OPINION | LITHUANIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY ISSUES | LITVAK AFFAIRS | GOOD WILL FOUNDATION | STOLEN ELECTION SAGA | AJC MISADVENTURES IN LITHUANIA
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OPINION
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VILNIUS—The following is a condensed version of the statement issued today by Jewish Heritage Lita (JHL), signed by its president, Rabbi Elchonon Baron. The full statement appears on the JHL website. It is in support of the Vilnius Jewish Community’s statement (also on Facebook) issued on 5 June 2025. See also Defending History’s reaction.
We at Jewish Heritage in Lita concur with the just position of the Vilna Jewish Community, rejecting the fake elections at the LZB [official state-sponsored ‘Jewish (Litvak) Community of Lithuania’ — ed.]. As the largest, most democratic and authentic Jewish organization in Lithuania, the VJC accurately represents the true voice of the vast majority of Lithuanian Jewry.
The chairperson’s continuous undemocratic methods of grabbing power and control are the clearest indication that she does not represent the wishes and needs of the Lithuanian Jewish community.
The Lithuanian government’s ongoing support of the monopolization and obstruction of Lithuanian Jewish life, perpetrated by an illegitimate representative, is a travesty.
Extending their continued financial and political backing to this farce, only serves to perpetuate the tragedy of the destruction of the vibrant Lithuanian Jewish community in the Holocaust.
Rabbi Elchonon Baron, President
Jewish Heritage in Lita