March of the Living 2009 — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

For the first time: The March of the Living in Vilna / Orly Harari, 21/04/09 Channel 7

A March of the Living took place in Vilna, the capital of Lithuania, a short while ago, along the Ponar Forest to the death pits, the scene of the murder and extermination of Lithuanian Jews. The March, held for the first time, was led by Minister Yitzhak Herzog, representative of the Israeli government, the President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, and the Israeli Ambassador to Lithuania, Chen Ivri. Jewish community leaders, schoolchildren, students, and others, also participated.

At a memorial service for the victims of the Holocaust in Ponar, which took place next to the death pits, Minister Herzog said, "Every sensible person should understand that the lesson of the Holocaust has not yet been learned. World leadership must condemn Holocaust deniers and those calling for the destruction of Israel. Yesterday, the sane world was horrified by the shameful appearance of the President of Iran and here we stand today in the heart of Ponar Forest where tens of thousands of Jews marched to their deaths, were shot, burned and buried. The March of the Living in Vilna, reveals another milestone in the terrible tragedy of the Jewish people, and illustrates today more than ever, our relentless struggle against anti-Semitism and hatred of the other."

Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said, "I bow my head to the victims. The pain of the Holocaust of the Jewish people is the pain of the whole of Lithuania. We lost Lithuanian Jewry during the occupation. I regret that the Lithuanians collaborated with the Nazis and thus tarnished what was a tradition of Jewish –Lithuanian coexistence. The Lithuanian Righteous Among the Nations deserve the great respect of the Lithuanian people. I hope we will work together to commemorate the common heritage of the two people."

The March of the Living in Vilna is an initiative of the Association of Jews from Vilna and the Vicinity in Israel. The ceremony takes place with the blessing of the Lithuanian government, which shows the will to combat the manifestations of anti-Semitism that have erupted in recent years throughout Lithuania, and are expressed, among others by: the spraying of swastikas and abusive graffiti, attacks on the Jewish center in Vilna, derogatory remarks, support for Hamas, and more.

At the end of the March of the Living, a Righteous Among the Nations ceremony will be held at the University of Vilna, as part of which Righteous Among the Nations certificates will be awarded to families of local Lithuanians who saved Jews during the war.

In June 1941, Vilna was occupied by the Germans. At that time, the Jews of Vilna numbered about 80,000. Even before the Jews were concentrated in the Vilna Ghetto, about 35,000 were murdered in Ponar. In January 1942, the remaining Jews united and formed the "United Partisan Organization" (FPO) commanded by Yitzhak Wittenberg, Abba Kovner and Yosef Glazman. On September 1, 1943, the Nazis began liquidating the ghetto, and about 12,000 Jews remained. Some were deported to labor camps in Estonia and Sobibor in Poland. A total of about 100,000 Jews perished in the Vilna Ghetto during the Holocaust.