoh Fainzilber (1871-1941), Rabbi of Viekšniai 1919-1924; killed during the summer of 1941 in Kėdainiai;
• Kalman Magid (Magid Kalmanas) (1874-1941), the last rabbi of Viekšniai, killed in 1941. In Pavenčiai of Mažeikiai area.

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The name rolls off my tongue as I pronounce, nay mispronounce, it. / I say it again, / Viekšniai, / And it sits, / Liquidly, / In my mouth. / I find it on my map and trace the letters of its name with my finger. / The map, an old German one, shows it sitting on the blue Venta River, / And I follow the river back and forth, / With my finger, / Past the Mažeikiai District, through Šiauliai, and out / To the vast Baltic Sea.

- first stanza of a poem by Sharon Joffe, a Vieksniai descendant from South Africa

Jewish families of the Vieksniai shtetl. Who were they? Where did they go?

Families

• Aronshtam
• Becker, Peker
• Berghaus
• Blieden
• Cohen (Kagan)
• Eppel
• Diamant
• Friedman, Fridman
• Garbel
• Glik (Glick)
• Gutman
• Gerts (Hertz)
• Idelzon
• Jacobson
• Joffe
• Kagan
• Kalman
• Kats (Katz)
• Kelman
• Kumin
• Kvint
• Lapidus
• Liflander
• Markus (Marks)
• Palte
• Rabinovitch
• Rava, Ravi
• Rib
• Rubenstein
• Shmit
• Tint
• Wolper
• Wigod
• Vinar, Vayner (Weiner)
• Vais, Vaish (Weiss)
• Yakubson
• Zak, Zaks (Sax, Zax, Zox)

Emigration to South Africa

• Abraham Katz, son of Dinah Reeb (Rib) and Eliezer Katz
• Joffe
• Jacobson - Harris/Herscher
• Colman (ex Kalman), Sarah Esther, Robert, Marcus Hirsch, Samuel Jacob,

Sources

1. poem about Vieksniai by Sharon Joffe;
2. Jewish Gen page for Viekšniai (Vekshne);
3. International Jewish Cemetery Project - Viekšniai;
4. A visit to the Vieksniai cemetery;
5. A book of birth, marriage, and death records of the Jewish community of Viekšniai. Chronological Range 1922-01-01 - 1926-12-31;
6. Memoir-article by Prof. A.Vitkus and historian guide Chaim Bargman;
7. The shtetl and its inhabitants: the history of the Jews of Viekšniai in the collections of the State Jewish Museum of Vilnius Gaon.