The first mention of the presence of Jews in Kalvarija dates back to 1713. At that time, the community received a privilege which allowed it to enjoy all rights granted to Jews of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by Władysław IV Vasa in 1646.

Ca. 1765, 1,101 Jews lived in Kalvarija – 1,009 within the borders of the town itself and the rest in nearby inns. They formed a large, visible community, and the town soon gained the nickname “Jewish Kalvarija.” Jews traditionally settled around the market square and in the surrounding streets: Wyłkowyska (Lith. Vilkaviškio), Zaułek (Lith. Skersgatvio), Nowa (Lith. Naujoji), Szkolna (?) (Lith. Iškalos [currently Sodų]), Śnipiska (Lith. Šnipiškių), and Grodzieńska (Lith. Gardino).

The first main synagogue of the community, the so-called Great Synagogue, was built at the beginning of the 18th century on Szkolna Street (?), near the marketplace. At the turn of the 19th century, the community also built a brick summer synagogue. In addition to the main prayer hall, the synagogue also housed the Society of Psalmists and the Burial Society. As the Jewish community in Kalvarija was growing in numbers, plans were made to erect another synagogue and a Jewish school. Both were designed in 1857 by Leopold Salkowski. The two buildings were constructed at the intersection of Synagogalna and Szkolna Streets (the present address is 18 Sodų Street), on a plot belonging to the community. At the turn of the 20th century, there were also five kloyzn in Kalvarija, each belonging to a different Hasidic group.

Jews constituted a significant part of the population of Kalvarija since the middle of the second half of the 18th century until the interwar period. Their exodus after World War I was brought about by the fire set to the town by the retreating German army (all wooden buildings and commercial stalls were destroyed) and the subsequent failure to compete against other rapidly developing towns in the area: Marijampolė and Olita. It was also the result of emigration to the United States, which began in the mid-19th century and led to the creation of an important landsmanshaft.

Despite the fact that the local community had largely shrunk in size, the Jewish economic and social life was gradually revived in the interwar period. In 1922, the so-called Jewish stalls were renovated, and in 1923 Kalvarija gained a railway connection. As early as 1919, the Jewish lower secondary school was opened, but in 1936 it had to be closed because of a lack of students. In addition, a Yavneh school operated in the town alongside a library, numerus cultural, social and political organisations, the “Maccabi” sports club, and a volunteer fire brigade. The poor financial predicament of the community led to large-scale diffusion of Zionist ideas. Agricultural workshops for people planning to migrate to Palestine enjoyed great popularity.

Germans seized Kalvarija at the end of June 1941. From 1 July onwards, Jews were ordered to wear the yellow Star of David on their garments, forbidden to use pavements and requested to work for the benefit of the occupier. On 5 July 1941, 90 Jewish members of Kalvarija’s social elite, together with Lithuanian communists, were executed by Germans at Lake Orijos, located ca. 2 km away from the city, after several days of suffering torture in a local hotel. The remaining Jews from Kalvarija and Jewish people living in the surrounding areas – a total of ca. 8,600 people – were transported to Marijampolė on 30 August 1941 and shot by Germans on the bank of the Šešupė River on 1 September. Jewish shops in Kalvarija were plundered and destroyed by a crowd of locals led by a priest. Bricks left behind following the demolition of Jewish stalls were used as building material in the construction of the wall around the church.

In 1945, one of the local Jewish families returned to their house, but left the town after six months. Between 1970 and 1989, there was only one Jewish person living in Kalvarija.

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