An almost total physical annihilation of the majority of Lithuanian Jewry by the Nazis and Lithuanian collaborators, including their spiritual leaders followed. Among those killed leaders were dozens of Rabbis who considered themselves relatives of the Vilna Gaon. In addition there were a great number of Rabbis whose fame and knowledge of the Torah were appreciated all over the world possibly no less than the Gaon in his time.

The Lithuanian Rabbis were the first victims to be abused and killed by the Lithuanian murderers. During the first ten days of the German invasion and before the arrival of the German “einzatzgruppen” the Lithuanians killed tens of thousands of Jews in the towns and villages of Lithuania. The first victims were the Jewish intelligentsia, among them the Rabbis. Especially vicious treatment was meted out to the Rabbis. It is impossible to describe their suffering and torture before their murder.

A partial list:
This article will bring before you only tiny crumbs of the suffering and torture that Lithuanian Rabbis were destined to endure at the hands of their killers. You will find described here only a few incidents in a few little settlements to illustrate the viciousness of the Lithuanian murderers.Thousands of Lithuanians from all walks of life took part in this torture and terror; among them teachers, pupils, priests, doctor, lawyers, engineers, farmers, military personnel, policemen and others, refuting the Lithuanian claim that only a handful of hooligans were responsible for those acts.  For More Reading

Little has changed in Lithuania today.
Lithuania today is a haven for Jew killers and receives gladly the murderers, among the Rabbi killers, that were convicted and extradited from the United States and other countries, and never put them on trial for their deeds. The Lithuanians passed racial laws to prevent the return of robbed Jewish private and public property to their rightful owners. Hundreds of Synagogues that the Lithuanians did not destroy are used today for other, sometimes insulting purposes. Many Torah scrolls in good condition and damaged are still housed in Lithuanian institutions and are not handed over to its rightful owners. Only the pressure exerted by international organizations forced the Lithuanians to return a few mostly damaged Torah scrolls. 

Lithuania today is a haven for Jew killers Lithuania today receives gladly the murderers, among the Rabbi killers, that were convicted and extradited from the United States and other countries, and never put them on trial for their deeds. The Lithuanians passed racial laws to prevent the return of robbed Jewish private and public property to their rightful owners.