eilatgordinlevitan.com
Rokiskis
Rokiskis/ Rakishok
Lithuania
55°58' / 25°35' (Near the latvian and Belarusian borders)

Jewishgen page for Rokiskis:
http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/rokiskis/rokmain.htm
Memorial Book of Rokiskis:
http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/rokiskis/rokiskis.html

Click on Photos to Enlarge

#rok-1:

The main square picture taken during the1920s
From the album of Alice Kramer http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok2/album/slides/Big%20Square.html

#rok-2:

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#rok-4:

March 1938- Rakishok Jewish children during Purim party.
On the eve of the Second World War there were about 3,500 Jews in town.
On June 28, 1941, the Germans took over the town. In August of 1941 the entire Jewish population was taken out of town and killed.

#rok-5:

Josef Harmac was born in Rokiskis
23/1/1925 . He was a partisan.
Bibliography ;Harmatz Joseph - From the Wings,
England 1998.

#rok-6:

Nachman Levin
Birth; Rokiskis 25/12/1923
Fighter in the underground of the Kovno ghetto.
Killed on November of 1943.

#rok-7:

Nechama Deutsch and her son Reuven (Rokiskis c 1900)

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Members of the Zionist Youth movement during visit in rakishok (1923)

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#rok-18: Rabbi Bezalel Katz with Lithuanian President Smetana

#rok-20:

Drama society in Rokiskis 1928
Girl at top left Taybi Keel, girl top row center; Leibe Ruch
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image33%20Description-orig.html

#rok-23:

Memorial to the Jews killed duiring the Shoah
For caption go to; http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image03%20Description-orig.html

#rok-25:

1926 ; Maccabees' team of Rakishok under the instruction of A. Rubin
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image09%20Description-orig.html

#rok-26:

Zionist Youth, members of "Histadrut Hashomer Hazair" 1925
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image10%20Description-orig.html"

#rok-27:

members of "Histadrut HaShomer HaZair" the unit name is "Dror" http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image11%20Description-orig.html

#rok-28:

1927
An anniversary celebration of the orphange in Rokiskis by the volunteers and staff
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image12%20Description-orig.html

#rok-30:

A Rosh Hashana greeting card from the orphange, year 1926
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image14%20Description-orig.html

#rok-31:

Jewish Students in the Rakashik high school with their Hebrew teacher Mr. Caspi.
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/Rakishok/album/slides/Image15%20Description-orig.html

#rok-32:

Mr. Caspi with his Hebrew class at the Rokiskis high school

#rok-33:

High school students; front row second from left Lieba Leah Meyerowitz , daughter of Asna Rivka nee Katz and Rabbi Avraham Meyerowitz
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image17%20Description-orig.html

#rok-34:

http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image18%20Description-orig.html

Nature study class in the Rakashik High school- Miss Ethel Schwarzberg is siting on the left
Picture donated by Mrs. Ethel Aarons (nee Schwarzberg?)

#rok-35:

"Maccabi Rakashik" won a soccer match 2:1 in 1925. Mrs. Ethel Aarrons donated the picture
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image20%20Description-orig.html

#rok-36:

Orchestra of "Maccabi"1926
Mrs. Ethel Aarons donated the picture
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image21%20Description-orig.html

#rok-37:

"HaPoel" athletic club 1935

#rok-38:
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#rok-40:
#rok-41:

#rok-42:

The main square picture taken during the1920s
From the album of Alice Kramer http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok2/album/slides/Big%20Square.html

#rok-43:

The main square picture taken during the1920s
From the album of Alice Kramer http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok2/album/slides/Big%20Square.html

#rok-44:

1925; Jewish celebration in Rakeshik for opening of the Hebrew U in Jerusalem
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image04%20Description-orig.html

#rok-45:

1925; Jewish celebration in Rakeshik for opening of the Hebrew U in Jerusalem
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image04%20Description-orig.html

#rok-46:

1925; Jewish celebration in Rakeshik for opening of the Hebrew U in Jerusalem
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image04%20Description-orig.html

#rok-47:

1925; Jewish celebration in Rakeshik for opening of the Hebrew U in Jerusalem
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image04%20Description-orig.html

#rok-48:

1925; Jewish celebration in Rakeshik for opening of the Hebrew U in Jerusalem
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image04%20Description-orig.html

#rok-49:

http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image06%20Description-orig.html

#rok-50:

Daughters come from the U.S to visit their father in Rokiskis
http://www.mannbarry.net/Lithuania/Beyachad/

