News

On 23 March on the occasion of the conference “Confronting Anti-Semitism in Public Discourse” in Prague, Lithuanian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Asta Skaisgirytė Liauškienė opened an exhibition “The Jewish World of Yesterday, the Hope of Today: Pictures and Stories from the Centropa Interviews in Lithuania”.

The exhibition consists of fragmented memories and photos of the Lithuanian Jews who survived Holocaust and acquaints its viewers with the Jewish community life in interwar Lithuania, their traditions, leisure activities and education.

During the event in Prague, the Vice-Minister emphasized that we had to be vigilant and vigorously fight against intolerance and hatred.

“We have to honour the memory of the victims by teaching the Holocaust to people and ensuring dignity and human rights for all,” the Vice-Minister said.

According to Director of the organization Centropa which is the author of the exhibition Edward Serotta, people are not indifferent to the life stories of Jewish Holocaust survivors, as these heart to heart stories become universal and eternal.

The exhibition was organized by the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Vienna-based organization Centropa, which conducted interviews with the Lithuanian Jews who survived Holocaust and collected more than 500 personal photos.

The exhibition continues the cycle of events that are initiated by Lithuania and dedicated to promote tolerance through education, which is among the priorities of Lithuania’s Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2011. In summer this exhibition will be also displayed at the Tolerance Center in Vilnius.

Lithuania’s Seimas (Parliament) has declared 2011 as the Year of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust in Lithuania.