The Holocaust in Vilkaviskis 2.
The Barracks (The Deception)
"The Trap Closes: The Military Barracks"
In mid-July, the men were transferred from the Seminary to the Russian military barracks. To keep the prisoners calm, the German command used a cruel deception. They summoned a Jewish merchant known for his experience in the oil industry and asked him to "inspect" the large pits being dug nearby.
The Moment of Deception: The men were told the pits were for storing gasoline and fuel tanks for the German army. Because a local expert had been consulted, many believed the lie. In reality, these were the mass graves of their brothers and fathers.
(Yosef Levi): "Schubert [the commander] comforted us, assuring us that what had happened would not happen again, that this was already the last time. Our 'comfort-guards' were in vain."
The Historical Fact: On July 28, 1941—the day of the Jewish fast of Tisha B'Av—between 800 and 900 men were led to these pits and murdered. The town was now a place of shadows, inhabited only by women, children, and the few men kept for labor.
Lithuanian documents from July 1941 instruction the local administration about the German instructions for the arrest of Jews
