A delegation consisting of Lithuanian Jewish Community chair Faina Kukliansky, deputy minister of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture Dr. Romas Jarockis, director Diana Varnaitė of the Cultural Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture and urgita Bieliūnienė, advisor to the Lithuanian parliament’s Education, Science and Culture Committee, visited Alytus (Olita) mayor Vytautas Grigaravičius to discuss the fate of the Alytus synagogue, plans for renovating it and sources for financing that renovation.
Deputy mayor Tautvydas Tamulevičius, mayorial advisor Vilija Ramanauskienė, city council member Robertas Šarknickas, head of the Municipal Works Department Algimantas Tarasevičius and senior specialist from the same department Ramunė Jegelevičienė took part in the meeting.
“We are united by Jewish heritage issues, so once per half year our informal group travels to regions and other cities. There is a Jewish synagogue in Alytus so we came here. Our aspiration is for the revival of Jewish heritage and adaptation to educational, cultural and other activities in cities and towns where the it has been forgotten undeservedly. The Lithuanian and Jewish peoples and cultures are intertwined and have left deep impressions in one another’s culture. The goal of our visit is to engage in consultations and discussions,” deputy minister of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture Dr. Romas Jarockis said.