Marking the New Year

Some 2,700 Jews lived in Jonava, Lithuania between the two world wars, approximately 65 percent of the local population.  The Jews made a living in trade, crafts and manufacture, mainly of the furniture which was famous throughout and beyond Lithuania, and constituted a source of much of the town's income. The economic crisis that hit Lithuania in the 1930s also affected the Jews' financial situation. 

All the Zionist parties were represented in Jonava, and a Hachshara (pioneer training) center was established there.  Two unions supported the many welfare institutions in the town, which also had a Jewish hospital and clinic.

In June 1941 Jonava was occupied by the Germans, and by the end of August most of the town's Jews had been murdered.