Alternate names: Garliava [Lith], Godlewo [Pol], Godlevo [Rus], Gudleve [Yid], Garļava [Latv], Gorleva, Godlezo, Garlyava, Garliavos, Russian: Годлево. 54°49' N, 23°52' E, 6 miles SSW of Kaunas (Kovno), now a suburb of Kaunas. 400 Jews (about 100 families) lived in Garliava before WWI. 1921 Jewish population: 206.1930 Jewish population: 70 Jewish families mostly engaged in small trade, crafts, and vegetable farming. Wealthy Jews included owners of estates, mills, and workshops. The Jewish community had a synagogue, Yavne, and an Yiddish school. During the inter-war period, some Jews emigrated to USA, Canada, South Africa and Palestine. [March 2009]
CEMETERY: Kauno District Garliavos Jonučių Secondary School looks after the cemetery. They also prepared a booklet about Jews of Garliava. [March 2009]
Cemetery information. [September 2010]
MASS GRAVE: Near the village of Rinkkunai, 1 km from Garliava, on the bank of the river Jiesia; 97; pic. # 99-100 US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad
In the first days of WWII, Lithuanian "partisan" squads of about 120 men were very active in Garliava Rural District: in Julijanava Village, in Juodvaris Village and around Stanaičiai-Garliava. Mass persecution of the Jews started in August 1941 with registeration and arrests. By August 12, the property of 285 Jews in the Rural District was confiscated. They paid 25,000 rubles "contribution" by the end of August. In mid-August, local policemen and "partisans" drove the Jews of Garliava and neighboring villages to the town synagogue. Between August 28 and August 31 or September 2, policemen and "partisans" drove several dozen men to the valley close to Rinkūnai village (1 km E of Garliava) to dig a trench, allegedly for water purposes. Knowing the trench's purpose, the Jews refused to dig. Then the policemen brought several dozen Lithuanian men from Garliava, who dug a trench 50-60 m long, 2 m wide and 1.5 m deep. On the day of the massacre, several dozens of soldiers were brought in two buses to Garliava. The buses stopped at the synagogue where the Jews were held. Local policemen and "partisans" (white-bands) forced the 247 Jews (73 men, 113 women and 61 children) --men, women and children-- out of the synagogue and to the execution site and then in groups to the edge of trench to be shot in the back. The execution started in the late afternoon and continued at night, finishing off the injured by torch light. After the execution, the soldiers drank beer in a pub while the trench was filled with soil by men from neighboring villages. [March 2009]