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Friday, 26.04.2024, 21:49
Lithuania wards 39 citizens for rescuing Jews during WWII
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| Life SavingCross awards ceremony, Vilnius, 21.09.2018. Foto: Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, lrp.lt. |
The majority
of them were awarded posthumously, and the awarded were accepted by their
family members.
According to the Lithuanian president, each time that we honor the memory of the Holocaust victims, we remember their rescuers and the great lesson of humanity, sacrifice and courage. Those attending the ceremony are the living bond between the present and the past marked by both brutality and compassion, the presidential press service said.
The
president underlined that Lithuania is proud of every Lithuanian who dared to
stand up in the whirlwind of a brutal war and fight evil with the goodness of
their heart.
"It
was action over words: decision to open the door and share life. And fate. They
did not know how it would end but they took the risk," she said.
This year
marks the 77th anniversary of the Holocaust in Lithuania, and on September 23
the country will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liquidation of the
Vilnius Ghetto.
Around 90% of
the Jewish population of around 200,000 were killed by German Nazis and their
collaborators in Lithuania during the Holocaust.
More than
900 Lithuanians have been awarded as Righteous Among Nations by Israel for
rescuing Jews from the Holocaust.
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