Pinchos Fridberg Provides Chronology of a Provocation




O P I N I O N

by Pinchos Fridberg

Translator’s note: The original article in Lithuanian with all the graphics is available at https://defendinghistory.com/vienos-provokacijos-fotografijose-chronika/49453.


An email was sent to the Lithuanian Jewish Community at the end of the work-day on February 5, 2013:

From: Janina Bucevičė siwe22@gma…. Sent: 4:56 P.M. February 5, 2013 To: info@lzb… Subject: response to article Hello, I read Pinchos Fridberg’s article on your internet publication which refers to a conference I organized. I would like to correct certain facts in that article. For that reason I come to you with an open letter. Thank you. Respectfully, Janina Bucevičė attached: Janina Bucevičė.doc

The email contained as an attachment an open letter, a portion of which you can see below:

Janina Bucevičė, history teacher, Telšių Vyskupo Vincento Borisevičiaus gimnazija [Telsiai Bishop Vincentas Borisevicius Gymnasium] contact: telephone 8 682 27662 email: siwe22@gma… To: The Lithuanian Jewish Community Pylimo g. 4, Vilnius OPEN LETTER Telšiai, Lithuania February 5, 2013  Regarding an Apology for the Lack of Respect to Rescuers of Jews and Holocaust Victims I address you concerning the article by Pinchos Fridberg which has been on the English version of the Lithuanian Jewish Community’s webpage (www.lzb.lt/en) for several weeks now called “Instead of Truth about the Holocaust – Myths about Saving Jews.” The author in the article talks about a conference I organized [which was held] on October 12, 2011, for students and teachers to mark the 70th anniversary of the Telsiai ghetto, in which Jadvyga Stulpinaitė, the daughter of rescuers of Jews, shared her memories and told how her parents and neighbor families saved Jews in the Žemaičių Kalvarija rural district in the Telsiai district during the period of the Nazi occupation. This is a well-known and well-documented story…

Ms. Bucevičė strongly criticized my article in her open letter. On February 7, advisor to the chairperson Renata Andrašiūnienė forwarded to me Ms. Bucevičė’s letter with a request to respond to it, and to inform temporary acting Lithuanian Jewish Community chairperson Faina Kukliansky and executive director Simonas Gurevičius of this.

Lithuanian Jewish Community attachment 7 February (5 days…) To: Me, Faina, Simon… Dear Pinchos, The LJC has received the letter you forwarded from Ms. Bucevičė. Could you comment upon it and respond to it. Thank you in advance, Renata Andrašiūnienė Advisor to the chairperson

I replied to Ms. Bucevičė the very same day and informed the heads of the LJC of that response.

A Brief Response attachment           7 February From: pinchos fridberg <pfridberg@… To: siwe22, info, simon, faina…   Good evening, honorable Janina Bucevice,   The Lithuanian Jewish Community has forwarded your open letter to me. If it is posted on the LJC website, I will necessarily respond to it. Because before I wrote that article I did exhaustive research and I stand fully behind every word.   For that reason I would like to recommend you again read carefully my article (the link to the original is http://www.zman.com/news/2012/12/13/140933-print.html ) and to listen carefully to the two attached audio files.   If you have forgotten out conversation (on December 9 at 6:01:51 P.M. lasting 3 minutes on the OMNITEL [mobile provider] number 37068227662), I would like to remind you that to my question, “Have you ever heard about a Lithuanian family who protected and rescued 43 Jews for three years in a bunker they built with their own hands?”, you responded: “What’s the difference if it was 43 or 30, what’s important is that they rescued them.” After my response, “These are not sheep, but my people, and I want to know exactly,” you hung up on me.   I would suggest you contact BITE Lietuva UAB [another mobile provider] so they might provide a recording of the conversation. I consent to it being posted publicly on the internet.   Please be so kind as to also please read the copy of the letter by father Andriejus Sabaliauskas.   Respectfully, Professor Pinchos Fridberg   attachments: copy of letter from father Andriejus Sabaliauskas audio file of Nerijus Sepetis audio file of Ingrida Vilkiene

Please pay close attention to the text of my letter. There is not a rude word in it. Here is one of the attachments to that letter:

From: Andrius Sabaliauskas <andrius.sabaliauskas@…             December 10, 2012 To: me Dear sir, Having listened to the audio recording received from you, I can only say that this is the first time I’ve heard this number of rescued Jews and I have not heard this number before. Most likely an error occurred which the honorable Vilkiene made in her report. Unfortunately I cannot say anything more than that. Jadvyga Stulpinaite Blazienė’s email is jadvyga.blaziene@… Izraela Blataitė (of Telšiai) was rescued and raised by the Stulpinas family and was born in the bunker, and currently lives in Israel, email israela_blat@… She and her sisters are living witnesses to these events. Respectfully and with the best wishes, Father Andriejus Sabaliauskas

Here are the other two attachments to the same letter, two audio files: LT. Nerijus Sepetis:    https://defendinghistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/1-by-P-Fridberg-2012.mp3 LT. Ingrida Vilkiene:  https://defendinghistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/2-by-P-Fridberg-2012.mp3 Here is my thank-you letter to the honorable Mr. Sabaliauskas for his reply:

A&SchF FUND <wilne@… To: Andrius                           December 10, 2012 Thank you, honorable Mr. Sabaliauskas, for your answer. I have long known that Jadvyga’s parents are Righteous Gentiles. They are Holy People to our people. Concerning Vilkienė’s talk, it is hardly likely this was a mistake. She had the opportunity to correct it when I said I had not heard of this family which rescued 43 Jews for three years. But she didn’t do that. I have the recording. It doesn’t really matter how this myth came about. What is important is that an official person from the Commission spread it from the podium of the Forum. Respectfully, Pinchos Fridberg

Instead of answering me, and thus likely having all the material posted on the LJC website, Ms. Bucevičė sent her open letter to the racas.lt blog. On February 10, Mr. Račas posted her open letter along with his own commentary. I cannot provide a screen-shot of his commentary because my camera settings do not include an option for impolite language. For those who may wish to satisfy their own curiosity, I provide the link: http://racas.lt/mieli-zydu-profesoriai-jusu-antisemitizmas-uzknisa-skiriama-pinchos-fridberg/

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