DOCSLIB.ORG

A “Jew-Communist” Stereotype in Lithuania, 1940-1941

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A “Jew-Communist” Stereotype in Lithuania, 1940-1941 A JEW-COMMUNIST STEREOTYPE IN LITHUANIA, 1940-1941 Alfonsas Eidintas An issue of a Jew-Communist stereotype is an important one if we look at the causes and motives that made the local population assist the Nazis during the Holocaust, and, first of all, having in mind the fact that within the Lithuanian society a theory of two genocides had prevailed for a long period of time. According to this theory, once the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania in the summer of 1941, the Jews extended their support to the Soviets. That is why Lithuanians behaved Jews without mercy. The Nazi Germany occupied Lithuania at the end of June 1941. Afterwards they found no difficulty recruiting accomplices in Lithuania who carried out the massacres. For some, the permanence of the stereotypes may seem extraordinary. However, this permanence of the stereotypes makes the understanding of such a tragedy as the Holocaust in Lithuania more difficult, delaying it. Thus, in this article the author reviews the historical roots of this stereotype that was present throughout the first Soviet period. During the days of independence, especially during the parliamentary period (1920-1926), Lithuanias left-wing political forces (Social-democrats, Populists) expressed their opposition to the attacks radical Christian-democratic nationalists aimed at the Jews. Although this development departed from its original intentions, but the Jewish community, viewed at large, was to some extent pushed to the political left. At the same time, however, given the fact that Lithuanias State Security Department was the main supervisory institution in the country ruled by Smetonas authoritarian regime, the majority of leftwing Jews became regular clients of the State Security Department (further SSD) and the police. Collected through a network of informants, the bulletins of the police and Lithuanias State Security Department contain extensive evidence on social and political activities of the Jews. Same bulletins presented reviews on the activities of the Bolsheviks-communists (the latter included lists of active communists with Jewish names and surnames) as well as on the activities of the Lithuanian political parties, their secret consultations. Besides, they accounted for the activities of other leftwing 2 Alfonsas Eidintas political parties, the Jewish one among them. It is interesting to note that in these records the Polish were identified as the second most dangerous ethnic group in Lithuania in terms of national security. Activity of the Jewish political left was the main cause of concern for the police and the Security services. Speaking about Jewish organizations and Jewish cultural activities in general, one could declare that they provoked no concern as they abided by the law and could be considered loyal to Lithuania. No doubt, under the existing authoritarian regime in Lithuania the career of police and the security officers depended a lot on the results of the fight against the LCP (Lithuanian Communist Party). Considered as an anti-state organization, the activities of the LCP were banned, the organization and its members - prosecuted. LCPs ultimate goal was to overthrow the existing regime. Afterwards they hoped to unite Lithuania with the Soviet Union. The composition of the party, thus, had been constantly changing, first of all, given the numerous arrests and administrative fines that had been tabled. Identification of the Jews with the Communists, 1933-1939 The Jews living in the cities comprised the majority of LCP members. What deserves special attention is the ruling of the LCPs Ukmergë subdistrict. This ruling defined that every communist of Ukmergë was obliged to recruit at least one person of Lithuanian origin Jews-communists understood it clearly that one-nation-dominated organization would not have any major influence on and among the Lithuanians. Security reports attached huge importance to the activities of the Jews within the LCP. For instance, in their review on the LCP activities in Jonava, the reports came to the following conclusion: In their preparations to celebrate the day of the unemployed (August 1st), the Jewish women are the most active; all the activities concentrate midst the Jews they deliver and distribute literature