The tradition of gathering and remembering the Jewish victims of the mass murder in Švenčionys on the first Sunday in October has been followed for many years. Jews from around the world and local residents gather to mark the tragic occasion and bow before the mass grave. Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon was there this year on October 2, as were Švenčionys regional administrator Rimantas Klipčius, Ethnic Minorities Department to the Lithuanian Government senior specialist Aušra Šokaitienė, Vilnius Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium principal Miša Jakobas, Švenčionys regional administration commissioners, members of the Jewish community and students.
Wreaths were laid and candles lit at the Menorah monument to the victims of the Švenčionys ghetto at 11:00 A.M. in the Švenčionys city park. The victims were then remembered at the military base where they were massacred in the village of Platumai in the Švenčionėliai aldermanship.
At the mass grave Švenčionys regional administrator Rimantas Klipčius said it was very important to understand and respect the Jewish tragedy so it would never happen again.
Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon cautioned it wasn’t sufficient to talk about the tragedy of the Jews in the past, we must also see what’s going on now and what will happen in the future. He said it was important now to determine the names of the victims and commemorate them.
Vilnius ghetto prisoner Fania Brancovskaja, Sholem Aleichem principal Miša Jakobas and regional administration commissioner Darius Velička also spoke at the event.
Students from the Jewish gymnasium performed a literary montage at the event. The violin ensemble from the Pabradė Art School performed a concert under the direction of teacher Margarita Matiušonok.
The Jewish community of the Švenčionys region was annihilated 75 years ago, but memory remains. The Holocaust is like a bell, ringing out to the past, the present and most importantly the future.
Information prepared by the Culture, Education, Youth and Sports Department of the Švenčionys regional administration.
