“GOOD WILL FOUNDATION” | GWF’s CAMPAIGN AGAINST VILNIUS’S ONE RESIDENT RABBI | US & ISRAELI MEMBERS OF THE BOARD PROVIDING LEGITIMIZATION [ARCHIVED] | LITHUANIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY ISSUES | TEXTBOOK CASE OF FAILURE OF RESTITUTION FOR VALUE OF PREWAR JEWISH RELIGIOUS PROPERTIES | STOLEN ELECTION SAGA | AJC MISADVENTURES IN LITHUANIA | CHABAD IN LITHUANIA | LITVAK AFFAIRS

0260914092826/https://gvf.lt/en/◊

DOES RESPONSE FROM GWF-SPONSORED LJC JUSTIFY VIOLENCE AGAINST OPPONENTS BY INVOKING AN ADL ALERT?

A DECADE-OLD STORY      EDITOR’S OPINION

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VILNIUS—Rabbi Sholom Ber Krinsky, the city’s resident rabbi, now a full-time provider of Jewish religious life in the city for thirty-two years, was beaten and thrown to the ground at the synagogue gates by a man described by witnesses as one of the security guards. The guard is apparently employed by entities funded in part or in whole by the quango called “The Good Will Foundation” (GWF) which has been awarded tens of millions of euros for a decade and a half.

These funds are designated as restitution and derive specifically from valuations of prewar communal Jewish religious property. Throughout its existence, the GWF’s two joint, nonrotating chairs have been a Lithuanian citizenship specialist attorney and a leading figure of the American Jewish Committee in Washington, DC. In addition to locals who have benefitted from GWF funding, the boards are “legitimized” by major Jewish organization figures, primarily from the United States and Israel. Coopted organizations—whose current or recent leaders serve on these boards—include the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the American Zionist Movement (AZM), B’nai B’rith International, and the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO).

A number of locals not on the scene today have confirmed that the man identified by witnesses as the assailant has been working for some time as an official security guard. He is seen in the image wearing short-sleeved grey shirt. The “religious community” financially enabled by the GWF is itself headed by the present cantor, who earlier this year penned a widely disseminated ad hominem attack on Rabbi Krinsky. It made the point of calling him “Mr Krinsky.”

A shocked tourist, Moshe Diamant of Kadima, Israel, released a recorded audio statement in Hebrew (with mechanical English translation). Meanwhile, another visiting couple, Lily and Yehoshua Raveh of Gedera, who witnessed the event, provided the following statement.

We, Lily and Yehoshua Raveh are a married couple and tourists from Israel.

On September 14 at approximately 10:00 a.m., while visiting the area of the Choral Synagogue, we witnessed a serious assault against the chief rabbi of the synagogue, Rabbi Sholom Krinsky, by a violent man who emerged from the synagogue building in an attempt to force the rabbi away and prevent us from entering the building accompanied by him.

The rabbi came out to meet us, accompanied by a young man who was with him. The assailant violently pushed the rabbi and punched him repeatedly in the back and abdomen, causing him to fall to the ground. During the assault, the rabbi’s head struck both the wall and the pavement.

I was also assaulted when I attempted to leave the area. The same assailant violently pushed me toward the gate, causing injuries to my neck and the fingers of my right hand. I would like to emphasize that I am 79 years old, disabled, and have significant difficulty walking.

Another Israeli tourist couple was also present at the scene and witnessed the incident.

Words cannot adequately express the shock and distress we experienced. The violence and brutality displayed by the assailant brought back painful memories of the horrific accounts we heard from our relatives who survived the Holocaust, who described the involvement and participation of Lithuanians in the destruction of the Jewish community.

We firmly believe that this incident must not be ignored or met with silence. Such violence against an elderly, disabled woman and against a rabbi is completely unacceptable. We believe that criminal proceedings should be initiated against the assailant and that the facts of what occurred should be made known publicly.

We hope that the appropriate authorities will investigate this serious incident thoroughly and take all necessary legal measures.