Key Points
Establishment
The Nazis occupied Vilnius on June 24, 1941, and soon after began systematic violence against the Jewish population. The ghetto itself was established on September 6, 1941, and was divided into two parts: Small Ghetto: located in the northern part, mostly for those deemed "unfit" for work, liquidated quickly; Large Ghetto: located in the southern part, housed those considered "able-bodied" for forced labor.
Living Conditions
The living conditions in the ghetto were harsh and brutal. Around 40,000 Jews were confined in the ghettos at the beginning. The population quickly decreased due to mass executions. Living quarters were cramped and unsanitary, leading to outbreaks of diseases. Food rations were minimal, often insufficient to sustain life. Life in the ghetto was marked by extreme hardship and fear, yet the Jewish community attempted to maintain a sense of normalcy and dignity despite Nazi oppression. Men and women were forced to work in nearby factories or perform hard labor.
Cultural Life
Despite the conditions, the Jewish community managed to maintain some aspects of cultural and religious life: Secret classes were held to educate children in underground schools. The Vilna Ghetto was called "Yerushalayim(Jerusalem) of the Ghettos" because it was known for its intellectual and cultural spirit. The center of cultural life in the ghetto was the Mefitze Haskole Library, which contained a library of 45,000 volumes, reading hall, archive, statistical bureau, room for scientific work, museum, book kiosk, post office, and sports ground. Yitskhok Rudashevski (1927–1943), a young teen who wrote a diary of his life in the ghetto during 1941 to 1943, mentions a number of these events and his participation in them. He was murdered in the liquidation of 1943, probably at Paneriai (Ponary). His diary was discovered in 1944. The Vilna Ghetto was well known for its theatrical productions. Clandestine performances included poetry readings by Jewish authors, dramatizations of short stories, and new work by the young people of the ghetto. Some religious activities continued despite Nazi prohibitions. Prayer services were held in secret synagogues to maintain faith. Some viewed resistance as an act of religious defiance.
Smuggling and Survival
Some Jews bribed guards or traded valuables for food. Children were often used to sneak out and bring supplies. Some non-Jewish Lithuanians secretly helped by hiding Jews or providing food.
Resistance
The Vilna ghetto had a significant Jewish resistance movement. A group of Jewish partisans known as the United Partisan Organization (Fareynegte Partizaner Organizatsye FPO) was formed in 1942 and operated within the ghetto, one of the first organized resistance groups in Nazi-occupied Europe. The resistance created hiding places for weapons, gathered intelligence and carried out sabotage operations, including attacks on German military targets. In early September 1943, realizing that the Germans intended the final destruction of the ghetto, resistance members skirmished with the Germans, who had entered the ghetto to begin the deportations. The Jewish council, however, agreed to cooperate in the deportations of Jews from the ghetto, hoping to minimize bloodshed. Led by Abba Kovner, and others, the FPO aimed to fight back rather than succumb to deportations. Consequently, they fled to the nearby forests to fight the Germans, leaving through the sewers to join partisans in the Rudninkai and Naroch forests outside the city. Kovner famously declared, "Let us not go like sheep to the slaughter!" This rallying cry became symbolic of Jewish armed resistance throughout Europe.
Liquidation and Aftermath
In July 1941, the German military administration issued a series of anti-Jewish decrees. During the same month, German Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing squads) aided by Lithuanian auxiliaries killed 5,000 Jewish men at Ponary forest, eight miles outside Vilna. A German civilian administration took control of Vilna in August 1941. At the end of the month, Germans killed another 3,500 Jews at Ponary. The Vilnius Ghetto was finally liquidated between September and October 1943. Thousands of Jews were deported to Ponary; others were sent to Majdanek and Auschwitz-Birkenau. By the end of the war, only a few hundred Vilnius Jews survived. The courage and determination of the resistance fighters, however, remain a poignant testament to human resilience and defiance against oppression.
