Lithuania must stand up against anti-Semitism
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Lithuania holds a special significance for me. It was where I survived the Holocaust. In the capital of Vilna, now Vilnius, my parents left me with my Polish Catholic nanny, who baptized me and raised me as her son, saving me from certain death at the hands of the Nazis. And the Nazis weren’t the only concern.
From 1941 to 1944, Lithuanian militias participated with the Nazis in killing around 95 percent of the country’s Jewish population, the largest percentage in any country during the Holocaust. Today, Lithuania is again distinguishing itself from the rest of Europe in a less murderous but still terrible way — through its tolerance for anti-Semitism.
In no other European country has the front page of a national newspaper featured a cartoon with a hook-nosed Jew and a homosexual holding a globe between them with the caption, “Who Controls the World?” None of Lithuania’s leaders condemned it.
European newspapers do not print such blatant anti-Semitism as an op-ed, entitled “The Rabbis are Wreaking Havoc in Lithuania,” whose first sentence reads “I don’t like Jews and nothing can be done about that.”
Unfortunately, these examples are not isolated cases of anti-Semitism in Lithuanian media. Some of the most hateful articles over the past year have been written by former and present members of Lithuania’s parliament, newspaper editors, and other opinion elites.
In no other country have World War II Jewish partisans — like the heroes of the movie Defiance — been named as “persons of interest” by state prosecutors. In May 2008, Lithuanian prosecutors announced that they were seeking two elderly Holocaust survivors, Fania Brantsovsky and Rachel Margolis. Brantsovsky, a former partisan, is a librarian at the Vilnius Yiddish Institute in Lithuania. Margolis, a historian of the partisans who discovered and published a long-lost diary by a witness of the murder of the Jews of Vilnius, lives in Israel, but each summer would give tours of the Vilna Ghetto. No longer. Today she fears interrogation and possible arrest if she were to visit her native Lithuania.
In no other country where it is illegal to incite ethnic hatred have the police escorted a neo-Nazi parade through the capital, as the marchers chanted the Nazi slogan “Juden raus!” (“Jews out!”) and sang “You take that little stick and kill that little Jew.” Lithuanian police did so last March. It took an entire week and complaints by Jewish organizations before Lithuanian President Adamkus criticized the march and the police inaction.
Only in Lithuania is the local Mardi Gras festival celebrated by dressing in costume “as Jews,” as the Lithuanians say, often with horns or long noses. This year a major television channel showed two revelers dressed as chasidic Jews, who sang about the global economic crisis to the tune of Hava Nagila.
Lithuania and Poland are also the only countries in Europe to prevent Jews from claiming Holocaust-era confiscated private property. Lithuanian law, unlike the laws of any other member state of the European Union, requires citizenship prior to December 2001 as a condition for restitution. Since Lithuanian law prohibited dual citizenship until July 2008, survivors or their descendants living outside of Lithuania — virtually all the claimants — were denied restitution.
The first step for Lithuania in addressing these problems is to recognize them. When the capital’s Jewish community center was spray-painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans, President Adamkus did condemn the attack, saying that it should be considered “a destructive and sordid act against Lithuania as a whole, not only Lithuania’s Jewish community.” But it took a blatant and high-profile anti-Semitic incident and the world watching to produce such a statement, an exception to what should be the rule.
If the Lithuanian government wants to shed its dubious distinction, it knows the steps it must take. Condemn anti-Semitism. Prosecute those who incite violence against or intimidate the Lithuanian Jewish community. Clear the names of the Jewish partisans. Provide reasonable legal processes for property restitution.
Flag CommentHi there I just had something schocking that crossed my mind. You know, since the cannard of jewish dominance has always been brougth up against jews and with ppl like mr Foxman properly denouncing them as for what they are it ocurred to me….how come then the jewish people have gotten so much reposition money from, lets say, Austria or Germany? If they dinf have no control over economy pr have no influence how is it possible so much has been paid? Care to answer?
Aaron:
When you murder somebody’s whole family and steal all their money, there comes a time when you have to pay. Those with a conscience do it willingly, Others join Holocaust denial groups, but the stain doesn’t ever wash off.
Who’s house are you living in, Aaron?
Thank you Mr Foxman,
Lithuania need to clean up its act.I also would like to answer AARON.The money that has been repaid of the last 10 years is nothing compared to the icalcuable destruction of Jews and their property,places of worship ect ect.A small fraction of once was in Europe can ever be rebuild.Many holocust survivers living here i the United States still live in poverty and have had health problems caused from their internments.The suffering did not stop as with a flip of a switch in 1945.
An if somebody participate in a massacre of civilians, he or she should be put to a trial, even if he or she is a jewish partisan. I dont understand why jewish partisan who killed civilian in Lithuainia shouldn´t get punished for their crimes.
