Akniste Killings and Graves

 Akniste Killings and Graves
by Eugene Levin

My grandfather's family of 25 people in addition to other Jews of Akniste were shot in the forest next to the Akniste cemetery. I talked to my grandfather, Mozus Berkovich. He told me that before July 18, 1941 there were approximately 140 Jews in Akniste. Most of the killings were done by Latvian SS units before the Germans even made it to Akniste. 98% were killed. My grandfather was one of the few who was lucky to survive. One of their neighbors tried to save my grandfather's 5 year old sister Sara. Five days later another neighbor discovered that they are hiding her. They were all killed too. Among the Jews in Akniste graves... (there) were also many many Jews from Lithuania. They were running from the Germans, and Akniste is just couple of miles off (the) Lithuanian border. Krishjan Buikis he is the person who was in charge of killing the Jews in Akniste. Buikis was rewarded with the house of a killed Jewish merchant who was my grandfathers father.

Virtual Tour

   Virtual tour of photos of the Akniste killing site, mass grave and memorial marker.

Read More About It

The Holocaust in Latvia, 1941-1944 : The Missing Center
By Andrew Ezergailis
Historical Institute of Latvia in association with the USHMM
465 pp. $50.00

Latvian language version, page 453.

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