Holocaust – Page 129 – Lithuanian Jewish Community

Joint Visits Panevėžys

JOINT atstovai lankosi Panevėžyje

AN event was held at the Panevėžys Jewish Community April 6 to welcome honored guests during their brief visit. One of them, Lee Seidler, arrived with his family. American Joint Distribution Committee director Diana Fiedotin and JDC representative in the Baltic states Moni Beniosev also came and took an interest in the history of the Jews of Panevėžys, visited Jewish sites and viewed the stele on Zikaro street, which was named Joint Street in 1923 in honor of the Joint Distribution Committee.

2016-04-10

Remembering Jewish Vilna in Painting

The catalog of the exhibit of Lithuanian painting and photographs called “Zakhor. Remember. Topography of Images of Jewish Vilnius” will be launched at the Lithuanian Jewish Community at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, April 14. The catalog and exhibit are the work of curators Linas Liandzbergis, Elke-Vera Kotowski and Gabrielė Žaidytė. The exhibit has been at show at the Old Town Hall in Vilnius and at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin.

From May to August the exhibit will grace the halls of the Cape Town Jewish Museum and the Johannesburg Holocaust Museum in South Africa, then travelling on to Israel, Argentina and other destinations where sizeable populations of Litvaks live. The presentation, to be attended by Dr. Julius Schoeps, director of the Moses Mendelssohn Center and the Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg, is also to include a short film documenting earlier showings of the exhibit. Improvisational jazz is to be performed at the presentation by Lithuanian musician Kęstutis Vaiginis.

2016-04-10

New Book on Litvak Art in Private Hands

A new book/catalogue called “Litvakų dailė privačiose Lietuvos kolekcijose” [Litvak Art in Private Lithuanian Collections] was presented at the National Art Gallery on April 5. The book is bilingual in Lithuanian and English, and contains about 250 works by 44 Litvak artists, including paintings, water colors and sculpture, many of which have never been seen by the public before. The publication is the fruit of exhaustive research by Dr. Vilma Gradinskaitė, an historian at the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum’s History Department.

Lithuanian minister of culture Šarūnas Birutis spoke at the book launch and said: “This serious album spans more than 150 years from the mid-1800s to current artists working within the Litvak artistic tradition. I hope this publication will interest the broader public as well as professionals, hooking the reader and reminding us of the names and works of little-known and forgotten artists.” He said it was the only book in Lithuania which so broadly and comprehensively surveys Litvak ark, graphics and sculpture held in private collections.

2016-04-10

Rakija Klezmer Orkestar

Rakija Klezmer Orkestar is a klezmer group which formed three years ago in Kaunas, Lithuania. They have performed Hanukkah concerts at the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

Rakija Klezmer2

The group say they want to revive Litvak klezmer traditions. The four-set will soon become five with addition of Mantas Ostreika on saxophone. The other members are Darius Bagdonavičius, Mikas Kurtinaitis, Skirmantas Rumševičius and Povilas Jurkša.

2016-04-10

International Meeting of Young Rabbis at Panevėžys Jewish Community

Two groups of young rabbis from Canada, England, France, Israel, Japan and the United States came to the Panevėžys Jewish Community April 7, interested in Jewish life before World War II and now. The first group was led by Rabbi Meir Wunder, who leads trips by high school students to Panevėžys annually. The young people were interested in the life of Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman.

Kahaneman was born in the village of Kuliai in 1886 and studied at the yehsivas in Plungė and Telšiai before going on to the yeshiva in Novogrudok, now in Belarus. He became yeshiva director. He lived with his family in Panevėžys from 1919 to 1940. In 1923 he became a Lithuanian MP. In Panevėžys he set up a poorhouse, an orphanage and the Yavne Jewish religious school for girls, and headed the yeshiva. Later he and his son moved to Israel where he continued to maintain Litvak religious traditions. On the wall of an orphanage he founded are the names of the yeshivas of Lithuania. The Panevėžys yeshiva was also restored in 1919 due to his efforts.

rabinaiP1

The second group was led by Rabbi Tuvia Konn and Rabbi Nesivos Tours. They spoke about how they had heard of the Bokhrim yeshiva and became interested in the city of Panevėžys, and when there was opportunity to visit, they gladly came in search of their roots. They visited Jewish sites in Panevėžys and viewed a film about the history of the Jews of Panevėžys which they said opened a window onto the past.

