On July 12, the procession of the “Road of Memory 1941 – 2021” and a commemoration event were held in Radviliškis to mark the 80th anniversary of the destruction of the local Jewish community.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the destruction of the Radviliškis Jewish community, on July 12, the Road of Memory began from the Radviliškis municipality building to the site of the Jewish massacre in the Durpynas forest, where the Holocaust Remembrance ceremony took place.
The commemoration event was attended by: Israeli Ambassador to Lithuania Yossef Levy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Department of Communication and Cultural Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Marius Janukonis, Deputy Head of the Secretariat, Coordinator of Educational Programs of the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania Ingrida Vilkienė, Mayor of Radviliškis region Vytautas Simelis, representatives of the municipality, employees of the Culture Center, teachers with students from Vaižgantas Progymnasium and Lizdeika Gymnasium in Radviliškis.
This commemoration event is one of the events of the national project “The Road of Memory 1941 – 2021” initiated by the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania together with the Tolerance Education Centers established on the Commission‘s initiative and other partners.
Before the war, Radviliškis was home to about 250 Jewish families (more than 800 people). This community occupied an important part of the social, cultural, and economic life of the town. On July 12, 1941, organized extermination of the Jews began here. On that day, all the Jewish men of Radviliškis (about 300 people in total) were shot near the Jewish cemetery in the Durpynas forest. The remaining Jews – women and children – were imprisoned in Radviliškis military barracks and taken to the Žagarė ghetto in September, which was liquidated on October 2, 1941.
The event in Radviliškis was organized by: the International Commission for the Evaluation of Crimes of Women and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania, in cooperation with the institutions from Radviliškis – Lizdeika Gymnasium, Vaižgantas Progymnasium, Culture Center, Regional Municipality, Public Library, and Šiauliai Jewish Community.
Moments from the event:
Photo by Radviliškis district municipality
Photo by Radviliškis district municipality
Photo from personal archive
Photo by Radviliškis district municipality
Photo from personal archive
Photo from personal archive
Photo by Radviliškis district municipality
Photo by Radviliškis district municipality