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65th anniversary of Genocide of Lithuanian Jewish is commemorated today

BC, Vilnius, 23.09.2008.Print version

On Tuesday, the 65th anniversary of the Genocide of Lithuanian Jewish is commemorated in the entire Lithuania by the "Stone of the Past", reports ELTA.

 

The Holocaust is the most tragic event the civilization experienced in the 20th century. It especially struck its European part and did not bypass Lithuania, which witnessed outrageous massacre affecting thousands of Lithuanian citizens. The Holocaust marks the end of the flourishing Jewish culture in Lithuania.

 

On 23 September of 1943, Vilnius ghetto was liquidated and a part of its residents were shut dead in Paneriai, others were taken to concentration camps. About 220,000 Jews lived in Lithuania till the World War II, during which about 95% of the Jews were killed.

 

On Tuesday, the commemoration ceremony will be held at the memorial in Aukstieji Paneriai. The ceremony will be attended by Seimas Speaker Ceslovas Jursenas, National Defence Minister Juozas Olekas.

 

Under the initiative of the international historical justice commission, during this campaign, the youth from various places of Lithuania will visit the locations of former ghetto, synagogues and mass places of death of Jewish people. Youth will form a word "Atmink" (remember) from stones or a mound of stones a as a symbol of memory and homage to the tragic faith of the Jewish community and decorate the places of death.

 

The commemoration in the capital will take place in the territory of former Vilnius ghetto and the Paneriai memorial to the victims of fascism.

 

The idea to use a stone in the commemoration of the event was triggered by the tradition in Israel to bring stones instead of flowers to cemetery as a symbol of memory.





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