In a referendum in just a few days Lithuanian voters will decide whether people who have taken citizenship of another country meeting certain criteria may remain Lithuanian citizens. If the measure is adopted then the institution of dual-citizenship would include more people and provide migrants the opportunity to preserve their legal and political ties with their country of origin, Lithuania. The situation remains unclear for those who have lost Lithuanian citizenship already. Kaunas resident Karolina shared her thoughts with us regarding the issue.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your family history and when you left Lithuania. What were the circumstances surrounding your leaving?

My name is Karolina. I’m 27. I was born and raised in Kaunas until I was four-and-a-half-years old. My parents decided to leave Lithuania for Israel in 1997, to make use of the right of return to Israel by people of Jewish origin (aliyah). My grandfather and uncle were already living in Israel then.

How did it go, moving to Israel? What were your first impressions?

It was rather hard to get settled, since it was a totally different language, culture and climate. My first childhood memories about Israel: I was angry because I didn’t understand the language and it was hot. After some time we moved to a different city in the north of Israel right next to the border with Lebanon. At that time there was really large disturbances from the Lebanese side. We were forced to live in constant tension: sirens, bombs, fear. When I entered first grade I experienced bullying because I didn’t know the language, but after a while everything settled down.

When did you lose Lithuanian citizenship?

I was still a child but I remember we had to go to the Lithuanian embassy when the passports expired. There they simply seized our Lithuanian passports and told us we wouldn’t get them back because we had citizenship in another country. It all happened fairly spontaneously, and it seems as if my family wasn’t informed fully of the laws in force at that time.

[Editor’s note: Lithuania doesn’t have a traditional legal doctrine on single citizenship and over time the institution of Lithuanian citizenship has varied greatly. The moment of loss of citizenship should be defined in a corresponding act of law.]

What was your life like in Israel? Why did you return to Lithuania?

Our life in Israel was great. There really are conditions in place for the newly arrived to settle in. And two of brothers were also born there. I graduated from a private school [there].

In 2006 there was a big war between Israel and Lebanon and we survived, but after that it was very difficult to recover, to live in tranquility. So my father decided it would be best for all of us to go back to our country, to Lithuania. In the summer of 2010 my mother and my two brothers returned, but I remained behind with my father to take care of issues about service in the Israeli military. I returned to Lithuania in the fall of 2010.

How did you do in Lithuania? Do you picture your life and future in Lithuania?

When I came back to Lithuania it really wasn’t easy since I had spent most of my life in Israel, and coming back at 19 it’s really difficult to adapt to it again. In 2011 I entered Kaunas Technological University. I successfully completed a bachelor’s in project management. During my studies I met my husband, we married in 2012 and by 2013 our son was born. My entire future is here, in my home in Lithuania where I have my husband and son. I live in Lithuania, I work here and I picture my son’s future here.

Have you encountered anti-Semitism and stereotypes living in Lithuania?

Many people look at me strangely when I say where I lived and what citizenship I have. But they’re even more surprised when I tell them the institution of Lithuanian citizenship refuses to return [Lithuanian citizenship] to me. It’s a very sad situation.

What problems have you faced in trying to get Lithuanian citizenship back?

For nine entire years now we have been fighting a wall, and none of the laws in force are favorable towards people like me who return to their country, complete an education, start a family, pay taxes and speak Lithuanian. I cannot get a home loan under the same conditions as others do, I cannot vote. The situation is terrible and there is no one to whom to turn. The dilemma is not really mine as an individual, but at a national level: is it really true legislators don’t care and don’t want to encourage those who picture their future with Lithuania, isn’t it important to improve the economic and demographic situation in Lithuania?

What are you hoping for from the upcoming referendum on preserving dual citizenship?

I can’t vote in the referendum, but I really hope those who have the right to vote as well as lawmakers will hear people like me and realize that the current legal foundation for citizenship has flaws. So far I always feel more and more like a stranger in my own land, although I plan to stay.

It’s like the constitutional amendment will for now only provide a theoretical opportunity for those who are now leaving Lithuania to preserve Lithuanian citizenship, and it probably won’t affect at all the legal status of people who lost Lithuanian citizenship earlier, for example, those who lost Lithuanian citizenship by acquiring Israeli citizenship. The real legal regulations of this issue and the true practical significance of the amendment will only become clear later if the corresponding constitutional laws are adopted.

Also, the information available, the proposed amendments to the constitution would not affect the legal status of those who left Lithuanian during World War II, for example, of Jews who were evacuated from Lithuania and who lost Lithuanian citizenship during the period of occupation (see article 2, part 3 of the Lithuanian Law on Citizenship). The current version of the Lithuanian Law on Citizenship does not provide for the right to restore Lithuanian citizenship to a large segment of Litvaks who suffered during the war, and in these cases the results of the referendum will have no effect: this issue is not a part of the referendum.