On January 31, the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania and the American Reading Room at the National Library presented the documentary film “The USA and the Holocaust” (directed by Ken Burns).
The documentary “The U.S. and the Holocaust” explores the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany, the rise of anti-Semitism, the reaction of the United States public to Nazi policies before World War II, and the reaction to the Holocaust in Europe.
The screening was attended by students and teachers from the Naujamiesčio school in Vilnius, as well as from Lavoriškės and Riešės Gymnasiums. The participants were welcomed by the Ambassador of the United States of America, Kara C. McDonald, and the Ambassador of Israel to Lithuania, Hadas Wittenberg Silverstein. A review and discussion with secondary school students from the Vilnius region followed the screening. Dr. Lara Lempertienė, Head of the Centre for Judaic Studies at the National Library, moderated the discussion. The speakers were Ingrida Vilkienė, International Commission for Educational Programmes Coordinator, and Vanesa Ražinskytė, a social activist from Vilnius University.
The event, dedicated to International Holocaust Remembrance Day, was organised by the Embassy of the United States of America in Lithuania, in cooperation with the National Martynas Mažvydas Library and the International Commission on the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania.