First of all, let me say that I have personally met one of the so called criminals and let me state clearly that she is nothing of the sort. Second, the evidence against these so called criminals is extremely circumstantial at best and based on secondhand stories. Third, thousands of Lithuanians participated in the extermination of Jewish citizens. Most of those cases were very well documented as the German and Lithuanian governments kept records. In addition, many Lithuanians of the time were not afraid to brag of their involvement in the killing of Jews. So if anyone who has participated in the massacre of civilians should be punished, how is it that the Lithuanian government has sent exactly zero people to jail for crimes against Jews? The country has been free of the Soviet Union for more than 18 years now. They couldn’t find even one Lithuanian to prosecute but of the tiny number of Lithuanian Jews left they found someone to intimidate and harass. I suggest you spend years in Lithuania as I have before jumping to conclusions and before you side with a clearly still anti-Semitic government such as that found in Lithuania.
The slavic people are the most racist bigots in the world. Poland and Lithuania lead the way.
Jewish groups should hold these bigots responsible and always remind these slavic morons what they did to the Jews in WW2.
Well, a lot of Lithuanian civilians mere murdered during the war. I dont understand why the Lithuainian authorities sholdn´t investigate those crimes and bring the perpretators to trial, jewish or not, if you commit war crimes, you should be punished.
Maestro, you are starting to sound like a broken record. The other fact is that apparently you feel it is fine that the Lithuanian government never prosecuted any of the thousands of known Lithuanian war criminals for which documented evidence exists. However, the Lithuanian government should prosecute a few Jews for which only the most slender of circumstantial evidence exists? I am extremely tired of it being okay for the world to apply a double standard when it comes to Jews. Why was it okay for Palestinians to vote for Hamas which has always stated its aim is to kill Jews? It was also fine when Palestinians unleashed suicide bombers and thousands of rockets on Israel. Hoever, it was not okay for Israel to retaliate? I am sick of people who sit there and say the situation of the Palestinians is even close to that experienced by the Jews in the death camps. Those who make such riidiculous statements have never studied the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau or Ponary or any of the other killing fields. Most Jews were killed immediately with no chance of reprieve or escape. They were killed for the simple reason of being Jewish. Some Palestinians have died for which I feel bad. However, at least they declared by electing Hamas that they supported their own government’s attempts to wipe Israel and all Jews off the map as the nazis did before them. I know I am getting off a bit but the fact that even though I am not Jewish, double standards of any kind sicken me…especially the ones which have been applied to Jews everywhere for thousands of years.
Getting of a bit? Yes you are, what has Hamas to do with Lithuania? A broken record? If anybody sounds like a broken record it´s the Wiesenthal center or ADL. It´s quite simple: If lithuanians are guilty of killing iinnocent jews or others, they should be prosecuted. If anybody killed innocent lithuanians, they should be prosecuted whether they are jewish orerussians or what ever. The problem is that organisations like ADL are demanding that lithuanians who are suspected of killing jews should be investigated and prosecuted but jews twho are suspected of killing civilians shouldn´t be investigaded and prosecuted. That´s double standard. Shame on ADL!
I have nothing more to say on this topic, at least when it comes to debating with the anti-Semitic garbage which you are spewing. You don’t have your facts straight on Lithuania and you don’t have your facts straight on the ADL. They have never said anyone guilty of crimes should be shielded. However, anti-Semites are great at making up facts which fit their personal view of how things are. You can write whatever else you like on this topic and I will not respond. You will see this as cowardice or whatever on my part. However, I refuse to wade deeper into your rubbish bin.
Antisemitism, always antisemitism…..
Maestro,
1. If Lithuanians were also arrested you might have a point. But they arent and its easy to see the government there is anti-semetic. So what chance of a fair trial. To use an anology (and yes its just an anology), if everyone from an office leaves work 10 minutes early but only the one black employee is fired for it and the office has a history of racist goings on then yes, although they were all wrong to leave its grossly wrong to single out that one person and it is racist. So its wrong to single out only the jews and in addition, the likelihood of a fair trial is tiny.
2. As for your “antisemitism” statement - calling someone a “kike” and then reacting laughing when they accuse you of being an anti-semite doesn’t mean your not. In other words, I hit you and when you get upset with me I turn around and say “ha, I knew you would get upset thats whaty you always do!”. You’re anti-semyic because you willfully ignore the facts in Lithuania - its not a situation in a vacuum. When they’ve arrested all of those Lithuanians (or even some of them) then we can talk. You know it woudln’t be a fair trial but then again, your reasons for posting here are just to get a rise in any case. I’m sure you’ve gone on diatribes to your friend about jews in the past and how “I’m not anti-semtici but . . . .”
And you are obviously anti-lithuainian. A lot of lithuainians were executed after the war for “war crimes” by the russians, do you think they had a fair trial? A lot of lithuainans were executed by the russians during and after the war and if organisations like ADL demands that only lithuanians shold be punished while jewish partisans shouldnt be investigated, thats anti-lithuainianism. You miust understand that when propaganda organisations like ADL and the Wiesenthal center behave likt that they create antis-semitism and upsets people. I say, investigate every suspected, whether he /she is lithuainian, jewish, russian or what ever.
