May 23rd

 We started our morning by first meeting the mayors of both Antaliepte and Zarasai at Krakyne. Krakyne is a memorial for the killing site in Zarasai. This site reminded me a lot of Ponarai. Jews from the nearby regions in Lithuania had to march to this location in the woods in the middle of August 1941. Men, women, and children had to strip their clothes and were shot by Nazi soldiers. After they were shot, the Jews' bodies were piled up on top of each other in large man-made holes in the ground. The site was rather small as if 50 trees in the forest were removed and all that is now left is a memorial in the shape of an oven. We read Jewish prayers out loud at this site in remembrance and reflection to the 2,500-8,000 lives that were lost. This site is not very far from Antaliepte, so it was mind blowing to think that some of the Jews that were murdered at Krakyne most likely walked from where we are staying.
 The next stop we made today was at the municipality in Zarasai and met with the deputy mayor. He discussed his role as the "representative" for Lithuania in the European Union. We got to see another branch of Parliament and also try to understand what life was like when Lithuanian was occupied by the Soviets. Our day excursion ended with a historic walking tour of Zarasai. Our tour guide explained how the town has changed over the last hundred years and was able to illustrate this with before and after pictures. We saw where the hub of Jewish life once was, but unfortunately there was only one building that still stands. Our tour guide showed us the beautiful lake in the town, which seems to be a popular spot to enjoy the outdoors for locals. We also got to go to a museum/art gallery that showed off the beauty of Zarasai and its rich history.
 After dinner, we had an evening walking tour of Antaliepte. After staying in the town for a few days, we finally got to explore it and learn about its history. Our guide was a 90-year old local who did not speak any English, so he needed a translator. He taught us about the buildings in view of our accommodation that were once used by the Soviet army. He talked about the Catholic Church in the village and where the Synagogue used to be. This man also took over the village's historic museum and we got to learn more about Lithuania during WWII and Jewish life in Antaliepte.
-Lily Ambrosius