12 April 2010
Mr. Vice Prime Minister of the State of Israel,
Excellencies Ambassadors,
Participants of the March of the Living, ladies and gentlemen!
No words can convey the pain and the loss inflicted by the Holocaust. Any attempts to give an explanation of what happened or to understate the tragedy claiming that there were other black pages in human history would be immoral.
I am with you, the survivors of the gravest Jewish tragedy, and bow my head in commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust.
We also bow our heads in commemoration of the victims of the most recent tragedy. The death of President Lech Kaczyński, his wife Maria, and a few dozens of politicians, state officials and prominent public figures is a horrific loss for Poland and for us all. May I invite you to observe a moment of silence, contemplation, and prayer to remember them and pay tribute to them.
Thank you.
I think the recent tragedy offers better understanding that the Holocaust is not a tragedy and crime against humanity that happened somewhere far away. It is our tragedy and Lithuania’s pain since it is here that we lost the absolute majority of Lithuanian sons and daughters of Jewish origin, who had lived side by side with us for centuries, who shared our occupations injustice, who built our state, more just and more beautiful, with us. This joint effort was not completed, unfortunately: it was interrupted by the massacre of the innocent, the brutal attack on humanity, which desecrated this picturesque forest in Paneriai.
However, neither the pine trees in Paneriai, the witnesses of the tragedy, nor monuments – whatever their beauty and value, can tell the whole truth about the perpetrators and their victims. Neither can these symbols tell about the Righteous, who defied the killings and under the greatest threat joined the lines of fighters for the truth, for human lives and dignity.
It is only people, only you and we that can speak the truth and say the words that reach the hearts of the young generation. That is why we are here today, in Paneriai, to remember and contemplate, to tell the truth and prevent such tragedies from repeating.
Only the truth will make us free. Only the true stories as well as today’s commemoration event allow us to really face the truth and try to find an answer to the question whether our modern world has learnt a lesson of what happened half a century ago, of the tragedy of the Holocaust.
Alas, we sometimes see hatred for different ethnic or other groups in our society. Nevertheless I believe that by looking back and thinking, and by realizing the magnitude of the tragedy, we will be able to give proper assessment of the tragedy and present-day attacks on some of our fellow citizens.
Let the deeds of the Righteous among the Nations be a clear roadmap for us in our endeavours because their stories, the examples of genuine human touch and sympathy give us hope that we will be able to create a better and more just world.
It is my firm belief that together we, Lithuanians and Jews, will do our utmost to foster the unique Litvak heritage, to preserve our common values, and develop the young generation in the spirit of mutual understanding. Let those, who rest here, rest in peace.
