- Series
- 2013-
The Svėdasai (English spelling: Svedasai) Photograph Series includes three photographs, one of which depicts the visit of President Antanas Smetona, and the remaining two include the Arsch family from Svėdasai in various scenarios and with different family members in each photographs.
The chaotic pattern in Eastern Europe and nearby regions in the first half of the 20th century – mostly as a result of the two World Wars – consisted of sporadic occupation, independence, and reoccupation of territories. Following the same pattern as many shtetlach in Eastern Europe, particularly in Lithuania, Subacius was part of the Russian Empire until the First World War when it was occupied by Bolsheviks. The Russian declaration for all Jews to be driven out of their towns applied to Subacius, decreasing the population significantly. However, relations between Jews and Lithuanians in this town were relatively harmonius, with considerably minor looting of empty homes of Jews, so that when they returned from Russian exile their homes were in tact. In the interwar years, the town was part of the Independent Republic of Lithuania, under which even more Jews left as economic conditions declined, mostly immigrating to Israel due to the strong Zionist presence in this shtetl. Lithuanian independence was disrupted by Soviet invasion in 1940, and once again by Nazi invasion in 1941 at the start of the Second World War when Soviets and Nazis declared war. There were very strong nationalists in Lithuania who turned very cruel upon Nazi occupation, with some even acting before Nazi troops arrived, acting with extreme violence against Jews. This mass violence was carried out as a masscare within the town, including inside the shops owned by Jews, but also through extended massacre whereby Jews were transported under the pretense of going to work nearby in Rokiskis, where they were instead murdered. [Source: https://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/lithuania6/lit6_327.html]
The town of Svėdasai (English spelling: Svedasai) is named as such in Lithuanian, as Sviadostse in Russian, as Świadoście in Polish, and as Svadushtsh/Shvidostch in Yiddish.
This Series was originally donated to the SAJBOD Archives by Ethel Aarons in 1988, after she moved to Johannesburg.