On March 25, a lecture “The Righteous Among the Nations” was held at the Prienai Cultural Center.
To share information about the Righteous Among the Nations, Ingrida Vilkienė, the International Commission’s Coordinator of Educational Programs, visited Prienai at the invitation of the Prienai Regional Museum, the Prienai Cultural Center, and the University of the Third Age. She discussed why this title is awarded, what a typical “portrait” of a recipient may look like, and how many people in Lithuania have received this recognition. Attendees also learned about Yad Vashem in Israel, the institution that bestows the title and commemorates those who rescued Jews during the Holocaust.
During the meeting with the citizens of Prienai, Ingrida Vilkienė shared her thoughts on Samuel Bak, the rescued man who became a famous artist and after whom a museum in Vilnius is named. Accompanying her was publicist and social activist Rimantas Stankevičius. He has written a book about the rescuers of Samuel Bak: Juozas Stakauskas, Vladas Žemaitis, and Sister Marija Mikulska. Later, Stankevičius was invited to share his thoughts on Samuel Bak’s rescuers and Ona Šimaitė, Righteous Among the Nations, whose complex life he has also explored in a book.
More than 150 people attended the event commemorating the Day of Lithuanian Rescuers of Jews.