Rakishok/album/slides/Image05%20Description-orig.html

#rok-51: Rokiskis central market before 1939 ( Yivo collection)
Rokiskis
Rokiskis
#rok-52: The Tarbut Hebrew School. Standing, fourth from left: Slovka Segal. Sitting, second from left: Itale Orlin ( Yivo collection)
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Rokiskis
Rokiskis
Rokiskis
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Created by Eilat Gordin Levitan
Portraits | Cemetery | New Scenes | Old Scenes | Map | Resistance Fighters | Portraits | Jewish Refugee in Tashkent | Archives | RUSSIAN EMPIRE CENSUS -1897 | Rokiskis SIG files / ukmerge 1925-1938 foreign passport applications | Rokiskis 1846 Candle Tax | Jews Under Police Surveillance 1905 Parts 1 and 2 | Salakas 1897-1915 Marriages and Divorces | Ukmerge Kupiskis 1873-74 RL Updated | Kamajai 1846 TPLC | Zarasai Uz 1847-8 Farmers List | Kaunas Gubernia FARMERS LIST 1848 KRA I-49 1 1942 amended | Rok June 14, 1941, Deportations (2017-04-17) updated | Lit-1922-1940-Prisoners List revised 6 25 2011 | Vidzy-18161818,1826-1830 Rev | Zarasai-1922-1939-Deaths | Kupiskis births-1878,1900-1940 | Jewish Conscripts 1918-1939 |||

Translation of Yizkor book of Rakishok and environs
http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/rokiskis/rokiskis.html

The original Rokiskis yizkor book in Yiddish online:
http://yizkor.nypl.org/index.php?id=2563

