The Long Journey Home: Descendants Return
For over eighty years, the names of Vilkaviškis’s Jewish families were nearly erased from the local landscape. But history has a way of calling people back. Over the past two decades, it has been our profound privilege to welcome home descendants from all over the globe, helping them retrace the footsteps of their ancestors.
The Early Pilgrimages
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Yossi Ankorion: A vital force in our story, who returned to actively organize and crowd-fund the gorgeous memorial plaques that now mark the Municipality, the Synagogue site, and the Old Age Home.
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Yossi Sperling: Returned to reconnect with his heritage and successfully funded the journey of a local Righteous Gentile’s family to Israel.
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Eli Rutstein: Made an emotional return to honor his father, Meir, by generously bringing custom uniforms for the local Vilkaviškis football club.
Generations Reconnected
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Charles Berz & Daughter: Visited Vilkaviškis together, passing the torch of memory down to the next generation.
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Jim Marver: Journeyed to the town to walk the streets of his ancestors and uncover his family's deep roots.
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Avinoam & Family: Brought his entire family to experience the living history of the town together.
Zohar and 7 members of his family return to Vilkaviskis. Zohar’s family is related to the Teitelbaum and Zimanski families of Vilkaviskis.
Sarah Berman and her family return to Vilkaviskis
With her mother and grandmother in Vilkaviskis
Andy Weinstein and his wife. return to Vilkaviskis
oday in Vilkaviškis, Lithuania — the birthplace of my great-grandmother — my wife and I experienced something I will never forget.
My great-grandmother, who lived long enough to attend my bar mitzvah, began her life here. We hired a local guide to help us understand the history of this place and to visit the sites connected to its Jewish past. One stop was the Vilkaviškis Holocaust Memorial.
With her mother and grandmother in Vilkaviskis
