On 23 September, to mark the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of Lithuanian Jews, a “Road of Memory“ march took place in Radviliškis.
On 23 September 2026, the commemoration began in Radviliškis’ main square, Aušros Square, next to the Town Hall. Kazimieras Račkauskis, Mayor of Radviliškis Municipality, addressed the assembled school communities, saying that it is important to know history and to take part in a living history lesson.
One of the event’s organizers, history teacher Laima Škėmienė, gave a brief overview of the history of Radviliškis’s Jewish community.
A guest at the event, Michel Gourary, Executive Director of the March of the Living organization, shared his personal story of how his mother and her parents were saved by kind people in Belgium, who have now been recognized as Righteous Among the Nations – rescuers of Jews.
According to Michel Gourary, had it not been for those people who saved his mother’s family, he would not be here; he would not have been born and would not be standing here in Radviliškis.
The march set off from Aušros Square towards the Holocaust victims’ memorial site, known as Durpynas, near the town of Radviliškis.
Amidst the autumn rain, the procession of students and teachers made its way along Radviliškis’s main street. Upon reaching the Holocaust victims’ memorial site, where 300 Jewish men from Radviliškis were murdered in early July 1941, a ceremony was held to honor the victims of the Holocaust.
The students read poems by Matilda Olkinaitė, a young Jewish girl who was murdered; set against the backdrop of the autumn rain, the verses sounded particularly poignant. Against the rustling of the forest, the prayer for the murdered, led by Michel Gourary, a guest from Israel, echoed sadly.
The event was attended by the community of Radviliškis “Gražina“ Primary School, students and teachers from Radviliškis and Šiaulėnai Marcelinas Šikšnius Gymnasium, as well as the community of the Centers for Tolerance Education from Radviliškis Lizdeikos Gymnasium and Vaižgantas Progymnasium.
A representative of the Secretariat of the International Commission attended the commemoration, accompanied by a guest from Israel. The Radviliškis Tourist Information Center, the Radviliškis District Municipal Public Library, and history teacher and guide Laima Škėmienė organized the commemoration and the “Road of Memory“ march.
