Other events in Baltic States

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite unveiled in Kaunas on Friday a symbolic light monument to Jan Zwartendijk, a Dutch diplomat who saved Jews during World War Two, reports LETA.

"I'm very proud that we are in Kaunas and, in the presence of such a respectable guest, can light up the installation for the silent hero who never boasted that he saved people," Grybauskaite said during the ceremony in Lithuania's second-biggest city. 

The spiral-shaped light installation symbolizes life and continuity, which was what visas issued by Zwartendijk ensured. 

One of the reasons why little is known about Zawartendijk's good deeds is that he was a modest person who thought that he was just doing what any decent person would do. Rob Zawartendijk, the diplomat's son, confirmed this at the ceremony.  

"He never talked about this amazing event and I only learned it when I was in my thirties," said Zawartendijk, who attended the ceremony toghether with his sister. "Even then, when asked for more details, my father always avoided the question. He said he only did what he thought was right and that he didn't think it was something special," he said. 

The monument was installed in Kaunas at the Dutch embassy's initiative.  "Zwartendijk became an integral part of Kaunas, and this monument will remind us of how honorable a person can be. It is a great honor for us to associate this person with our city," Kaunas Mauyor Visvaldas Matijosaitis said. 

Zwartendijk, who served as the Netherlands' honorary consult and a Philips representative in Kaunas, issued Lithuanian and Polish Jews with 2,400 visas to the island of Curacao. These visas made it possible for Chiune Sugihara, Japan's consul in Kaunas, to issue Japanese transit visas, which helped to save the lives of several thousand Jews.

Zwartendijk is recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. He was posthumously awarded with Lithuania's Life Saving Cross.