A Visit to Bet Vilna by the Lithuanian Ambassador 2019 — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

A Visit to Bet Vilna by the Lithuanian ambassador/ Shoshana Reshef

On Wednesday, the 23^rd of October, 2019 a welcoming party was held in honor of Lina Antanavičienė, the new Lithuanian ambassador to Israel at Bet Vilna. Tall, slim and smiling, she was introduced and shook hands warmly with all of us. Mrs. Lina Antanavičienė accompanied by Gita Blinstrubaite, together with the members of the board and the cultural committee of the Association sat at a long table that was beautifully set and laden with delicacies.

Mickey Kantor, the chairperson of the Association, greeted them at the entrance and showed them the Ohel Yizkor, (the Memorial Room of those who perished in the Holocaust from the provinces of Vilna and Hylbokay), the photographs and the artists' paintings on the walls, the wooden model of the melina (hiding place) at the H.K.P. and the special memorial showcase donated by the naval unit adopted by the Association.

Mickey opened the event, telling about the members of the Association, most of whom are second-generation of the survivors, since there were very few first-generation Holocaust survivors; she also talked about how the Association works, the type of functions that are held at Bet Vilna, the people who come to visit: official delegations from Lithuania and ambassadors of the two countries and delegations of students from Lithuania. She also talked about the resources that are invested in these meetings and the talks with the visitors, the will and the hope to continue and expand these visits.

The atmosphere was very pleasant and we had a friendly, open discussion. The ambassador agreed to tell us about her family and herself and the diplomatic posts she has held in Norway and China; however, what she mostly talked about was the deprivation and hunger under the Russian regime and how some members of her family had been exiled to Siberia twice. She also told us that nobody in her circle spoke of the Jews until she was quite old and that even at school, the Jews and the Holocaust were never mentioned.

The pleasant meeting ended with a short visit to the reference library in the house discussing the purpose of the library and our website (www.vilna.co.il).

All in all, it was an open, warm meeting, conversation flowed freely, topics arose and questions were asked. What comes next? The ambassador expressed her desire and willingness to cooperate with us in the future.

We had our photos taken together at the end of the meeting and wished her success in her diplomatic work in Israel.