On January 27, an artistic conference called “The Lost and Rediscovered History of the Lithuanian Jewish Community” was held in Ariogala to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
At the conference, representatives of tolerance education centers used artistic means of expression to share stories about Abraham Sutzkever, Saadia Bahat, Masha Rolnikaitė, and Yitskhok Rudashevski, who were imprisoned in the Vilna ghetto. The guests and participants learned stories about the history of the Jewish communities in Biržai and Krakės. When discussing the Jewish population that resided in these areas before World War II, students repeatedly emphasized that these were real people who lived there, not mere statistical figures. Students from Jonas and Petras Vileišiai School in Kaunas delivered an artistic performance about the brave Jewish rescuers Sofija and Kazys Binkis, emphasizing: “Courage is defined by the decision to take action, rather than remaining indifferent.”
The event was graced by the presence of several notable guests, including the Deputy Ambassador of Israel, Consul Shimon Pesach; the Mayor of Raseiniai District Municipality, Arvydas Nekrošius; a guest from the USA, Litvak Sara Klompus; the Director of the Department of National Minorities, Dainius Babilas; Gercas Žakas, Chairman of the Kaunas Jewish Community, accompanied by a significant delegation from the community; publicist and social activist Rimantas Stankevičius; and directors from several Lithuanian schools that have established Tolerance Education Centers.
Representatives from Tolerance Education Centers operating in Lithuania in Ariogala, Biržai, Kaunas, Josvainiai, Krakės, Marijampolė, and Baisogala in Radviliškis District attended the artistic conference.
The International Commission Secretariat has been organizing conferences for school communities since 2011. Previous events have been held at Radviliškis Vaižganto Pro-Gymnasium and Balbieriškis Primary School. The artistic conference in Ariogala was held for the 11th time and organized in close cooperation between the Secretariat of the International Commission and Ariogala Gymnasium.
For more information about the artistic conference in Ariogala, see the article by history teacher Arūnas Mikalauskas.
