Murder Story of Zapyškis Jews at the Zapyškis Jewish Cemetery

... 40 Jews arrived at the beis-midrash (house of study and prayer). When they arrived they found well-armed “partisans” [Lithuanian nationalists], who did not allow them to return home. They took all the Jews who had arrived and forced them into the beis-midrash. None of the Jews realized what was happening. They waited impatiently. Some “partisans” entered and ordered them to sing “Communist songs.” The Jews did not sing but were not too worried since the Lithuanian “partisans” they saw before them were people who had been their customers and who had helped them earn a living. The “partisans” then ordered the Jews to pray. The Jews did not obey. The Jews were then ordered to go outside and get into line. The “partisans” told them that they were going to work on the Reingivilius farm, 14 kilometers from Kovno, and took them in the direction of Kovno. About 20 “partisans” armed with automatic rifles guarded the 40 Jews. Among the 20 some were from the village of Ravilkiai. A kilometer beyond the village of Zapyškis they made the Jews turn left in the direction of the Jewish cemetery and ordered them to form two rows. Suddenly they heard the order to fire and a hail of bullets struck the bodies of the Jews, who fell like grass before a reaper.… Yitzhak was covered by bodies of the dead so that the “partisans” did not notice him and left. This was on Saturday night at 10 o'clock on the 24th day of the month of Tammuz. Yitzhak crawled out from the pile of bodies and made his way to his brothers in Kovno. His clothes were drenched with blood and his right leg had suffered a gunshot wound….