police was organised by the future mayor of Vilna, Karolis Dabulevicius. The Germans reckoned with the Committee only up to 2 July 1941, but Zakevicius remained the head of the City Council even after the German civil adminis-tration was established.
Until 1 August, the city was ruled by the military authorities. On 3 July, the military Commissioner von Ostman issued a regulation ordering local Jews to wear yellow badges on the chest and on the back. The following day, an almost identical regulation was issued by the Lithuanian authorities. Apparently, the German military did not like the initiative of the Lithuanians, as on the same day the new military Commissioner, Major Zehnpfennig, ordered the local Jews to wear a white armband with a yellow circle and the letter “J” (or a yellow Star of David – there are two versions according to the sources), and banned them from leaving their own districts. They were also ordered to give away their radios. The day before, Polish and Jewish theatresand social institutions were closed. On 5 July, Jews were ordered to shop in separate establishments (they were allowed to do their shopping in the market only between 10 am and 12 noon) and were banned from using public transportation and telephones. On 8 July, further restrictions were announced: Jews were not allowed to access the main streets of the city or use public hos-pitals, cinemas, cafés, or hairdressers.
On 5 July, the Judenrat was formed in Vilna,358 headed by engineer Shaul Trocki (former alderman) and Anatol Fried, with office at Straszuna Street 6. After 15 July, the Council was further expanded and had 24 members in total. Members of the Judenrat included former minister of Jewish affairs in the 1918 Lithuanian government, and later deputy for the Polish Sejm, the 86-year-old Jakub Wygodzki, and Shabtay Milkanowicki, the last chairman of the Vilna Jewish Community before the war.
In the beginning of August 1940, the power in the city, as well as the whole of Lithuania, passed into the hands of the German civil administration (such orders were issued on 25 July). The Vilna region, as part of Generalbezirk Litauen, was annexed to the Reichskommissariat Ostland, established on 17 July. The head of the District was Adrian von Renteln, based in
