Conference of Organizations of Immigrants from Eastern European and Greece 2004 k — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

In May 2024, a conference in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day was held at Bar-Ilan University, initiated by Prof. Dov-Ber Kotlerman and attended by the Chair of the Organizations of Eastern European and Greek Immigrants, as well as the ambassadors of Lithuania, Poland, Greece, and Romania. Mickey Kantor, who was invited to be part of the conference’s organizing committee, presented the commemoration and heritage activities of Beit Vilna, highlighting its role in preserving Litvak legacy. She invited the attendees and the ambassadors present to visit Beit Vilna and to hold cultural events related to the heritage of the Jewish communities.

Mickey and other organization leaders spoke about what motivates the descendants of Holocaust survivors to carry the torch of remembrance passed down from their parents, and how they work to preserve and transmit the heritage of their communities.

The first to speak among the ambassadors was Audrius Brūzga, Lithuania’s ambassador to Israel. He emphasized the tragedy of the approximately 200,000 Lithuanian Jews who were murdered, and the importance of hearing and preserving testimonies from the few remaining unheard voices. The ambassadors addressed the Holocaust in their respective countries and spoke about efforts being made to combat antisemitism and Holocaust denial.