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Family Portraits (originated predominantly in the Vilna region)
Abramowicz | Abramson | Adler | Albin | Alperovitz | Alter | Altshuler | Anisfeld | Appelfeld | Arotzker | Astrinsky | Avnaim | Axelrod | Bader | Baksht | Barbakov | Barmatz | Basok | Behr_Ber | Bekker | Belkind | Bendet Ben Tovim | Bengis | Berger | Berkman | Berkovitz | Berlin | Berman | Bernstein | Berzon | Bloch | Blumenfrucht | Blumenkrantz | Bobrowicz | Bogin | Botwinik | Bozparozbany | Brezner | Brin | Bronitsky | Bronstein | Brudner | Brudno | Budgor | Budovnitz | Bumstein | Bunimovitz | Cahanovitz | Chabas | Chadash | Chagall | Chait | Charad/Harat | Chayklin | Chedekel | Cheres | Chevlin | Chodes (Hodesh) | Chomsky | Chosid | Codosh | Costrell | Cugell | Cymer | Danishevski | Dardak | Davidson| Deitch | Demsky | Deutsch | Dikenstein | Dimenstein | Dinnerstein | Diskin | Dlot | Dokshitzki | Dolgow | Dorfan | Drechinski | Drenger | Druyanov | Dubin | Dudman | Dunkelblum | Durmashkin | Dworzecki | Ehrlich | Eidelman | Eishiski | Ekman | Elkes | Elyashiv | Epstein | Erenburg | Etkind | Evans | Falk | Farberman | Feigel | Feigelman | Feingold | Ferber | Fertig | Feygelson | Fidler | Finder | Finkel | Fischhab | Flant | Fragman | Frankfurt | Friedman | Furman | Futerfas | Garber | Garfinkel | Garnun | Gdud | Gelman | Gershovitz | Gershwin | Gerstein | Ginsburg | Gitelzon | Gitlin | Gitlitz | Gold | Goldman | Goldstoff | Golob | Gordin | Gordon | Gornitzky | Gorodesky | Goron | Greenholtz | Greenhouse| Greenstein | Grosbein | Gross | Grundfest | Gumplowicz | Gurevitz | Gurfein | Gutman | Gutwirth | Halperin Galperin | Harkavy | Harmach | Harris | Hayutin | Heifetz | Helberg | Herzog | Highstein | Hillman | Hochstein | Hofenberg | Hoffman | Hollander | Ichlov | Ikholov | Isaacson | Israelit | Iwjan | Jackan | Jaffe | Kafkafi | Kagan | Kaganovich | Kahan | Kalish | Kalka | Kamenetsky | Kanterovitz | Kantor | Kapit | Kaplan | Kaswan | Katz | Katznelson | Katzowitz | Kazalovski | Kisber | |Kivilovitz | Klaczko | Klausner | Kline | Klingberg | Knoblauch | Kopilovitz | Korngold | Kosovsky | Kotler | Kowarski | Kramnik | Krechmer | Kreines | Kremer | Kriger | Krivitsky | Kugel | Kulbak | Kunin | Kunstler | Kuperstock | Kur | Kushner | Kuzenitz | Landau | Lane | Laskov | Laufer | Lavit | Leibmann | Lemberger | Lemkin | Lemlich | Levin | Levitan | Lieberman | Liff | Lifshitz | Limon | Lipetz | Lipson | Lunin | Luntz | Luria | Macht | Madeisker Madesker | Magid | Maisel | Malbin | Malishkevitz | Malkin | Mandel | Matusov | Meirovitz | Meitin | Melamed | Meltzer | Mer | Merovich | Milchan | Milikowsky | Mon | Mordehowicz | Mosberg | Mushkin | Norman | Oshri | Pablovsky | Palevsky | Papkin | Parlov | Patchornik | Pauker | Pearlman | Pelavin | Penski | Perlin | Persky | Peschkowsky | Pines | Pintov | Pistonovich_Pistenowicz | Pliskin | Podberesky| Pokempner | Pont | Popel | Popky | Poremba | Potashnik| Ptalis | Pupkin | Rabin | Rabinovitz| Rabunski | Raichel | Rakower | Reitshtein | Reznik | Riar | Ritov | Rogovin | Rogozin | Rolnik | Romm | Rosen | Rosenberg | Rosenblum | Rosenson | Rubin | Rubinson | Rubinstein | Ruderman | Rutkowski | Sacks | Saliternik | Sandler | Schlesinger | Schneerson | Schreibman | Segal | Shapiro | Sharett | Sheinhous | Shenker | Shepsenwohl | Shereshevsky | Sherman | Shertok | Sheskin | Shiff | Shimshelvitz | Shiniyuk | Shmukler | Shochat | Shoolman | Shorr | Shperber | Shpringer | Shrebnick | Shriro | Shubitz | Shulkin | Shulman | Shuster | Silberfeld | Simon | Sklut | Skolnick | Skuk | Slifkin/Slivkin | Slonimsky | Slutsky | Smorgonski | Sobol | Solonowitz | Soloveichik | Sosensky | Sparber | Spektor | Spilka | Spreiregen | Srebnik | Strashun | Streisand | Strunsky | Stupel | Sud | Sudowicz | Sutzkever | Swirsky | Szewach | Szyszko | Tabachovitz | Taibel | Tarant | Tarshish | Tauger | Teitz | Todres | Turov | Twersky | Vaksmakher | Vand Polak | Viniar | Virovich | Vishniak | Volansky | Volcani | Vorfman | Wachstock | Wainer | Wasserman | Weinberg | Weindling | Weinschel | Weisbord | Wilbushevitz | Wilder | Wilkanski | Wolfowich | Wouk | Wulkan | Yalovker | Yafe | Yakimovsky | Yatzkan | Yudelowitz | Zafransky | Zaltzman | Zandman  | Zavodnick | Zecharia | Zeidlin Zeldin | Zelmanovich | Zimbal | Zimmerman | Ziskind | Zonabend Sonnabend | Zuckerman | Zusman

In regard to my research which I have been conducting regarding the
shtetl
of Rokiskis, there is much to be found in the databases which relates
to
it on the well known subscription genealogy site. It is just a
matter of knowing how to find it and what search parameters to
utilize.
I found that the most efficient way to search is by either family name
or
town or country name. Unfortunately, access to data on Lithuania or
Latvia
as countries is not provided. However, they do have Russia as a
choice.

This left minimal choices to locate people from an ancestral shtetl, so
I depend on using the ADVANCED SEARCH feature. Once there, I usually
plug
in either the name and or checking EXACT or by leaving it as is.
Another
thing I utilize is Rokisky and other spellings of Rokiskis in the
KEYWORD(S)
section. Either way, I always find interesting data.

Be aware that when you put in different spellings of Rokiskis, you will
get
back a certain number of people who had that spelling as their surname
and
they were not from Rokiskis at all. For instance, there were numerous
people called "Rokisky".

An interesting example of someone who was born in Rokiskis is David
Lewis
BERELOVITZ, born December 5, 1880. He is not listed in the Rokiskis
birth
records at all and the pertinent information on him is from his U. S.
WWII
Draft Registration Record. Evidently, he left Rokiskis and came to
America
and settled in Johnstown, PA, at 234 Franklin Street and was living
there at
the time of the Draft Registration on April 27, 1942. Further research
by
those interested in this family name might reveal that David Lewis
BERELOVITZ might be the same person as David Louis BERELOVITZ who lived
in
Whitman, MA.

