Dr. Shimon Alperovich spoke out on the fashionable — and deeply disturbing — “Double Genocide” theory of World War II at the annual 27 January Holocaust Remembrance Day program held at the Jewish Community of Lithuania’s Vilnius headquarters at Pylimo Street 4.
Video, by Defending History, of Dr. Alperovich’s remarks, delivered in Lithuanian, is available on YouTube.
The following is a translation into English of the remarks, prepared by Geoff Vasil:
That was a brief but meaningful commemorative evening. I’d like to thank everyone who helped in preparing it: the performers, guests, friends, thank you everyone who came. I want to tell you that many years have passed since the Holocaust, but this issue of the past remains just as urgent and painful today. One could say that Jews suffered the most in Lithuania during World War II from the Nazis and local collaborators.
But even now we collide with these issues. There are until now those who would like to repeat the Holocaust, those who deny the Holocaust, those who view the Holocaust with skepticism. It is not because we enjoy crying that we organize these sorts of evenings. We must remember that horrible tragedy that occurred in Lithuania and throughout Europe, where six million Jews died, including a million children.
Unfortunately we still have many issues. Even today there are people who adhere to the double genocide theory, that Jews murdered Lithuanians, and so Lithuanians murdered Jews, an absurdity. One should not even have to enter into discussion with such people.
Even today there are people who want to make Nazism and Communism equivalent. Both of them were terrorizing regimes, both are full of horror, but we cannot place an equal sign between them, and what Prime Minister Kubilius said today, or this evening, was very good. Thank you everyone for coming, be in good health, and let us continue the fight against genocide.