|Dusetos, Vilnius Street [Maskevitcher Gass] (Courtesy of Alex-
Sasha Ozerman, May 1990) Dusiat is located on the banks of the
River Sventoji near lakes Sartai, Sventoji and Dusetas, whence
the name. Forests and pleasant scenery surround the shtetl. The
neighboring towns include Antaliept (10 km.), Salok (26 km.),
Ezerenai (36 km.), Utian (36 km.) and Rakishok (38 km.). Since
the shtetl is situated at a distance from the railroad,
connections with nearby towns are by road or dusty paths. There
are three streets of wooden houses, at one end a Catholic Church
whose tall towers overlook the entire shtetl. Records of the
shtetl date as far back as 1530. Already then, free artisans and
merchants resided in the shtetl and there was an existing Jewish
community. The land belonged to the Platter estate. In those
days the shtetl was famous for being one of the strongholds of
Polish resistance against the Russian regime. In 1905 there were
outbreaks of Czarist style pogroms in the shtetl (see Voskhod
April 23, 1905 - Je