
Shtetl Tour To – Sakiai, Shaki, Shakyai
Šakiai (Shaki, Shakyai, Shakyay) is a city that is quite interesting on its own. And as all the cities that we had visited before, this one has rich history tied with Jewish people. There was a modern fountain, standing in the middle of an old flea market. The contrast there between old and new is immense. A big part of this city is surrounded by old, creepy soviet buildings. It was quite a challenge to find the right house belonging to our clients. But as always, we had accomplished our mission. We had found a few houses. One of them was a simple, little store, that specializes in farming equipment. It had been there for a long, long while. It allowed us today, just as in the old days, to buy various things, ranging from tomato seeds to a rake… Close by there was a hotel-restaurant, where we could not find any kosher food, so, unfortunately, it was hard to choose what to eat from the menu. Mostly because we do not eat cheese. After a nice meal we went a bit further away from central square and found an old Jewish cemetery. It was closely surrounded by people, living nearby. After leaving Šakiai, we were faced with the saddest part of our journey – “Batiškių miškas“. It was a forest where over 4000 people were gruesomely shot dead. They were taken from nearby shtetls, Šakiai, and from the neighboring towns of Kruki (Kriukai), Lukshi (Luksiai), Sintovta (Sintautai), Grishkabud (Griskabudis), Sudarg (Sudargas) and many others.. And just as that our journey had come to an end. It was an experience that makes you value what you have. And makes you feel sorry for the hard lives of Jews during the war..