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HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY TO

Professor Joseph Parason

(Josifas Parasonis)

Key Figure in Vilnius’s Jewish Community

Major professor of the sciences of buildings and architecture at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU); major national expert on the science of structures

Courageous champion of Jewish causes, ethics and democracy in the community,  and the quest for historic truth and justice

Former deputy chairman of the Lithuanian Jewish Community and beloved mentor to young people of all backgrounds

Stalwart member of many years’ standing in the weekly Vilnius Yiddish Literary Circle

Contributor to numerous publications, including Defending History

[Historical note: Prof. Parasonis’s 80th is also the 80th anniversary of the events in Lithuania of 1941. His dramatic escape from his native Kaunas as 4½ month old toddler with his mother, and the fate of the rest of the family, are summarized here]

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