BRIEF HISTORY:
Kretinga is unique because here the local Jewish community had lived in a separate territory, often called Jewish New town. The Jewish community settled in the valley of the Akmena river, which is an exception as the Jews here lived separately from Christians.
The first knowledge about the Jews in Kretinga reaches us from the end of the 18th century, and their living place – Jewish New Town even had a separate market, located near the road that leads to Klaipėda coastal town. Although Jews traditionally engaged in various crafts and commerce, here Jews also traded specific local good – amber. During the interwar period, the local Jewish company, which manufactured saccharin, candles, and tea.
We can see traces of past Jewish economic activity in current day Kretinga. There are remaining saccharin and candles manufacture building, which represents Lithuanian interwar industry. In 2015 the monument to Berek Joselewicz (1764-1809) was built, who was a military officer and fought for the freedom of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This monument is also a symbol of the multi-ethnical and multi-confessional Republic of Two Nations and its history.
CURRENT SITUATION:
Remains of the town’s Jewish past shows how different and unique Kretinga Jewish community life was if we would compare it to the life of ordinary Jewish communities in Lithuania. The former factory building of J. Taicas and E. Šeras saccharin and candle manufactory allows us to take a glance at how the interwar industry looked like. The monument to Berek Yoselevitz is a perfect example of how to remember a historical figure and the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, combining different cultural symbols, emphasizing the shared common moral values of freedom, courage, and sacrifice.
LOOKING AROUND:
1. Kretinga old Jewish cemetery, Massacre sites and graves (Kretinga, Žemaičių str./
Meguvos str.) 55.883438, 21.237486)55.883438, 21.237486)
2. “Taicas ir Šeras“ Company‘s Factory Building (Birutės str. 16, 16A) 55.888602, 21.237413
3. Monument to Berek Yoselevitz (J. Pabrėžos str. 8) 55.891183, 21.245217
1 Comments
Daniel SCHECHTER
2025-08-06 at 12:52 am -Family came from there and frequented Memel. They were involved in fishing boats and herring fishing? Miller or Müller and Frank were the names. Any leads to understanding better the family in the 19th century before they left for Copenhagen and then some including my great grandparents went to London.