on the occasion of E.Telmans imprisonment in Germany on their own. At the same time, if we divert our attention to the countryside (70 percent of Lithuanian population worked in the agricultural sector, and the majority of the Jews (160 thousand) lived in urban settlements (towns, small and large) A.E.), there is no communist activity evident.1 Activities of Jonava communists intensified in October, once Leiba Solomon and Gita Aronsonaitë had been released from prison.2 In 1933, the SSD defined attempts of the communists to restore their activities in Jonava once the releases were completed in such a way: Recently, a small group consisting of three Jews has intensified its activities in Jonava; this group has embarked on consistent investigation of the reasons that stand behind the (communist) arrests.3 In 1934, the security agencies maintained that the communists had reached the decision to intensify their activities with and inside the non-Jewish youth.4 A Jew-Communist Stereotype in Lithuania, 19401941 3 The title of the LCPs proclamation, dated 1934, is quite elaborate in this respect. It said: A new provocation of the Intelligence. Lets save Schochot, Komodaitë and Sokrataitytë.5 Soon after the Anykðèiai communists started to come around from the arrests, the SSD claimed that those communists who remained in freedom mainly Jews tried to restore their activities and planned to publish proclamations in Jewish, given that the majority of the Jewish proletariat working in the city, were unable to comprehend in Lithuanian. A similar case was evident in Utena. Residents of this city most of them Jews embarked on more vigorous activities. They had established the so-called IOSR (transcribed from the first letters in Russian International Organization for the Support of the Revolutionaries) circle, which collected 65 litas to help the arrested communists and their families.6 Therefore, in the eyes of the local repressive structures and power institutions, the LCP was seen as a Jewish party. Accordingly, during the years of independence the police and the Security had become major prosecutors of the Jews. Not always did they make distinction between the Jews-communists and the majority of Jews-non-communists in their documents, let alone in their minds. Besides, the SSD documents reflect an additional tendency namely that of a general negative attitude towards the Jews. Oftentimes they were described in pejorative terms, the tone the security servicemen use was also unfriendly, and the recommendations tabled often negative in relation to the Jews as a national minority group. High attention paid for the left of Lithuanias Jews did not mean they were undesirable as the Jews the Jews had been a loyal national minority group, Lithuanian authorities knew it very well. The SSD documents, 1933-1940 on the activities of the Jewish organizations put it clear: Jews as a national minority group had caused no trouble, they were to a very large extent apolitical, they had not embarked on sabotaging the status quo, and the economic (business) affairs and cultural life was the only matter what they were concerned with. At the same time, concerned with the issue of moving to Palestine, they expressed dissatisfaction with the vigorous participation of the Jews in LCP organizations. The main problem here rested in the fact that the LCP was nothing more than a composite part of another states Russian Federal Soviet Socialist Republic party (RCP(b). The latter was clearly an anti-state party that sought to undermine the legitimate Government and harbor Lithuania to the RFSSR (later SSSR). The party itself refused to accept Lithuania as a state. As a result, they drafted plans which envisaged that in the future Lithuania would become the 13th or 14th Soviet Socialist Republic. In the light of this Lithuanias police prosecuted the LCP as an anti-state, anti-Lithuanian power. Jews-communists, this logic saved, together with the Lithuanians-communists have put themselves onto the list of the enemies of the state of Lithuania. They only had to embark on the activities of the LCP to become part of it. 4 Alfonsas Eidintas In some settlements citizens of Jewish nationality dominated in the communist movements. According to the SSD material, this was the case in Molëtai. In 1934 this area saw the dissemination of quite a huge volume of the communist literature; and it was in this area that the anniversary of the October revolution in