Text: Linda Cantor (USA) http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/kupiskis/kupishok.htm

The Uzpaliai ‘shtetl’ in the 1920’s

“Shtetl” is the Yiddish word for small town, the type of community that many of our Eastern European ancestors lived in for centuries before either emigrating or being killed during the Holocaust. Under the aegis of JewishGen, Inc. and its ShtetLinks project (http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/), genealogists are able to memorialize the shtetl that their families came from. For me this is a wonderful way to honor not only my grandparents who grew up in these communities but also all those who came before them. It’s a way to remember the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe that no longer exist -- the people, the culture, and the institutions.

I maintain three Shtet Links sites for the Lithuanian towns of Kupiskis, Rokiskis, and Uzpaliai. My father’s parents were born in Kupiskis and Uzpaliai and many family members lived in Rokiskis. After a visit to these towns with my father, I decided that I wanted a more permanent way of honoring my family and all their neighbors and so I started my websites. But while I maintain them, the content is a result of a huge group effort. Photos and information were shared by survivors and descendants of people from these towns. I have tried to recreate the communities that existed in the past through family stories, family photos, and archival and historical records.

There are over 400 ShtetLinks sites that cover eastern and western Europe, as well as the rest of the globe. The creators are all volunteers who are doing this as a way to commemorate their family pasts. In essence, we are writing the history of our families and their communities.