2016-04-10

Documentary Filmmaker Visits Panevėžys Jewish Communtiy

A documentary film crew shot footage at the Panevėžys Jewish Community April 8 for a new film about Panevėžys Jewish architecture before World War II. Panevėžys Jewish Community chairman Gennady Kofman spoke about the history of Panevėžys Jews to an audience of the director and guests from the Margarita Rimkevičaitė Technical School.

2016-04-10

Condolences

Marija Rolnikaitė, aged 89, has died.

Born July 21, 1927 in Klaipėda/Memel, some have called her Lithuania’s Anne Frank. When she was 14 she and her family were imprisoned in the Vilnius ghetto. After that she survived two concentration camps. What was a adolescent pastime, keeping a diary, became an important testimony of the fate of Lithuanian Jewry.

She wrote a poem in Yiddish about the Strazdamuiža concentration camp in Latvia which became an anthem for the anti-Nazi resistance. After the war she worked on the staff of the Lithuanian National Philharmonic for a time and was graduated from the Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature in Moscow in 1955. She published memoirs about her time in the ghetto and concentration camps in 1963. She moved to Leningrad in 1964 where she wrote more books, articles and reviews and was an active member of the Leningrad Jewish Community.

The Lithuanian Jewish Community will not forget her or the bright trail she blazed and now leaves in her wake.

2016-04-07

Lithuania and Germany Together Remember the Righteous among the Nations

President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with the initiators of a unique project carried out in Lithuania and Germany to support the rescuers of Jews. The project was launched at the initiative of the Order of Malta and the Lithuanian Jewish community. The aim of the project is to support people living in Lithuania who rescued Jews during the Second World War. President Dalia Grybauskaitė and German President Joachim Gauck serve as co-patrons of this initiative. “The Righteous Among the Nations attested humanity even in the very darkest hours of our history. Lithuania and Germany together remember their courage and sacrifice, we will always be grateful to the Righteous Among the Nations for their heroism and nobleness. This project unites people and countries, builds bridges between the past and the future, and does not allow indifference to prevail,” the President said.

From the web page of the Lithuanian President’s Office.

2016-04-07

Righteous Gentiles Speak at LJC Press Conference

Funds collected from a benefit concert in Munich organized by the Order of Malta Relief Organization will go to support Righteous Gentiles in Lithuania, of whom there are currently 87 living. The idea to help the rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust in this way came from Order of Malta ambassador to Lithuania baron Christian von Bechtolsheim and Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky. “It was of great concern to us that our rescuers in their old age would get at least a little relief and be cared for,” Kukliansky said at a press conference held at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius April 6. “There’s no such thing as being too grateful, neither can there be too much material thanks. We wanted to materialize at least a little that which we feel towards our rescuers,” she explained.

Order of Malta Relief Organization in Lithuania secretary general Eitvydas Bingelis said some of the monies generated from the benefit concert, which totaled over 123,000 euros, will be added to debit cards for the Righteous Gentiles to purchase medicine not covered by national healthcare and medical goods, with another portion held in the fund for use for the individual needs of each Righteous Gentile.

Photos from the press conference:

2016-04-06

Report of New Righteous Gentile Awards to the Blažaitis Family

The Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum and Commemorative Authority has reported plans to award the title of Righteous Gentile or Righteous among the Nations to the Lithuanian family of Antanas Blažaitis, Adelė Blažaitienė and Valentina Blažaitytė for saving Jews during the Holocaust at the risk of losing their own lives. The names of the new Righteous Gentiles are to inscribed on the wall of the museum. The medals and certificates will be sent through the Israeli embassy which will host a ceremony to present the awards.

Yad Vashem report available here.

2016-04-06

Slobodka Cemetery and Seventh Fort Mass Murder Site in Kaunas to be Cleaned Up

Following a meeting between the Israeli ambassador and the mayor and city council of Kaunas in early March, on the first Friday in April the Kaunas deputy mayors, municipal staff and the chairman of the Kaunas Jewish Community visited the Jewish cemetery in the Slobodka neighborhood [Vilijampolė] and the mass grave at the Seventh Fort. During this meeting in the field, it was resolved that the municipal body Kapinių priežiūra [Cemetery Maintenance] would set up an information stand at the entrance to the Slobodka cemetery and would post signs forbidding cars, smoking, walking dogs and lighting fires there.

Another resolution was adopted for the Seventh Fort mass murder site: the city maintenance department (represented by Jolanta Miliauskienė) is to clean up the site (clean flagstones and collect garbage) around the monument to the Jews murdered there. The environmental department (represented by Radeta Savickienė) is to cut down trees and bushes according to a request drafted by cultural heritage department head Saulius Rimas which includes a photograph showing what is to be cut down and with the consent of Gercas Žakas, chairman of the Kaunas Jewish Community.