Russia was commemorated. Because of this, the Security service searched out a number of houses that belonged to the well-known and suspected communist activists Fruma Bernsteinatë, Naftal Melamed, Lipë, Peisach, Schmuil and Berel Lichts, Roch, Chan and Pesë Lichtaitë, Leib Schochot, Peisach Glot, Zelman Skurkoviè, Leizer Segal. All of them, except for youngsters L.Segal and Ch.Lichtaitë, became imprisoned. Although they did not admit they had collaborated with the communists and on behalf of these, they were transferred to the detention of the Utena military commandant. Activities of the Bolsheviks-communists in Molëtai got paralyzed once these arrests were carried out, - the SSD report claimed.7 On the word of the SSD, throughout the period from 1927 to 1936, the Security services instituted 3745 cases
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Questions to Russian Archives – Short
    The Raoul Wallenberg Research Initiative RWI-70 Formal Request to the Russian Government and Archival Authorities on the Raoul Wallenberg Case Pending Questions about Documentation on the 1 Raoul Wallenberg Case in the Russian Archives Photo Credit: Raoul Wallenberg’s photo on a visa application he filed in June 1943 with the Hungarian Legation, Stockholm. Source: The Hungarian National Archives, Budapest. 1 This text is authored by Dr. Vadim Birstein and Susanne Berger. It is based on the paper by V. Birstein and S. Berger, entitled “Das Schicksal Raoul Wallenbergs – Die Wissenslücken.” Auf den Spuren Wallenbergs, Stefan Karner (Hg.). Innsbruck: StudienVerlag, 2015. S. 117-141; the English version of the paper with the title “The Fate of Raoul Wallenberg: Gaps in Our Current Knowledge” is available at http://www.vbirstein.com. Previously many of the questions cited in this document were raised in some form by various experts and researchers. Some have received partial answers, but not to the degree that they could be removed from this list of open questions. 1 I. FSB (Russian Federal Security Service) Archival Materials 1. Interrogation Registers and “Prisoner no. 7”2 1) The key question is: What happened to Raoul Wallenberg after his last known presence in Lubyanka Prison (also known as Inner Prison – the main investigation prison of the Soviet State Security Ministry, MGB, in Moscow) allegedly on March 11, 1947? At the time, Wallenberg was investigated by the 4th Department of the 3rd MGB Main Directorate (military counterintelligence);
    [Show full text]
  • Lithuanian Writers and the Establishment During Late Socialism: the Writers Union As a Place for Conformism Or Escape Vilius Ivanauskas
    LITHUANIAN HISTORICAL STUDIES 15 2010 ISSN 1392-2343 PP. 51–78 LITHUANIAN WRITERS AND THE EStabLISHMENT DURING LatE SOCIALISM: THE WRITERS UNION AS A PLACE FOR CONFORMISM OR ESCAPE Vilius Ivanauskas ABSTRACT This article analyses how the changes in the dominant attitude of local Soviet writers were encouraged, screened or restricted by the Writers Union [WU] through mechanisms of planning, control and even through measures of creating a secure daily environment. The author looks at the tensions and conflicts between writers of different generations, observing less ideology in the younger generation than in their predecessors since the development and dissemination of national images among the declared values of communism were increasing. The union as a system covered both aspects – conformism and the escape (manoeuvre). Though the WU had a strong mechanism of control, it managed to ensure for the writers such a model of adaptation where even those, who were subject to restrictions, had a possibility of remaining within the official structure, through certain compromises, while actually avoiding involvement in dissident activities or samizdat publishing. Introduction In August 1940 a group of Lithuanian intellectuals, most of whom were writers, went off to Moscow “to bring back Stalin’s Sunshine”, at the same time asking for Lithuania to be incorporated into the USSR. Forty eight years later in early June 1988 a few members of the local literary elite joined the initial Sąjūdis Group and from thenceforth stood in the vanguard of the National Revival. These two historic moments, witnessing two contrary breaking points in history, when Lithuanian writers were active participants in events, naturally give rise to the question of how the status and role of writers and their relationship with the Soviet regime changed.
