On September 20, 1941 the German governor of the Vilna District, Horst Wullf, ordered all the Jewish men in Olkieniki to assemble in the square in front of the town’s fire station. The old and the sick were taken in carts to the town of Ejszyszki, while the others were forced to march there under heavy guard, tortured and humiliated all the way. A few young people managed to escape. On the following day the women and children were collected in the same square and also brought to Ejszyszki, the sick and the elderly by cart, the others on foot. In Ejszyszki the Jews from Olkieniki were incarcerated in a stable, together with Jews from the towns of Ejszyszki, Deksznia, Lejpuny, Salo, etc. When the stables was full, some of the Jews were taken to the town’s three synagogues. For sixty hours the Jews were held in the barn and the synagogues, deprived of water and food, and prevented from going outside to relieve themselves. Afterwards, all the Jews were taken to the horse market, where they were surrounded by Lithuanian policemen and SS men, and were forced to hand over all their valuables. On September 24 the Nazis said that they needed strong young men to dig holes for a fence to be erected around an area where the Jews would be housed. A group of young people volunteered. The Germans took them to the local Jewish cemetery and ordered them to dig pits. Then the young Jews were shot (according to another source, the pits were dug by Poles). When the other Jews heard what had happened, they refused to move. The Germans threatened that, if the Jews did not obey, they would be shot on the spot. To expedite the execution, the Lithuanian police and German gendarmes were brought in as reinforcements. Then all the Jewish males were taken to the Jewish cemetery murder site and shot at the same pits. The women, small children, the elderly, and the sick who were physically unable to walk to the murder site, remained at the horse market. All of them were taken at night to the pits where they were also shot. According to the Jaeger report, 3,446 Jews were executed by Einsatzcommando 3a in Ejszyszki on September 27, 1941 - 989 men, 1,636 women, and 821 children.

More information: Yad Vashem

On September 21, 1941 the Jews of Ejszyszki were incarcerated in a stable in the town, together with Jews from nearby Olkieniki, Deksznia, Lejpuny, Salo, etc. When the stable was full, some Jews were imprisoned in the town’s three synagogues. For 60 hours the Jews were held in the stable and the synagogues, deprived of water and food and prevented from going outside to relieve themselves. Afterwards, all the Jews were taken to the horse market, where they were surrounded by Lithuanian policemen and SS men, and were forced to hand over all their valuables. On September 24 the Nazis said that they needed strong young men to dig holes for a fence to surround the area where the Jews would be housed. A group of young men volunteered. The Germans took them to the local Jewish cemetery and ordered them to dig pits. Then the Jews were shot at the edge of the pits (according to another source, the pits were dug by Poles). When, on September 27 (according other sources, on September 26), 1941, the other Jews heard what had happened, they refused to move. The Germans threatened that if the Jews did not obey, they would be shot on the spot. To help carry out the execution reinforcements of Lithuanian police and German gendarmes were brought in. Then all the Jewish men were taken to the Jewish cemetery and shot at the pits. The women, small children, the elderly, and the sick who were physically unable to walk to the murder site remained at the horse market. At night they were all taken to the pits, where they were also shot. According to the Jaeger report, 3,446 Jews (989 men, 1,636 women, and 821 children) were executed by Einsatzkommando 3a in Ejszyszki on September 27, 1941.

More information: Yad Vashem