הפגנה מול שגרירות ליטא 2020

בינואר 2020, יום אחד לאחר התכנסות ראשי ומנהיגי מדינות העולם ביד ושם לציון יום הזיכרון הבינלאומי לשואה שבו הכריזו "זוכרים את השואה, נלחמים באנטישמיות", התכנסו ניצולי שואה ליטאיים ובני דורות ההמשך להפגנה מול שגרירות ליטא ברמת גן.
את כעסם של שורדי השואה הציתה הצעתו של חבר הפרלמנט הליטאי ארונאס גומוליאוסקאס יו"ר ועדת ההיסטוריה והזיכרון של ליטא, לפיה אין לליטא כל אחריות על רצח והשמדת אזרחי ליטא היהודים בתקופת מלחמת העולם השנייה, מפני שליטא הייתה כבושה על ידי הסובייטים ולאחר מכן על ידי גרמניה הנאצית

את ההפגנה ארגנו: איגוד יוצאי ליטא בישראל ואיגוד יוצאי וילנה והסביבה בישראל.

המפגינים קראו לנשיא ליטא וראש ממשלתה להפסיק את היוזמה של חבר הפרלמנט ולמחוק אותה עוד בטרם הגשתה לפרלמנט באופן רשמי.

בסיום ההפגנה הגישו נציגי הארגונים עצומה משותפת לשגרירת ליטא.

24 January 2020

Honorable President of the Republic of Lithuania Gintara Nauseda

Honorable Speaker of the Parliament, Republic of Lithuania, Viktoras Pranckietis

We, the participants in today’s demonstration across the street from the Republic of Lithuania’s Embassy in Israel, are the surviving Lithuanian Jews in Israel, their families and next generations, members and friends of the Association of Lithuanian Jews in Israel and the Association of Jews from Vilna and Vicinity in Israel

We request that President of the Republic of Lithuania Gintaras Nauseda and the Speaker of the Parliament, Republic of Lithuania, Viktoras Pranckietis to stop the initiative of MP Arunas Gumuliauskas to propose a resolution declaring that Lithuania has no responsibility for the Holocaust, for the annihilation of Lithuanian Jews

A proposal to absolve Lithuanian’s involvement in the Holocaust, absolve Lithuanians who participated in annihilating 95% of the Jewish community in Lithuania who lived in more than 215 places in Lithuania is an absurd distortion of history and an attempt to whitewash the horrors of the past

We request that you denounce MP Gumuliaskas suggestions and intentions and dismiss it before it is added to the Parliament’s agenda. We trust you to act responsibly and in good conscience in acting immediately to reject this proposal

,Respectfully

:Participants in the demonstration

Association of Lithuanian Jews in Israel

Association of Jews from Vilna and Vicinity in Israel

המכתב שיצא מטעם איגוד יוצאי וילנה והסביבה

H.E Gitanas Nauseda

President of The Republic of Lithuania

,Dear Mr. Nauseda

Will Lithuania's Parliament stand alongside those seeking  a legal way to exempt thousands of Lithuanian collaborators from being responsible for their horrific crimes

The Lithuanian media recently announced the intention of MP Gumuliauskas to ask the Parliament to make a formal statement confirming that Lithuania was not responsible for events that occurred during the Holocaust, since Lithuania was under Soviet and Nazi occupation in the years 1940-1945.  It is an attempt to whitewash facts and in fact absolve Lithuania and Lithuanians, of the terrible murders of its Jewish citizens during the Holocaust, claiming that Lithuania took no part in their extermination

Gumuliauskas seeks to eliminate the part thousands of Lithuanian collaborators took in the unprecedented murders of their Jewish neighbors, and by doing so, clear Lithuania of its historical responsibilty for the annihilation of the centuries-old Jewish Lithuanian community

The directors of the Association of Vilna and Vicinity in Israel, the surviving Lithuanian Jews, their families and the future generations, address the leaders of Lithuania and its government with the demand to stop this outrageous idea before it is even born

We require you and your leadership position, to boldly confront the historical facts, which have been proven by the thousands testimonies of our surviving parents and relatives

We demand that you denounce that Gumuliauskas’ suggestions and intentions as published, and dismiss it even before bringing it up to the Parliament's agenda

We honor the activities of many hundreds of citizens of Lithuanua, Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to save the innocent, and we appreciate the efforts beeing invested by your official representatives to promote the ties between Israel and Lithuania. We also appreciate the important emphasis you put on enhancing tolerance and educating the youths in Holocaust History, but at the same time, we expect you to act courageously and resolutly to uproot this dark and despicable idea and prevent it from surfacing in the enlightened Lithuania of the 21st century

Respectfully yours

Mickey Kantor, Chair

THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWS FROM VILNA AND VICINITY IN ISRAEL

Ms. Lina Antanaviciene, Ambassador of The Republic of Lithuania to The State of Israel