About This Project
In 1980 the Gargždai survivors published a 496-page yizkor book, Sefer Gorzd; ayara be-hayeha u-be-hilyona (Gorzd book; a memorial to Jewish community of Gorzd). There are 417 pages in the Hebrew/Yiddish section and 79 in the English section. Only a few chapters are now online here, including a necrology and an index of names. JewishGen requires the services of a professional translator to complete the translation of the remaining 403 pages of Hebrew and Yiddish text.
Historical Significance
TThe first mention of Gorzd is in the writings of the Crusaders in 1253. The Jewish community of Gorzd was one of the first in Lithuania. In 15th century documents Jews are mentioned as appointees for collecting customs duties. In 1639, King Wladislaw IV promised Jews full privileges of citizenship.
In 1897, the town's 1,455 Jews represented 59% of the total population. Slightly more than 1,000 Jews, or about 30% of the town's population, lived in Gorzd in 1939. The Jews dominated commerce in the area in the 20th century.
The German army captured the town on June 22, 1941. Between September 14 and 16, 1941, all the remaining women and children were killed in a mass grave in the forest. Only one woman, Rachel Yomi, pretended to be dead and lived to be the single witness to the mass killing in the forest. From 1959-1989 one Jew lived in Gorzd.
Project Details
Approximately 403 pages of Hebrew and Yiddish text remain to be translated and put online on the Gargždai Yizkor Book Translation site. To accomplish that JewishGen will hire a professional translator. The project coordinator will select the order in which to translate the chapters and will work closely with the translator to ensure a grammatically correct and idiomatic translation. Specific tasks the project coordinator will perform include proofreading, editing, and preparing the work for submission to the Yizkor Book Project.
← All Yizkor Book Projects