Silvia Foti, at The Blogs

Jan 17, 2024, 9:15 PM

Naomi Ragen’s The Enemy Beside Me highlights Lithuania’s Holocaust distortion

Israeli-based Naomi Ragen's thirteenth novel (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2023) delves into the painful history of Lithuania's refusal to accept its own role in murdering nearly 97 percent of its Jews during the Nazi occupation. It is loosely...

Nov 17, 2023, 6:12 AM

Hamas terrorists and Holocaust perpetrators: Two sides of same antisemitic coin

As a devout, practicing Catholic, I am utterly dismayed at how much of the world rejoices over the Hamas invasion of Israel. History has forgotten how Lithuanians and other Europeans swung Jewish babies by their ankles to smash their heads...

Sep 27, 2023, 6:44 PM

Will Lithuania take responsibility for Holocaust after Dayan’s Seimas address?

Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan addressed the Lithuanian Seimas on September 21, 2023, three days before the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. He took the opportunity to proclaim loudly and clearly the widespread knowledge of Lithuanian...

May 2, 2023, 10:07 PM

A glimmer of hope in the Land of Rain—plaque of Jonas Noreika dismantled

Jonas Noreika plaque missing (author photo)

The plaque of my grandfather on the Wroblewsky Library has been taken down—although no official reason has been given with no media coverage of the event. (I happened to come across photos of the Wroblewsky Library on Facebook with...

Apr 14, 2023, 8:33 PM

After nine rounds, Lithuanian courts fail to rule on Noreika’s role in Holocaust

In conversations with Lithuanians about my grandfather, I have heard his defenders claim that Lithuanian courts have found Jonas Noreika innocent of any involvement in the Holocaust, that the matter has already been settled, and there is no need...

Mar 28, 2023, 6:51 PM

Latvians better at taking ownership of Holocaust crimes than Lithuanians

Baltic Truth, photo provided by Eugene Levin

Of all the Baltic states, Lithuanians are the worst at distorting Holocaust crimes. I admit this comes as a surprise, even to me, because I thought all three Baltic states were the same on this issue. But apparently, they’re...

Mar 20, 2023, 11:37 PM

J’Accuse! prize-winning documentary brings Storm to life on screen

J'Accuse poster, courtesy of Michael Kretzmer

I met Michael Kretzmer, the director of J’Accuse! about three years ago via WhatsApp, never imagining our initial conversation would lead to a multi-award-winning documentary of the Holocaust in Lithuania, largely based on the findings of my book Storm...

Feb 16, 2023, 10:40 PM

Lithuania may have ‘Imposter Syndrome’ regarding Holocaust

Jerrold Zoloto, PhD, used with permission.

For years, I have been saying that Lithuania’s distortion of its own role in the Holocaust is more psychological than historical. In Jonas Noreika’s -- my grandfather’s -- case, nearly 70 documents bearing his signature involve rounding up Jews,...

Sep 13, 2022, 6:54 PM

Dr. Gregory Stanton on the 10 Stages of Genocide and Lithuania’s Holocaust

Gregory Stanton, PhD, educator and minister, established the 10 stages of genocide. He is the former research professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention at the George Mason University in Fairfax County, VA, and is best known for his work...

Jun 13, 2022, 11:00 PM

Stormy Ingredients for Myth Creation of Jonas Noreika

Palimpsest is a word I came across while reading a novel called The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, and I couldn’t help but think about Holocaust distortion in Lithuania. A palimpsest is a concept to blot...

About Me

Silvia Foti, MSJ, MAT, MFA, is a journalist, creative writer, teacher, and mother. She is author of the book Storm in the Land of Rain: How a Mother's Dying Wish Becomes Her Daughter's Nighmare. The book is also known as The Nazi's Granddaughter: How I Learned My Grandfather was a War Criminal, Regnery History; Vėtra Lietaus Šalyje, Kitos Knygos; Mi Abuelo: El General Storm ¿Héroe o criminal nazi? Harper Collins Mexico. The book is also being translated into Hungarian, and Polish.

Contact Me