We ate lunch here on two consecutive days. We suspect that we were the biggest group to roll through town in many a month. When we paid and left a tip, the owner was definitely surprised - apparently not the custom. We thought about it and then hoped that they would realize the loss that resulted to themselves, that all the Jews were now gone, having been murdered. What might the town have been had the Jews been allowed to live?
Stream Scene on the walk to the "Tel Aviv Park" and Jewish Gymnasium (High School) sites. There were many beautiful sites in this town.
Heated discussion among the group - where to go next? What to see next? Coming to Yurburg was the ultimate goal of the trip for many of our group because our parents or grandparents had come from this town. At times the tension was very high with everyone with their own opinion as to what to see and do next.
Fania Jivotovsky, Itzhak Zarnitsky, Lottye Brodsky, Nava Zarnitsky, Duba Most Rosenberg (resident of Kovno, formerly of Yurburg) , Chaim Bargman, Joel Alpert
We were lucky that Chaim had located Duba Rosenberg (second from the left), who was raised in Yurburg, survived the war, and was now living in Kovno. We invited Duba to come with us so that she could identify the building that were the homes and businesses of our family members. At one point she just headed into the woods with us in tow, and no explanation. She came up to this rock (behind us) and said that when she lived here, her friends would always come to this rock to have their picture taken on happy occassions. Clearly this was a happy occassion for Duba to be back in her home town surrounded by Jews, the family of her friends (now long gone)!
Building on the right is new and is on the site of the Krelitz Bakery and the Zarnitsky Hat Store
Down a side street in Yurburg with typical wooden homes - probably once occupied by our cousins
