Murder story of Ziezmariai Jews in the Strosiunai Forest

In the second half of August ... an order was issued, stating that all men aged fourteen or over, “a very old age,” must report for work. None of them had any idea what was awaiting them, and they all arrived punctually. The men were given shovels and taken away, under a heavy guard of Lithuanians and Germans, in the direction of Kaisiadorys, three kilometers from Žiežmariai. They were led into a forest (the second forest in the direction of Kaisiadorys) near the main road and forced to dig pits. Once they had finished digging the pits, they were all shot. Local peasants relate how the Lithuanians carried out the shooting while the Germans took photographs. On the same day, all the men from Kaisiadorys and Žasliai were brought to the pits. The total number of Jewish men from Žiežmariai, Kaisiadorys and Žasliai shot in the forest was approximately 800. The pits remained exposed until peasants from the nearby villages were brought in to cover them. The Jewish men from Žasliai were herded on foot through the village of Žiežmariai straight to the pit, in view of everyone in the village. Peasants living by the main road saw Jewish men from Kaisiadorys headed to the pits. As to what happened to them ...