Memorial Book for the Jewish Community of Yurburg, Lithuania: Yizkor Book for the Jewish Community of Yurburg, Lithuania

Book Description
This is the complete English Translation and Update of The Memorial Book of the Jewish Community of Yurburg, Lithuania, originally published in 1991 in Hebrew and Yiddish. The original book, written by survivors and emigres, provides a vivid portrait of Jewish village life in Lithuania as it existed before the Shoah. The book memorializes the richness and depth of the community - its people and its institutions depicting the fabric of history from which Litvaks are descended. All original photos and illustrations are included. More than 150 pages of new photographs and articles have been added in a new appendix. This material was collected from Yurburg families from all over the world as a result of numerous Internet communications. The new material includes: recently discovered poignant letters and photographs sent from Yurburg to Mexico shortly before the Nazi invasion in June 1941, an honest and thorough account of the murders in Yurburg by a Lithuanian university student in her bachelor's thesis, impressions and photographs from a trip to Yurburg and nearby Sudarg in 2001, the official 1907 map of property plots and list of plot owners and a list of over 300 identifiable headstones in the Yurburg Jewish cemetery in 1995. The book is hardcover with 740 pages, containing all the photographs and images from the original book plus over 200 photographs new photos collected from all over the world from Yurburgers and from a trip taken to the town in 2001.


From the Publisher
The editor, Joel Alpert, has been researching the Jewish community of the town of Yurburg, or Yurberik (Jurbarkas) in western Lithuania for the past 13 years. His interest stems from the fact that his grandparents emigrated from the town in 1903. He initiated and organized the translation of the Yizkor (Memorial) book into English, placed it on the Internet, and now has made it available in book form. He has added an appendix of over 200 pages, containing much newly collected material (see description) not in the original book.


From the Inside Flap
Yurburg is situated on the shores of the Nieman River, near the border of Germany. Traces of the neighboring German culture were evident in the style of the houses and in the mode of life of its residents. Yurburg was an important commercial and communication center due to its geographical location. The life stye of this Jewish community was filled with vibrant social and spiritual activies. There were two parks in Yurburg. One of them was called "Tel Aviv" in which the Hebrew high school named after Herzl was located. The community supported public organizations for aiding the indigent. There were active political parties, primarily Zionist and Zionist youth organizations. The old synagogue was distinguished by its artistic wood carvings. Jews lived happily in Yurburg. Then one day, in June 1941, the Nazi armed forces invaded the town. Within the next three months the Nazis and their Lithuanian helpers tortured, murdered and destroyed what was a vibrant Jewish community.


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