    [Show full text]
  • Sovietinės Represijos Prieš Lietuvos Kariuomenės Karininkus
    SOVIETINĖS REPRESIJOS PRIEŠ LIETUVOS KARIUOMENĖS KARININKUS Ats. plk. Andrius Tekorius Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija Anotacija. Straipsnyje atskleistos sovietinių represijų prieš Lietuvos kariuome- nės karininkus priežastys, pobūdis ir mastas, pateikti duomenys apie represuotus Lietuvos krašto apsaugos ministrus ir karininkus. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: sovietinė okupacija, Lietuvos kariuomenė, Lietuvos ka- riuomenės karininkai, sovietinės represijos, šnipinėjimas, represuoti Lietuvos kari- ninkai ir krašto apsaugos ministrai. ĮVADAS Sovietinės okupacijos metais represijas patyrė didžioji mūsų tautos dalis. Okupantų buvo suimti, kalinti ir ištremti tūkstančiai Lietuvos gy- ventojų. Sovietinių represijų neišvengė ir Lietuvos karininkija. Ji tapo vienu pirmųjų sovietinių okupantų taikinių. Lietuvos karininkų1 sovietinių represijų tema Lietuvos istoriografi- joje nėra nauja. Šią temą įvairiais aspektais yra nagrinėję ir tyrimų re- zultatus skelbę Arvydas Anušauskas, Teresė Birutė Burauskaitė, Jonas Dobrovolskas, Stasys Knezys, Aras Lukšas, Algirdas Markūnas, Antanas Martinionis, Jonas Rudokas, Vytautas Jasulaitis, Gintautas Surgailis, Ro- mualdas Svidinskas, Antanas Tyla, Vytautas Zabielskas, Dalius Žygelis ir kiti. Sovietiniuose kalėjimuose ir lageriuose (priverčiamojo darbo stovy- klose) patirti išgyvenimai aprašyti Lietuvos kariuomenės karininkų Vik- toro Ašmensko, Antano Martinionio, Juozo Palukaičio, Jono Petruičio 1 Šiame straipsnyje Lietuvos karininkai skirstomi į tikrosios tarnybos karininkus, tar- navusius Lietuvos kariuomenėje
    [Show full text]
  • Karo Archyvas Xviii
    ISSN 1392-6489 Generolo Jono Þemaièio Lietuvos karo akademija KARO ARCHYVAS XVIII Vilnius 2003 1 2 Karo archyvas tæstinis Generolo Jono Þemaièio Lietuvos karo akademijos Mokslo centro leidinys Mokslinis redaktorius ir sudarytojas plk. ltn. dr. Gintautas Surgailis, Generolo Jono Þemaièio Lietuvos karo akademija. Redaktoriø kolegijos nariai: habil. dr., prof. Algirdas Aþubalis, Generolo Jono Þemaièio Lietuvos karo akademija, habil. dr., prof. Grzegosz Blaszczyk, Poznanës Adomo Mickevièiaus universitetas (Lenkijos Respublika), dr., doc. Pranas Janauskas, Vytauto Didþiojo universitetas, Humanitariniø mokslø fakultetas, dr. Eriks Jekabsons, Latvijos Respublikos karo muziejus, dr., doc. Vytautas Lesèius, Vilniaus universitetas, Istorijos fakultetas, dr. Valdas Rakutis, Vytauto Didþiojo karo muziejus, habil. dr., prof. Waldemar Rezmer, Mikalojaus Koperniko universitetas (Torûnë, Lenkijos Respublika), dr. Rimantas Zizas, Lietuvos istorijos institutas. Stilistë Jolanta Budreikienë Virðelio dailininkë Inga Dambrauskaitë Maketavo Giedrë Nevierienë © Generolo Jono Þemaièio Lietuvos karo akademija, 2003 3 TURINYS BALTØ KARYBOS SENAJAME GELEÞIES AMÞIUJE (IIV A.) BRUOÞAI (prof. habil dr. Mykolas Michelbertas, Manvydas Vitkûnas, Vilniaus universitetas) ...................................................... 8 LIETUVOS KARIUOMENËS ORGANIZACIJÀ REGLAMENTUOJANTYS DOKUMENTAI 17171775 M. (dr. Valdas Rakutis, Vytauto Didþiojo karo muziejus) ................................... 65 BAJORØ VYRØ ÁVARDIJIMAS XVIXVII A. LIETUVOS DIDÞIOSIOS KUNIGAIKÐTYSTËS KARIUOMENËS
    [Show full text]
  • Valstiečiai Liaudininkai Lietuvos Politiniame Gyvenime 1926 –1940 M
    VYTAUTO DIDŽIOJO UNIVERSITETAS LIETUVOS ISTORIJOS INSTITUTAS Mindaugas TAMOŠAITIS VALSTIEČIAI LIAUDININKAI LIETUVOS POLITINIAME GYVENIME 1926 –1940 M. Daktaro disertacija Humanitariniai mokslai, istorija (05H) Kaunas, 2011 UDK 329(474.5) Ta-79 Disertacija ginama eksternu Doktorantūros teisė suteikta Vytauto Didžiojo universitetui kartu su Lietuvos istorijos institutu 2003 m. liepos 15 d. Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės nutarimu Nr. 926. Mokslinis konsultantas: Doc. dr. Pranas Janauskas (Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, Humanitariniai mokslai, istorija – 05H) ISBN 978-9955-12-665-2 2 TURINYS ĮVADAS .......................................................................................................................................4 I. BENDRA POLITINĖ SITUACIJA IR VALSTIEČIŲ PARTIJŲ PADĖTIS VIDURIO RYTŲ EUROPOJE................................................................................................29 II. VALSTIEČIAI LIAUDININKAI IR LIETUVOS VALDŽIOS POLITIKA (IKI 1929 M) ..............................................................................................................................39 III. PARTIJOS VIDAUS PROBLEMOS ...............................................................................59 1. Organizacinės struktūros raidos ypatumai ..............................................................................59 2. Pozicijų skirtumai partijoje (4-ojo dešimtmečio I-oji pusė) ..................................................82 3. Kartų konfliktas 4-ame dešimtmetyje ...................................................................................115