In this regard, another Berelovitz is Freida BERELOVITZ, age 17, who
left
behind her mother Kerse BERELOVITZ and went to her brother David who
was
living at 20 Bedford Street, Whitman, MA, on June 25, 1908.

Two other Rokiskis-born individuals were Mondel SCHWAITZ, born 1871,
and
Moses SCHWAITZ, born 1879, who came to New York on November 19, 1904.
They
too are not noted in the Rokiskis records. Another person is Berel
ORELOWITZ, born 1863, who left Hamburg and went to Boulogne and then
New York on August 4, 1901. Funnily enough, there is a listing for a Berel
ORELOWITZ in the 1910 Census for Freida BERELOVITZ's brother David in
Whitman, MA.

Some others who were listed as being born in Rokiskis in their WWII
Draft
Registration were:

Samuel KATZ, born May 1, 1886, living in Portsmouth, VA; Morris POVILL,
born
May 9, 1878, living in New York; and Samuel SELIGMAN, born April 12,
1887,
living in Portsmouth, VA.

Others who departed from Hamburg were:

Hana ABELOWITZ
Hirsch BERLOWITZ
Joel BERLOWITZ
Leizer BERLOWITZ
Leib BRUK
Welwel CHAIMOWITZ
Fanny GAR
Jochel GORDA
Mottel KRUK
Gerson ORELOWICZ
David POPLAK
Samuel REBI
Schmul ROSIN
Salmen SCHOCHET
Chazkel SEGAL
Motel SIMELEWITZ

The ship "Kronprinz" left Hamburg on December 30, 1903, headed for
Amsterdam, Las Palmas and finally landed in South Africa, and with her
she
carried Rokishokers: Hirsch (born 1891), Joel (born 1890) and Leizer
Berlowitz (born 1863) as well as Leib Bruk (born 1865). None of these
individuals were to be found in any of the Rokiskis births.

Then, there were those who came to New York from various other ports:

Jossel Facubovitz
Bero KIEL
Ette KIEL
Riwke KIEL
Sisse KIEL
Mones OGHEROWITZ
Chawe SAITOWITZ
Annie ADELMAN
Jacob ADELMAN
Leib SELIKMAN
Nechame SELIKMAN
Riwke SELIKMAN

There were noted several who came to Boston:

Annie HAMBURG
Hirsch LIEBMAN
Josef LIEBMAN

As you can see, there are names you are familiar with from Rokiskis and
those you may not be. The benefit, I found, of utilizing these
databases is
that if they fall within certain years, you will most likely find the
birth
dates of the family members who you have been unable to find in the
Rokiskis
vital records. This may be due to the fact that the vital records did
not
exist for the years your relative was born in.

I found that it is important to look through all of the databases no
matter
whether you think your relative might appear in them or not. You may
find
yourself surprised to find that they moved around more than you
thought.
For one family I looked at, they were found to have lived in various
different states in America and various cities, all in the space of
thirty
years.

I hope that you find this of assistance and that it gives you some
insight
into additional sources for family information. It is important to
note,
that you cannot just utilize one source alone. You have to link both
the
records you may find on a for pay web site with the JewishGen/Litvak
SIG and
Rokiskis SIG as well as South Africa SIG databases.

It is important to continue to support obtaining all records so that
you
have the best chance of making a match to locate your families. You
never
know what the next batch of records will bring to your research!!!

Ann Rabinowitz

Per Joel Alpert's suggestion, the first attachment contains the original text and a more complete translation of the Siren article.  The second attachment contains the similarly worded news item that appears on the website of the Rokiskis Regional Museum and its English translation.

Like the Alka Museum in Telsiai, which has expressed an interest in translating the "Telshe Book" into Lithuanian, there is a similar interest in Rokiskis in seeing the Rokiskis yizkor book eventually translated into Lithuanian.

A local publication in Rokiskis reported last week that the Rokiskis Regional Museum was delighted to receive a copy of the English translation of the Rokiskis and Environs yizkor book.  The article notes, in essence, that JewishGen's program for translating yizkor books into English is making the history of the Jewish communities is more accessible to Lithuanians.

http://www.rokiskiosirena.lt/n aujiena/kultura/muziejininkai- diaugiasi-daugiau-detali-apie- rokikio-krato-yd-gyvenim

Phil

Rokiskis Museum News Item 2017-10-20

Rokiskis Siren Article 2017-10-26

 
Videos

Rakiszki Rokiškis in 1937

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Red8ubsAjUc