The Jurbarkas synagogue built in 1790 and burned down by the Germans during the first days of occupation
YVA, Photo Collection, 503/11632
In July 1940, following the annexation of Lithuania to the Soviet Union, public and private property was nationalized, along with Jewish educational and cultural institutions.
The German army occupied Jurbarkas on June 22, 1941, and four days later several local Jews were shot, along with some suspected Soviet activists. From July-September 1941, the Einsatzkommando Tilsit, headed by Hans Joachim Boehme, murdered the entire Jewish population of Jurbarkas, assisted by Lithuanian auxiliary police. On September 14, 1941, the last Jews of Jurbarkas were shot in an unknown location.
The Red Army liberated Jurbarkas on October 9, 1944.