Prime Minister Honours Victims of the Genocide of Lithuanian Jews: Let This Be a Day of Remembrance and Commitment
On Monday, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė took part in the commemorative march in memory of the victims of the genocide of the Lithuanian Jews at the Paneriai Memorial. In her speech, the Head of Government stressed the duty of everyone to stand up for humanity and justice, to oppose hatred and discrimination.
"Today we are standing at the Paneriai Memorial, a place that bears witness to our nation's most painful history. Thousands of innocent people who wanted to live in a peaceful and secure society, who were part of Lithuania, were murdered here, and when that part was taken away, not only our country, but the whole world was impoverished. They were senselessly murdered because of their origins, their faith. Their voices reach us from the past as eyewitness accounts that today are not just lessons in history, but a warning to all of us," said the Prime Minister.
In her speech, quoting Icchok Rudashevsky, an eyewitness to the horrors of Paneriai, the Head of Government also drew attention to the atrocities taking place today in Russian-occupied Ukraine: the history we thought we had left behind is repeating itself, the blood of innocent civilians is being shed, as it was here.
The Prime Minister stressed the need to prevent the shadows of the dark past from returning to our daily lives, warning that the hatred which destroyed millions of lives remains alive today. This hatred of otherness also fuels anti-Semitism in various parts of the world.
It remains the duty of all of us in Lithuania to understand the consequences of the spread of such ideas for the country and society, the Prime Minister stressed. The incitement of violence and hostility, incitement of national and other discord - all this is incompatible not only with the Constitution or the interests of the country, but also with basic humanity.
"Today we must be united, both in remembering those who suffered and were killed, and in fighting the forces of evil. We must be resolute, courageous, and in solidarity. This is our duty to the past and to the future.
Eternal respect for the innocent victims and an eternal reminder that the lessons of history are only valuable if and to the extent that they are learned.
Let this day be not only a day of remembrance, but also one of commitment," said Ms Šimonytė.
The Prime Minister also expressed her condolences to the Jewish community of Lithuania and the relatives of Fania Brancovskaja, a witness of the Holocaust, a former prisoner of the Vilnius Ghetto, who passed away on 22 September. Despite surviving the horrors of the Holocaust and losing her family, Brancovskaja never lost her love for life and devoted her time to preserving history and telling the truth.