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Photograph of the Rokiskis Betar youth group, including 17 members and a framed photograph of a man. Both men and women were permitted to join, and are photographed here. While not all the members of the group are named, the caption for this photograph identifies "Daddy Aarons" as the man in the white shirt in the back row.

The Betar organisation is a Zionist youth movement with a strong focus on activism. Similarly, the aim is to train young Jews ideologically and practically for aliyah. This organisation mobilized by providing Zionist education, teaching Hebrew language and culture, training members in self-defence, and ascribing a strong dedication to aliyah. [Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/betar].

Photograph of 11 boys who were members of Histadrur Hashomer. The young man standing on the far right is holding up a flag, emblematic of the movement that this organisation aims to enact.

The Histadrur was originally formed as a trade union for solidarity and organisation of Jewish economic activity amongst Jewish workers. The founding principles are socialist and Zionist in nature, with a concerted effort to promote the use of Hebrew language and Jewish culture, with a particular focus on promoting aliyah. The youth division of Histadrur focused on fostering these ideals in young Jews, primarily educating the youth in Jewish culture and Hebrew language, as well as politics and ideologies associated with the aims of the organisation. The organisation similarly facilitated group activities, including sport as well as practical activities that suited the aims and intentions of aliyah and worker solidarity. In line with the goal of solidarity and unity, the members are in uniforms. [Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-histadrut].

Photograph of 50th anniversary celebration of the opening of the local Jewish orphanage. The caption for this photograph speculates that the 23 members of the photograph are previous residents of the orphanage, returning for the celebration. The older woman in the centre of the second row is the same woman in the group photograph with the children living in the orphanage when the photograph was taken, and was the caretaker of the children in the orphanage.

Photograph of the volunteers for the flower day collection in support of the local Jewish orphanage. The volunteers include 8 men and women, holding hearts of flowers, and some with collection containers.

Photograph of a gathering of men and women, as well as children and adults. The photograph includes approximately 100 townsfolk, and is taken outdoors on grass, with a collection of trees in the background. The photograph is organised with mostly older members in the rows further back, and increasingly tiered downwards to children, some as young as toddlers, in the front row.

Photograph of 16 members of the girls group of Histadrur Hashomer Hazair Kibbutzim Dror, including two male instructors in the front row. A young woman in the back row is holding up a flag, emblematic of the movement that this organisation aims to enact. The Histadrur was originally formed as a trade union for solidarity and organisation of Jewish economic activity amongst Jewish workers. The founding principles are socialist and zionist in nature, with a concerted effort to promote the use of Hebrew and Jewish culture, as well as organizing and enacting emigration to Palestine as part of aliyah. The youth division focused on fostering these ideals in young Jews, primarily educating the youth in Jewish culture and Hebrew language, as well as politics and ideologies associated with the aims of the organisation. One of the Zionist-related aims is to promote kibbutzim, which refers to a way of life proposed for sustainable living in the homeland, where agricultural skills and community-centred lifestyle are central, and Jews are prepared to live in a kibbutz (community/group). The organisation similarly facilitated group activities, including sport as well as practical activities that suited the aims and intentions of aliyah and worker solidarity. The young women are in uniform, in line with the ideals of solidarity and unionship of the organisation. The rifle-wielding member in the centre of the front row is an indication of some of the militarization and armed-activism training involved in this organisation, whereby members are trained to rise in unison to fight for the organisational ideals. [Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-histadrut].

Photograph of 17 pupils from the local gymnasia with their teacher seen in the far right position of the second row from the front. Both young men and women are included. While not all members are named, Lieba Leah Meyerowitz - daughter to Rabbi Meyerowitz - is seen in the front row, seated second from the left.

Photograph of 18 members of the Rokiskis branch of the Hapoel sports organisation. While the team includes mostly females, both young men and women were allowed to join. This organisation formed as an alternative to the Maccabi organisation, which had a similar aim, that being to provide a space for Jewish youth to engage in sports and other recreational activities. This movement was founded in response to increased nationalism across the European continent at the time which simultaneously fueled increased anti-Semitism. Jewish community members would often form their own organisations, which served as meeting points of Jews who were largely excluded in other realms of society and therefore unable to join mainstream organisations of a similar kind. This exclusion was primarily based on Antisemitism, not only making Jewish organisations necessary if Jews were interested in taking part in these activites, but also promoting an in-group sense of belonging in a highly community-oriented group. Hapoel, meaning 'the worker', had the added ideological aspect of being a socialist sports organisation, falling under the umbrella of the Histadrut labour organisation. In this way, sports and other organized activities in the workplace were encouraged as unifying forces amongst workers. [Source: https://yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Poel_Ha-]

Photograph of 16 members of the local Hashomer Hatzair youth organisation, including both young men and women. One of the members in the centre of the back row is holding up a flag, emblematic of the movement that this organisation aims to enact. The name Hashomer Hatzair translates to mean 'The Young Guard', and was (and is) an organisation for Jewish youth who ascribed to the ideology of secular Zionism (Jewishness as nationalism).

The Hashomer Hatzair organisation aimed to prepare Jewish youth in agricultural methods, Jewish ideology and nationalism, and to encourage the use and sustainability of Hebrew and other core Jewish values, albeit secular in nature. [Source: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ha-shomer-ha-x1e92-a-x0027-ir].

Photograph of 15 Jewish members of the Lithuanian Army from Rokiskis. These men are wearing their army uniform, and are organized in rows. While not all the members are named, Avraham Schwartzberg can be seen in the middle row, seated third from the right.