Marcinkonys Ghetto
Marcinkonys Ghetto escape was a partially successful escape from Marcinkonys Ghetto during Nazi occupation of Lithuania in World War II. It was organized and led by the leadership of the Jewish community in the small town.
Up until November 2, 1942, there were approximately 500 people living in the improvised ghetto in Marcinkonys The Jews were working in the local canning factory, formerly owned by a local Jewish businessman. They were also forced to perform other work, but compared to the ghettos in some of the larger cities life was somewhat easier.
On November 2, the local German police received orders to liquidate the ghetto. All other ghettos in the area were also being liquidated around the same time. However, at Marcinkance, the local Jews had heard about the liquidation plans, as well as the horrible treatment on the Lithuanian site of the former Eastern Polish province. Therefore, the leadership of the Jewish community decided to avoid a similar fate.
Escape attempt
Local German police and some German forest-workers surrounded the fenced-in ghetto and demanded all of the occupants to assemble. When nothing happened, the Germans threatened to shoot. Aaron Kobrowski and several accomplices came out from the camp, wanting to talk to the leader of the group of Nazis. Aaron had a knife and a plan. However, the leader of the Nazis felt something was wrong and opened fire. The occupants of Marcinkance scrambled to escape but many Jewish men, women, and children were murdered.
Some were able to escape, including some brothers and a sister of Aaron Kobrowski, and were able to survive and fight back in the surrounding woods for the next two years when they were liberated by the Red Army.