Cy has made contact with some educational officals in hopes of having the cemetery integrated into the local high-school curriculum. Our goal is to have an educational project established to teach about the history of both Lithuanian Jewry and the Holocaust. This would culminate in an annual ceremony held at the Jewish Cemetery where an award would be given for an essay written by a local student that touches on some aspect of the pre-war Lithuanian Jewish Community.

The goal here would be two-fold, to preserve the heritage of the local Jewish Community of Skapiskis and give a tangible stake to the residents of Skapiskis in preserving and maintaining the cemetery. This would one step in guaranteeing the sustainability of the Skapiskis Jewish Cemetery for future generations.

lighting a candle

lighting a candle
Originally uploaded by cykuck.

Last Monday night Vidmantas and I visited the cemetery to place a candle. Vidmantis is a retired forester, and his sister is a retired teacher who wrote a book about the history of Skapiskis. Its extraordiary to sit with these people and hear the history of this place.

head stone, skapiskis

head stone, skapiskis
Originally uploaded by cykuck.

night photo, skapiskis

night photo, skapiskis
Originally uploaded by cykuck.

Background

Today, as in many places in Eastern Europe, a Jewish cemetery is the last remaining evidence of the history and presence of a local Jewish community. This Project stands as a memorial to those who perished at the hands of the Nazi’s and to Skapiskis lost Jewish community. A small symbolic wall will outline the borders of the cemetery and a plaque erected honoring and remembering a cultural and historical heritage.