The International March of the Living and the European March of the Living commemorated the National Memorial Day for the Genocide of Lithuanian Jews with two marches, one in Kaunas on Monday, September 23, and another in Vilnius on Tuesday, September 24. The events were organized by the European March of the Living and the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania.
The events opened with an official ceremony in Punary attended by Lithuania Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte; Seimas Speaker, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen; MP Emanuel Zingeris, Chairman of the International Commission and Michel Gourary, Director of the European March of the Living.
Prime Minister Šimonytė said at the ceremony: “We can’t change the atrocious past, but we must remember it. It’s paramount that we remember it,” she added. “We must tell our children and grandchildren about what happened to make sure that this never happens again.”
Addressing the global rise of antisemitism, Šimonytė said: “The hatred that destroyed millions of lives in the past is still alive. This hatred of otherness also strengthens antisemitism in various countries in the world. Promotion of violence and enmity, incitement of national and other hatred are incompatible. Not only with the constitution, not only with the country’s interests, but with basic humanity. We cannot allow the shadows of the dark past to return to our daily lives.”
Prime Minister Šimonytė, who led the march in Lithuania for two consecutive years (2022-2023), walked alongside senior Lithuanian government officials, the Israeli ambassador to Lithuania, Hadas Wittenberg Silverstein, representatives of the local Jewish community, and participants from the International Commission
Michel Gourary, Director of the European March of the Living, said: “As we see antisemitism rising across Europe, it is vital to fight against hate through education and commemoration. The International March of the Living leads Holocaust education efforts by organizing local marches that honor the victims.
The Ponary Massacre remains one of the most horrific examples of mass murder during the Holocaust, and we remain committed to remembering the 70,000 Jews buried in Ponary and throughout Lithuania, as well as those lost in concentration and death camps.”
Prior to the Holocaust, Lithuanian Jewry numbered over 200,000 across approximately 200 communities, with around 70,000 living in Vilnius and 32,000 in Kaunas, where the two main ghettos were established. The mass shootings in Lithuania, often referred to as the “Holocaust by Bullets,” saw the near-total destruction of these communities as the Nazis, with local assistance, executed tens of thousands of Jews and buried them in mass graves.