| Jewish families often asked themselves this question, especially in times
of disaster. After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 AD
by the Romans, the Jews travelled all over the world to find a new home
(Diaspora). Some of them settled in
Lithuania
and lived a quiet life there till the end of the 19th century. From 1900
onwards the influence of Czar Nicholas II and his government on the population
became more and more perceptible. A part of
Lithuania
was ruled by the Czar and his ancestors ( since 1795) . Nicholas II was known
for his anti-semitism. He supported e.g. the pogroms (riots organized against
the Jews). More and more Jews fled, they left
Russia
, including the Baltic States, to emigrate to the
USA
; a country which was known in those days for its open policy towards immigrants.
This was also the case for the Jews of Rozalimas. We are in the year
1905. Ten years later (in 1915) the Russians regarded the Lithuanian Jews as a
threat to the safety of their czardom, because many Jews spoke German, they
traded with
Germany
and were interested in German culture.
This is the reason why the Russians forced them to leave their houses and
to move to an area far away from the German border. This measure caused a lot of
problems and misery for the Lithuanian Jews and in this way also for the Jews of
Rozalimas. The latter had to leave Rozalimas and to settle somewhere else.
Unfortunately I'm not familiar with their names and I don't know if they ever
returned to Rozalimas after World War I.
In the years around 1930 the situation for the Lithuanian Jews had grown
even worse.
Lithuania
had become a Republic (on 16-2-1918) and its policy towards its Jewish citizens
was a hostile one. This hostility had already started at the end of the 19th
century, when the industrial revolution started.
One of the leading anti-semitic newspapers at that time was ‘Varpas’,
edited by Kudirka. In this newspaper one
proclaimed, that the bad economic situation in
Lithuania
was caused by the Jews. This had to change. It was said: The economy of
Lithuania
belonged to the Lithuanians only and not to the Jews. Kudirka, the editor,
supported many writers of these articles. He was the leader of the Lithuanian
National Movement which characterized itself
by (1) hatred against the Jews, (2) adoration and laudation regarding the
farmers and (3) the glorification of the Lithuanian language. The Lithuanian
Jews in general didn’t speak Lithuanian, but Russian, Polish and German,
because they needed these languages for their profession. (traders, bankers).
This fact caused a lot of problems.
Kudirka was the writer of the Lithuanian anthem. His influence was widely
spread all over the country. He wrote a book on his theories,called: Rastai (
Writings ). Thus a small village like Rozalimas must have heard of him, of his
theories and his influence.
Around 1930, as I understood, some Jewish families of Rozalimas emigrated
to South-Africa. Who they were, I don't know. The influence of the
Lithuanian National Movement could have been one of the reasons why these
families emigrated, perhaps another reason was the big fire which raged in
Rozalimas on 12-6-1930. The fire was announced by the sounds of a big bell in
the middle of the square, opposite the church. The fire destroyed a lot of
the wooden houses, situated in the centre of Rozalimas. Almost all of them
belonged to Jewish families. Those afflicted Jewish families, who didn't have a
shelter anymore, left Rozalimas. Unfortunately, I don't know their names. |