Lost Treasures: The Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe The Artwork of Bill Farran
Vilkovishk, Lithuania - Original Linocut
Vilkovishk, Lithuania - Original Linocut
Vilkovishk [Yiddish]
It is believed that the first Jews arrived in Vilkaviškis in the fourteenth century.
At the beginning of the sixteenth century Queen Bona, the wife of King Zigmunt August II, donated timber to the citizens of Vilkaviškis for building prayer houses. Jews were among the beneficiaries, and they built their synagogue in 1545, which existed until World War II. It contained a grandiose oak Aron Kodesh (Holy Ark), three stories high, decorated with artistically engraved wooden ornaments, housing the Sefer Torah (Five Books of Moses) and several scrolls brought by those expelled from Spain.
Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the Soviets gained control of Vilkaviškis. On June 22, 1941, the Nazi German army, with assistance from Lithuanian collaborators, occupied the town. Many Jewish homes and the synagogue were destroyed by bombing. A few weeks later the Jews were imprisoned in a ghetto set up in military barracks outside of town. Many Jewish men were shot and murdered on July 28, 1941 and buried in two pits, which were prepared in advance. On September 24, the Jewish women and children were shot at the same location. According to Soviet sources, a total of 3,056 people were murdered at that time.
Purchase a print
Original linocut prints are 8x10 inches, and are available either unmatted or in an 11x14 matte.
I also offer matted 5x7 digital prints. These prints are created from high-res digital images and come in an 8x10 matte.
For this synagogue I have created an additional digital print, with Hebrew lettering in the background. These prints are also created from high-res digital images and come in an 8x10 matte.