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Luoke Second Jewish Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Country
Lithuania
Region
Telsiai County
District
Telsiai
Settlement
Luoke
Site address
Proceed 75 metres east from the intersection of Sodai g. Street and Zemaites g. Street. The cemetery is located on the slope in the field.
GPS coordinates
55.89438, 22.53227
Perimeter length
401 metres
Is the cemetery demolished
yes
Type and height of existing fence
Type of the fence
Preservation condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery
General site condition
Fenced and protected Jewish cemetery. The cemetery is well-maintained. It is situated on a slope and there is some seasonal vegetation and trees.
Number of existing gravestones
around 200. There are some stone fragments on the site.
Date of oldest tombstone
1879 (the earliest found tombstone by ESJF).
Date of newest tombstone
1909 (the latest found tombstone by ESJF).
Urgency of erecting a fence
Low
Land ownership
Property of local community
Preserved construction on site
Drone surveys
Yes

Historical overview

Given the oldest preserved tombstone is dated 1879, it can be inferred the cemetery was already in use by the late 19th century.

Jews began to settle in Luokė (Pl. Łukniki, Yid. לוקניק) in the 17th century. A fire in 1887 and a pogrom caused by a blood libel in 1888 hit the community hard and led to Jewish emigration to America, South Africa and Palestine. In 1897, there were 798 Jews in the town, or 49% of the total population. In the interwar period, the community maintained a Hebrew school, two batei-midrash and a library. The local Jewish People’s Bank (Folksbank) had 91 members in 1927. Zionist organisations were active. About 400 Jews lived in Luokė at the time of the German invasion in 1941. The Jews were killed in the nearby camps in Gudiškė and Geruliai.

3D model
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