    [Show full text]
  • Žmonės Ir Darbai
    Klaipėdos universiteto biblioteka Dr. Kazio Pemkaus biblioteka – archyvas Žmonės ir darbai Pagal dr. Kazio Pemkaus suskirstymą parengė Emilija Steponavičiūtė Retų spaudinių sektoriaus vyresn. bibliotekininkė Klaipėda, 2018 Turinys A......................................................................................................................... 3 B......................................................................................................................... 5 C.......................................................................................................................... 8 Č..........................................................................................................................10 D..........................................................................................................................11 E..........................................................................................................................14 F..........................................................................................................................15 G.........................................................................................................................16 H.........................................................................................................................19 I....................................................................................................................... ...20 J...........................................................................................................................21
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Intelligence
    Russia • Military / Security Historical Dictionaries of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, No. 5 PRINGLE At its peak, the KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti) was the largest HISTORICAL secret police and espionage organization in the world. It became so influential DICTIONARY OF in Soviet politics that several of its directors moved on to become premiers of the Soviet Union. In fact, Russian president Vladimir V. Putin is a former head of the KGB. The GRU (Glavnoe Razvedvitelnoe Upravleniye) is the principal intelligence unit of the Russian armed forces, having been established in 1920 by Leon Trotsky during the Russian civil war. It was the first subordinate to the KGB, and although the KGB broke up with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the GRU remains intact, cohesive, highly efficient, and with far greater resources than its civilian counterparts. & The KGB and GRU are just two of the many Russian and Soviet intelli- gence agencies covered in Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Intelligence. Through a list of acronyms and abbreviations, a chronology, an introductory HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries, a clear picture of this subject is presented. Entries also cover Russian and Soviet leaders, leading intelligence and security officers, the Lenin and Stalin purges, the gulag, and noted espionage cases. INTELLIGENCE Robert W. Pringle is a former foreign service officer and intelligence analyst RUSSIAN with a lifelong interest in Russian security. He has served as a diplomat and intelligence professional in Africa, the former Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe. For orders and information please contact the publisher && SOVIET Scarecrow Press, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • In the European Parliament Laure Neumayer
    Integrating the Central European Past into a Common Narrative: the mobilizations around the ’crimes of Communism’ in the European Parliament Laure Neumayer To cite this version: Laure Neumayer. Integrating the Central European Past into a Common Narrative: the mobilizations around the ’crimes of Communism’ in the European Parliament. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Taylor & Francis (Routledge), 2015. hal-03023744 HAL Id: hal-03023744 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03023744 Submitted on 25 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Integrating the Central European Past into a Common Narrative: the mobilizations around the ‘crimes of Communism’ in the European Parliament LAURE NEUMAYER Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne and Institut Universitaire de France, France ABSTRACT: After the Cold War, a new constellation of actors entered transnational European assemblies. Their interpretation of European history, which was based on the equivalence of the two ‘totalitarianisms’, Stalinism and Nazism, directly challenged the prevailing Western European narrative constructed on the uniqueness of the Holocaust as the epitome of evil. This article focuses on the mobilizations of these memory entrepreneurs in the European Parliament in order to take into account the issue of agency in European memory politics.
