The Lithuanian embassy to Israel and the Lithuanian Foreign Minister held a conference called Lithuania and Israel: Past, Present, Future at the Peres Peace Center in Tel Aviv on November 24, 2016. The conference discussed Lithuanian Holocaust studies, progress in commemorating victims, current activities of the Lithuanian Jewish Community and Lithuanian citizenship restoration issues.
Lithuanian ambassador to Israel Edminas Bagdonas spoke about increasing partnership between the two countries in his opening speech. He noted Litvaks in both countries are making great contributions to this. Lithuanian ambassador-at-large Dainius Junevičius emphasized the change in attitude towards the country’s history by the public and especially young people. Ronaldas Račinskas, executive director of Lithuania’s International Commission to Assess the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regimes in Lithuania, spoke about progress in Lithuanian Holocaust research and commemoration. Vytautas Magnus University lecturer Robert van Voren presented his studies into the Holocaust in Lithuania and spoke about parallels between Lithuania and the Netherlands. Yad Vashem representative Dr. Arkadi Zeltser addressed the state of monuments for commemorating Holocaust victims in Lithuania. Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky provided an overview of the current situation and activities of the community. She also field a large number of questions from the audience about the Litvak legacy and heritage in Lithuania.
Evelina Gudzinskaitė, acting director of the Migration Department under the Lithuanian Interior Ministry, and Daiva Vežikauskaitė, senior advisor of the Migration Department’s Citizenship Department, presented the latest news on citizenship restoration including recent changes to the law.
A number of Israeli Litvak organizations participated, as did the Nerija organization of the Lithuanian community in Israel, Lithuania’s honorary consul in Israel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, the Israeli Absorption Ministry, the Israeli media, Yad Vashem, American Jewish Committee representatives and the foreign media.
More photos here.