Remembering Litvaks, Inc., led a group of descendants of Jews who lived in Kupiškis / Kupisik who worked with Aušra Jonušytė, the historian of the the Kupiškis Ethnographic Museum, to develop an informational sign about the history of the town’s Jews. In June 2018, Aldona and Phil Shapiro met with then-mayor Dainius Bardauskas, who enthusiastically supported the idea and proposed that the sign be installed in the small plaza between the historic market square and the library-synagogue complex, both of which were undergoing major renovation projects. The mayor then personally toured the proposed location with the Shapiros and town architect Tomas Furmanovičius, who also endorsed the suggested site where the sign would be erected.
It was agreed that the sign would be in bi-lingual, with Lithuanian text on one side and English text on the other. In the first half of 2023, the text was finalized, images were selected, and layouts designed. The sign was then fabricated and installed. On September 21, 2023, the sign was dedicated.
The Lithuanian side of the Kupiškis Jewish community sign.
English side of Kupiskis Sign.
Kupiškis council member and acting mayor Virginijus Umbra.
Aldona and Phil Shapiro giving remarks at the sign dedication ceremony.
Renovated Kupiškis Synagogue-Library Complex.
Dedication Speech of Kupiškis Library Director Algirdas Venckus.
Kupiškis Ethnographic Museum historian Aušra Jonušytė.