    [Show full text]
  • 1921–1940 M. Laikotarpio Lietuvos Kariuomenės Tyrimai
    19211940 M. LAIKOTARPIO LIETUVOS KARIUOMENËS TYRIMAI Jonas Vaièenonis, (Vytauto Didþiojo universitetas) Iki ðiol neturëjome istoriografiniø darbø, skirtø I Lietuvos Respublikos kariuomenës tyrimams, todël bandysime nuosekliai ap- tarti tai, kas ðia tema iki ðiol yra paraðyta. Straipsnyje nebus aptari- nëjama Lietuvos karo aviacijos ir laivyno istoriografija. Tiek karo aviacija, tiek ir tarpukario laivynas jau sulaukë nemaþai studijø bei atskirø moksliniø ir populiariø straipsniø, todël jiems reikëtø paskir- ti atskirà istoriografiná darbà. Sovietiniais metais Lietuvos kariuomenës vardas buvo tabu. Dël ðios prieþasties turime tik keletà sovietinëje Lietuvoje iðleistø darbø Lietuvos kariuomenës tema, kurie yra tendencingi ir reikalau- ja kritinio tyrëjo þvilgsnio. Èia reikia paminëti J. Jurginio darbà Kau- no águlos kareiviø sukilimas 1920 metais1, dokumentø rinkiná, pa- rengtà B. Baranausko, Geleþinis vilkas2, generolo Vinco Vitkaus- ko raðtus3, kur tik kelios deðimtys puslapiø skirta tarpukario Lietu- vai. Dar galima paminëti ir Jono Macijausko veikalà, kuriame prista- toma Lietuvos kariuomenës reakcija á susidariusià situacijà Lietuvà okupuojant sovietams 1940 m. birþelá. Kur kas daugiau Lietuvos kariuomenës palikimui iðsaugoti per tuos penkiasdeðimt sovietinës okupacijos metø buvo nuveikta lietu- viø iðeivijoje, ir ypaè Jungtinëse Amerikos Valstijose. Ten atgimë ir periodiðkai buvo leidþiamas Kario þurnalas, skaitytojus ir tyrëjus pasiekë emigravusiø Lietuvos kariuomenës karininkø prisiminimai ir pavieniai kariuomenës istorijos fragmentø darbai. Apie juos kalbësi- me vëliau. Per pastaràjá deðimtmetá susidomëjimas I Lietuvos Respubli- kos kariuomenës istorija labai iðaugo. Domimasi ne tik kariuomenës veikëjø gyvenimu ir veikla, bet ir atskirø kariuomenës daliø istorija, paramilitariniø organizacijø veikla. Jau keleri metai Vytauto Didþio- jo universitete ir Vilniaus universitete bakalauro ir magistro Lietu- vos istorijos studijø programø studentai gina diplominius darbus, skir- 1 Jurginis J.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lithuanian Jewish Community of Telšiai
    The Lithuanian Jewish Community of Telšiai By Philip S. Shapiro1 Introduction This work had its genesis in an initiative of the “Alka” Samogitian Museum, which has undertaken projects to recover for Lithuanians the true history of the Jews who lived side-by-side with their ancestors. Several years ago, the Museum received a copy of the 500-plus-page “yizkor” (memorial) book for the Jewish community of Telšiai,2 which was printed in 1984.3 The yizkor book is a collection of facts and personal memories of those who had lived in Telšiai before or at the beginning of the Second World War. Most of the articles are written in Hebrew or Yiddish, but the Museum was determined to unlock the information that the book contained. Without any external prompting, the Museum embarked upon an ambitious project to create a Lithuanian version of The Telshe Book. As part of that project, the Museum organized this conference to discuss The Telshe Book and the Jewish community of Telšiai. This project is of great importance to Lithuania. Since Jews constituted about half of the population of most towns in provincial Lithuania in the 19th Century, a Lithuanian translation of the book will not only give Lithuanian readers a view of Jewish life in Telšiai but also a better knowledge of the town’s history, which is our common heritage. The first part of this article discusses my grandfather, Dov Ber Shapiro, who was born in 1883 in Kamajai, in the Rokiškis region, and attended the Telshe Yeshiva before emigrating in 1903 to the United States, where he was known as “Benjamin” Shapiro.