2016-04-06

Order of Malta Benefit Concert in Munich Raises 123,000 Euros for Righteous Gentiles in Lithuania

Faina Kukliansky, Christian von Bechtolsheim and Aloyzas Žukauskas

Vilnius, April 6, BNS–A benefit concert by the Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Order of Malta held in Germany has raised over 123,000 euros for Righteous Gentiles living in Lithuania.

Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Lithuania baron Christian von Bechtolsheim presented the symbolic check for the full amount to go to the Righteous Gentiles at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius Wednesday.

“Righteous Gentiles are the true heroes of that time, they risked their own lives and those of their loved ones providing haven to people who would have been murdered by the Nazis. They hid them, fed them, provided a roof, and all of this demonstrates a human face during the darkest times in Europe,” the ambassador said.

2016-04-06

Order of Malta to Aid Lithuania’s Righteous Gentiles

April 6, 2016–Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė met Wednesday with Righteous Gentiles, or people who rescued Jews during World War II in Lithuania. The ambassadors of the Order of Malta, Germany and Israel and the leaders of the Order of Malta Relief Organization and the Lithuanian Jewish Community attended the meeting.

During friendly conversation over tea, the outstanding achievements of these brave Lithuanians were remembered and thoughts were shared on their problems, concerns and the help they need. The Order of Malta project to aid Righteous Gentiles in Lithuania was presented. All Righteous Gentiles still living in Lithuania are quite elderly and many of them live in isolation and need help.

A benefit concert was held in Munich to raise money for the Righteous Gentiles in Lithuania. More than 123,000 euros were raised for this purpose from that concert.

Baron Christian von Bechtolsheim, the ambassador of the Order of Malta to Lithuania, said: “The Maltese in Lithuania take care of many ill, elderly and isolated people. But Righteous Gentiles are special. These noble and courageous people were not afraid and risked their own lives to rescue their neighbors and countrymen from death. Now it’s our turn to help them.”

2016-04-06

More about the Righteous Gentiles Project with the Order of Malta

The countries of Europe was exhausted by bloody battles during World War II, but the Jewish people suffered especially and were murdered merely for being Jewish. They were murdered in all countries occupied by the Nazis including Lithuania. In Lithuania the Jewish communities were strong and maintained a strong cultural identity, and the country was referred to as the Jerusalem of the North sometimes, but even so, more than 95% of all Jews were murdered here during World War II, and out of approximately 250,000 only 5,000 survived.

In those dark days of chaos, violence and mass murder, however, some very brave, noble and resolved Lithuanians stepped forward to oppose what was happening around them, and sought ways to save at least a few lives of their fellow citizens. Rescuers of Jews risked their own lives and those of their families, and many were killed and sent to concentration camps. The title Righteous among the Nations, or simply Righteous Gentile, is awarded by the state of Israel to those who saved Jews. Currently a little under 100 people who have received this award live in Lithuania, and all of them are quite old. Many of them are living in poverty and suffering from illness. The morality and sacrifice it takes to save an innocent child, elderly person, a man or a woman, your own neighbor from the jaws of death is no less an heroic act than fighting for the freedom of your country. Wanting to help these heroic people, the ambassador of the Order of Malta to Lithuania, baron Christian von Bechtolsheim, launched an initiative and on November 2, 2015, a benefit concert was held in Munich, Germany. The conductor was world-renowned Enoch zu Guttenberg. Patrons included president of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė and German president Joachim Gauck. The benefit was quite successful and raised more than 125,000 euros. These monies will be used for the welfare and benefit of Righteous Gentiles, many of whom are isolated, poor and in need.

2016-04-06

Lithuanian President Meets with LCJ, Maltese Charitable Organization Head to Discuss Aid to Righteous Gentiles

April 6, 2016

Wednesday, April 6, Vilnius. President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė met with the initiators of a unique project to aid rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust in Lithuania and Germany. The unusual project for Lithuanian Jewish rescuers carried out in two countries was the initiative of the Order of Malta and the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

The goal of the project was to help people living in Lithuania who saved Jews during World War II. Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė and German Federal Republic president Joachim Glauck supported the initiative.

“Even during the darkest hours of our history, Righteous Gentiles demonstrated humanity. Lithuania and Germany together remember their bravery and sacrifice, and we will always be grateful for the heroism and nobility of the Righteous Gentiles. This project brings together people and countries and forms a bridge between the past and the future, denying victory to apathy,” the president of Lithuania said.

