On March 27, at the gates of the former Kaunas ghetto in Vilijampolė, a commemoration of the “Children’s Action” was held.
The “Children’s Action” was carried out by the Nazis and their collaborators in the Kaunas ghetto on March 27, 1944, when about 1,000 children under the age of 12 and about 300 women and men over the age of 55 were rounded up and imprisoned. All these people were transported for extermination.
The commemoration referred to the “Children’s Action” of 80 years ago, also organized in other ghettos such as Vilnius and Šiauliai. According to Faina Kukliansky, Chair of the Lithuanian Jewish Community, “We will never know about the children who were taken in this terrible action because they were immediately deported and killed.” The Ambassador of Germany spoke emotionally about the crimes committed by his German compatriots, emphasizing that we must talk openly about evil deeds and events because the truth cannot be hidden.
The chairman of the Jewish Community of Kaunas, Gercas Žakas, thanked the audience and reiterated that “it is very important that you have come to commemorate a cruel event – the massacre of peaceful people. Because when we commemorate happy anniversaries or celebrations, there are always more guests. So when we commemorate tragic dates, it is important to have the support of all friends and partners, to be together”.
The commemoration was hosted by actor Aleksandras Rubinovas, whose sensitive reading was accompanied by beautiful violin music played by his student Maksimas.
The event, organized by the Jewish Community of Kaunas, was attended by many guests. Representatives of the Kaunas Municipality, Faina Kukliansky, Chair of the Jewish Community of Lithuania, representatives of the Jewish communities of Klaipėda, Palanga, Vilnius, Marius Pečiulis, Director of the Kaunas IX Fort Museum with a large team of museum employees, Ingrida Vilkienė, Coordinator of educational programs of the International Commission, together with teachers and students of Kaunas Veršvų Gymnasium, Jonas and Petras Vileišiai School and Kulautuva Primary School, Alfredas Rukšėnas, historian of LAGGRTC and citizens of Kaunas.