    [Show full text]
  • What Happened in Lithuania in 1940?
    1 What Happened in Lithuania in 1940? Alfred Erich Senn On June 9, 2000, the Russian Foreign Ministry, reacting to a bill under discussion in the Lithuanian Seimas (parliament), declared that the Soviet Union had not seized Lithuania by force in 1940. The ministry insisted that in June 1940 Soviet troops entered Lithuania by agreement with the Lithuanian government and that this agreement had been “received within the framework of international law as functioning at that time.” Moreover, the decision of Soviet leaders, in August 1940, “to accept Lithuania as a member of the Soviet Union” came in response to the request of “the highest governmental organs of the Baltic states.” It was therefore improper “to qualify the entrance of Lithuania into membership in the USSR as the result of the unilateral action of the latter.” Most Lithuanians disagree. Leaving aside the controversies surrounding the Seimas’s consideration of Lithuanian claims against the Soviet Union, and thereby against Russia, it would seem desirable to examine the Russian statement concerning the events of 1940 as a separate topic. History always runs the risk of becoming a tool of politicians and diplomats, who, like lawyers, often look to the past to document the positions that they want to take today. Discussion, of course, can follow a variety of paths: emphasizing the Soviet motivation for action in 1940, the details of the Soviet move into Lithuania, or the Lithuanians’ reaction to the movement and their subsequent behavior. Since the Russian Foreign Ministry’s declaration provided the impetus for this essay, let us use that declaration as the basis for response.
    [Show full text]
  • Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas Ir Lietuvai Pagražinti Draugija Ir Lietuvai Pagražinti Tumas-Vaižgantas Juozas
    COLLOQUIA STRAIPSNIAI SKIRMANTĖ SMILINGYTĖ-ŽEIMIENĖ | 44 Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas ir | Lietuvai pagražinti draugija ISSN 1822-3737 Anotacija: Kertinį epochinės Juozo Tumo-Vaižganto asmenybės orientyrą ir darbais nuosekliai siektą gyvenimo tikslą galima nusakyti labai papras- tai: kad Lietuva gražėtų. Tikėtina, kad būtent rašytojas sumanė 1921 m. įsteigtos Lietuvai pagražinti draugijos pavadinimą. Straipsnyje pristatomas mažiau žinomas plačios visuomeninės Vaižganto darbuotės segmentas – veikla šioje draugijoje. Nagrinėjamos organizacijos atsiradimo aplinkybės ir prisiimtos misijos – dailinti per I pasaulinį karą nuniokotą Lietuvos kraštovaizdį sodinant medžius ir globojant „istorinių ir pasakinių vietų“ atminimą – praktinė raiška. Aptariama Tumo –Lietuvai pagražinti draugijos ideologo – programinė vizija ir jo kaip organizacijos populiarintojo svarba. Atskleidžiamos rašytojo pastangos aktyvinti memorializacijos procesą, per kultūros paveldo objektus bei kuriamus naujus memorialinius ženklus budrinti kolektyvinę atmintį. Tumo indėlį puoselėjant atminties kultūrą, formuojant vizualinę tapatybę ryškina ir jo veikla memorialiniams paminklams statyti komitetuose. Raktažodžiai: Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Lietuvai pagražinti draugija, kultūrinis kraštovaizdis, memorializacija, paminklai, atminties kultūra. Juozo Tumo-Vaižganto visuomeninė veikla lig šiol tebėra beprecedentis feno- menas, kuriam skleistis jo gyventas laikmetis buvo palanki terpė: akivaizdžios dvi didelės lietuvių draugijų kūrimosi bangos – dešimtmetis iki I pasaulinio karo ir pirmasis
    [Show full text]