Today, we pause to honour the memory of the Jews of Lithuania who were murdered in the Holocaust. September 23 is the National Memorial Day for the Genocide of the Jews of Lithuania—a day to remember the lives that were taken, the families and communities that were destroyed, and the vibrant Jewish world built in Lithuania over centuries.
We remember the families and communities that were destroyed, the voices that were silenced, and the once-vibrant Jewish quarters of Lithuania’s cities and towns that were left empty. We also remember those who risked their own lives and the lives of their loved ones to rescue the persecuted.
Remembrance obliges us to defend human dignity and to stand against antisemitism, hatred, and indifference. Only by understanding history and passing its memory on to future generations can we help prevent it from being repeated.
The Vilnius Jewish Community invites everyone to pause today, observe a moment of silence, and light a candle in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
May their memory be a blessing.
