Werenow

The arrival of the first Jews in Werenów probably dates to the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. In 1897, the town was home to 1,432 Jews, who made up 91 percent of the total population. After World War I and the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920, the Werenów region became part of Poland. By 1921, its Jewish population had declined, both absolutely (to 980) and relatively (to 80 percent of the total). In the interwar period, most local Jews made their living as petty traders, craftsmen, tanners, and carters. In the 1920s, 25 Jewish families practiced agriculture. Despite being a small town, Werenów was a hub of Jewish political life. Branches of the General Zionists and Hehalutz were established there around 1920. In 1923-1924, a chapter of Hehalutz Hatzair was opened in the town; this was followed by chapters of the Hamizrahi religious Zionist movement (1925), the leftist Hashomer Hatzair (1929), and the right-wing Beitar (in the 1930s). A branch of the anti-Zionist Bund party was also active during this period, as was a small group of Communists. Dozens of local children attended the Hebrew-language Tora ve-Daat school, which was religious, yet also affiliated with the Tarbut network of Zionist schools. In September 1939, World War II broke out, and Werenów was occupied by the Soviets. Over the fall and winter of 1939, many Jewish refugees from the German occupation zone in Poland crossed the demarcation line and settled in Werenów. Therefore, by 1941 the Jewish population of the town had increased to 1,500. The Germans occupied Werenów on June 26-27, 1941. Their arrival heralded a slew of anti-Jewish decrees, including forced labor (in particular, repair of the railroad). At least three mass shootings of Jews had taken place by December 1941; in one case, the victims were elderly and sick individuals. A ghetto was established in Werenów in August 1941. In November 1941, the Germans arrested 288 Jewish refugees from Vilna who had fled to the Werenów Ghetto. On November 14, they were shot by Lithuanian auxiliary policemen near the railway station. In January 1942, Jews from Dziewieniszki (present-day Dieveniškės, Lithuania), Soleczniki Wielke (present-day Šalčininkai, Lithuania), and some other settlements were deported to Werenów. As a result, the population of the ghetto rose to 3,000. The last murder operation took place in May 1942. On May 11, the German Feldgendarmerie, police, and auxiliaries entered the ghetto. They assembled all the inmates in the market square, carried out a selection to set apart the skilled workers, and then shot all the rest. More than 1,800 people were killed on that day. The skilled workers were allowed to live on for two weeks in the former ghetto. Afterward, those who had not managed to escape were taken to the Lida Ghetto, where they shared the fate of its inmates. Werenów was liberated by the Red Army on July 11, 1944.