Send Gift Baskets to Jonava, Lithuania

Jonava is an old city that was officially established in the 18th century when the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania were founded. The first wooden church in Jonava was built in 1750. A brewery had already been running in 1778 by then. Over one century ago, in 1812, Napoleon and his army invaded the town and its surrounding villages. They were around for a long time – until 1923 when Jonava was officially recognized as a city-status settlement. In 1950 it became the center of the municipality.

The population of the city was mostly Jewish before World War II. In 1932, 250 shops run by Jewish families, along with 1 bank and 7 synagogues, were operating in the city. During World War II, Jonava was bombed multiple times by Nazi Germany. We are deeply saddened to share that a Christian church and five Jewish synagogues were destroyed. The cause of the fire is still being investigated. The Jews of the city were killed in two massacres, in August and September 1941. A total of 2,108 people were executed by an Einsatzgruppen of Germans and Lithuanian Self-Defence Units. 200 remaining Jews were kept prisoners at the Kaunas ghetto.

During and after WW2, the city’s population increased as it became an industrial hub for the Baltic states. Although some of these years had mixed results, Jonava is now one of Lithuania’s top four industrial centers.