2016-04-06

Lithuanian Psychologist: Three Years Ago I Believed the Double Genocide Theory

Rasa Bieliauskaitė, photo: Ugnius Babinskas

Three Years Ago I Believed the Double Genocide Theory
by Geoff Vasil

So said Rasa Bieliauskaitė, a psychologist specializing in trauma therapy, at what was, for Lithuania, a remarkable meeting of the minds recently.

The Vilnius Jewish Public Library hosted a panel discussion featuring historians and psychologists on the topic of the Holocaust and collective memory.

In their introductory statements several of the speakers, including Bieliauskaitė, mentioned Rūta Vanagaitė’s new book about the Lithuanian Holocaust, and the unexpected popularity of that book became the backdrop for much of the conversation which lasted several hours and which became a much larger discussion when distinguished members of the audience chimed in towards the end.

2016-03-30

Kaunas Jewish Community Marks 72nd Anniversary of Children’s Aktion

On March 25, 2016, members of the Kaunas Jewish Community marked the 72nd anniversary of the Children’s Aktion (mass murder operation) in the Kaunas ghetto. The operation to kill all the children living in the ghetto and the elderly unfit for use as labor resulted in the murder of about 1,700 people. Children under 12 were torn from their mothers’ arms, thrown in trucks and driven away to be murdered. Other parents came back from forced labor to find their children missing. Tobijas Jafetas has spoken about his own rescue many times before, and this year was joined by Kaunas ghetto inmate Juozas Vocelka.

2016-03-29

Old Prescriptions from the Interwar Period Recall the Kukliansky Pharmacy in Veisiejai

Danutė Selčinskaja, director of the Rescuers and Commemoration Department of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, has sent us an image of a new item worthy of display at a museum: prescriptions from the Kukliansky Pharmacy which operated in the period between the wars. This pharmacy, the only one in Veisiejai, Lithuania, operated right up until the Holocaust. The pharmacists managed to escape and were rescued by people from Sventijanskas. At the present time there is a Veisiejai Regional History Museum operating in Veisiejai. Museum director Regina Kaveckienė scanned two new items, prescriptions, which were brought to the museum by a relative of an elderly female pharmacist from the town who is no longer alive.

Danutė Selčinskaja sent the regional history museum the Vilna Gaon museum’s mobile exhibit “The Rescued Child Tells the Story…” which she created. This includes a film about the rescue of the Kukliansky family. The regional history museum shows the film to students every year. A young woman from the Kapčiamiestis School Museum who lives with her parents in Sventijanskas said everyone there had already seen the film, which is being passed around as a DVD from person to person, and it has caused a great deal of excitement there. The people understand what happened and recognize the people and places portrayed in the film.

2016-03-29

When Will Our Mayors Take Down Monuments to Holocaust Perpetrators?

Marius Lukošiūnas

More than 25 years ago I spoke on C-SPAN about the pogrom the Soviet troops had prepared after the 1991 putsch before quitting the Lithuanian Television and Radio building.

Live, I explained to Americans our path to independence and showed images and montages of our ravaged television studios. Studio guests and callers were angered by this pogrom.

Just as the show was ending, an elderly woman called and asked why the Lithuanian government was rehabilitating Holocaust perpetrators. I replied I believed that was a mistake which would be corrected. I assured her they would receive neither forgiveness nor honor in independent Lithuania.

Full story in Lithuanian here.

2016-03-29

Lithuanian Conservative/Christian Democratic Party Member on Trial for Anti-Semitic Remarks

The news website sekunde.lt reports Raimundas Pankevičius, leader of the Panevėžys faction of Political Prisoners and Exiles and a member of the Lithuanian Conservatives/Christian Democratic Party, has gone on trial for anti-Semitic remarks made during a meeting of the Panevėžys city council. The right-wing politician is accused of public statements to the effect Jews shot Jews during World War II in Lithuania.

As a member of the city council, Pankevičius is alleged during deliberations on the erection of a monument to commemorate the Joint Distribution Committee’s work there in September of 2014 of having denied Nazi crimes against the Jewish people by saying Lithuanian Holocaust victims killed each other and that the Jewish police in the ghettos in Lithuania sent thousands of their fellow Jews to their deaths in a single day.

That meeting of the city council apparently adopted unanimously a decision to erect a stele to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Joint. Pankevičius, however, also said he didn’t see any evidence of the Joint’s work and suspected elements of fraud in the story. He said Jewish SS shot 5,000 Jews in southwestern Lithuania in one day during World War II.

2016-03-28