If a group or organization that I dislike happens to be run by protestants I don’t hate all protestants. You happen top dislike the ADL and therefor say its justifiable to hate all Jews. Thats illogical and nonsensical. Also, if Russians gave Lithuanians unfair trials thats definately a bad thing - the correct response is not “two wrongs make a right lets give Jews an unfair trial”, the correct response is lets make sure everyone is treated fairly. Fairly - which means yes, you put bad people who happen to be Jewish in jail, but you also put bad Lithuanians in jail [+ where did ADL say “only Lithuanians should be punished” or any words like that?). The problem here, which you willfully ignore, is that the situation shows that Jews are being singled out - again you missed the logic of my analogy and the dangers of an unfair trial (actually you purposefully ignore them). Anyway, if nothing else, at least people reading this can be aware that people like you are out there - knowledge of you is better than nothing.
Excuse me, but can you read? Where have i said that it´s justifiable to hate jews? I say that ADL:s behaviour create antisemitism. Fact is that ADL singles out lithuainians as responsible for war crimes but oppose investigations of jewish partisans suspected of involved in massacres of civilians, as you can read above I say, let´s have an international conference of what happend in Lithuainia or other baltic couintires where one could sort out what happend and who did what and who took part in war crimes. It´s quite simple..
Maestro,
I am a Jewish musician by profession, and am struck by your chosen name. Are you involved in music?
My main questions are the following:
1) Do you feel that the Lithuanian government has reason to apologize officially for its role in liquidating its Jewish population during the war?
2) If so, why do you feel that this apology has not come when all other countries (other than Poland) have offered these apologies?
3) Do you feel that the Jewish community the world over should apologize for the murder of Lithuanian civilians during the war?
Your answers to these questions will help me greatly in trying to discern whether or not you harbor any latent hatred for Jewish people.
Thank you.
I am trying to understand what remotely gave you the idea that I might have any hatred for Jewish people. I am a gentile working to create a new center of Jewish culture in the Jerusalem of Lithuania. Does that sound like the work of an anti-Semite? At the moment, I am on holiday in Istanbul. While here I have bought many CDs of Turkish-Jewish music. I have also bought many DVDs for the library. That is not the act of someone who despises Jews. I have purchased thousands of books, and many CDs and DVDs. You will not find even one anti-Semitic book in the collection. I screen everything carefully to make sure nothing goes in which will promote intolerance and prejudice against Jews.
Dear Mr. Brent,
My sincere apologies if I wasn’t clear in my previous comment. I was directing my questions not to you, but to the individual going by the name of “Maestro.”
Again, I’m sorry for the confusion and I wish you success in the very important endeavors in which you are engaged for the Lithuanian Jewish community.
Thank you.
Cantor. Of course i could answer your questions.,
1. No, i dont think that the Lithuanian government has a reason to apologize. Why should they? They were not involved in in warcrimes against jews. Those who are responsible should apologize.
3. No, for the same reason like in answer 1. Those who are responsible for warcrimes shjould be put to trial or apologize. Like i said, examine any warcrime, no matter where the victim or perpretator are.
Sorry about that. Actually you were clear with who the comment was directed to. I am just sick with a cold and so my brain isn’t working properly at this time. :)
As someone who has spent years in Vilnius, I can say unfortunately that anti-Semitism is alive and well in the Jerusalem of Lithuania. An example I can give which Mister Foxman does not mention is the fact that the central Vilnius post office which is the largest in the city allows the sell of blatantly anti-Semitic material. Within the post office is a small shop which sells souvenirs and philatelic items. While waiting to go to a meeting at the Vilna Gaon Jewish Museum, I stepped into the post office to look at the first day covers for sale in one shop. I started to see ones which appeared to be related to things Jewish. Most of them were in Lithuanian and I could not read them. However, a couple had translations in English as well printed on them. What I saw was just more of the same in blaming Jews for the ills of the world. I took them and the Lithuanian covers to the museum and the deputy director turned white. She confirmed that the material was all against Jews.
You have to understand that the post office is run by the Lithuanian government. It is not privatised. The same little shop with the same owner has been there at least since 1994 when I first visited Vilnius. It is impossible that the postal employees are unaware of what this idiot is selling.
Another example is the fact that the building which served as the Ghetto library is sitting empty and slowly falling apart. Nobody uses it as it sits in limbo when it should properly be returned to the Jewish community. It is also the place where partisans including Abba Kovner trained. I rank the library right up there with Auschwitz in its importance relating to the Shoah. However, instead of being a place of tragedy it showcases the incredible strength of spirit and of mind which characterizes Jews in times of adversity.
I am not Jewish but I am living here now in Vilna to create the new Vilnius Jewish Library. It is my life’s work and I look forward to all the challenges. I invite Mister Foxman and anyone else interested to contact me to learn more about the effort to strengthen Jewish culture in Lithuania.
Respectfully,
Wyman Brent
shammes Vilnius Jewish Library