The Blogs: Jewish contributions and rewards

On Saturday, February 16, Lithuania will celebrate their 101^st Independence Day. Jews were an integral part of Lithuania achieving national independence and the new Lithuanian State promised Jews freedom and peace in lieu of their immense contributions to nation building. Instead, Jews were betrayed by Lithuania and Lithuanians, and later, over 95% of Lithuanian Jews were murdered, mostly by their neighbors. Instead of mourning the loss of Jews, Lithuania actively honors some of those that committed the genocide of their Jewish co-citizens.

The British Broadcasting Corporation published an interview on Lithuania’s Holocaust deceptions and falsified narrative. In order to “balance” the interview, BBC approached the Lithuanian Embassy in London for comment, their response was as follows:

Since the restoration of Lithuania’s independence in 1990, a great deal of academic research has been conducted and public debate held to facilitate an open discussion and to raise better awareness about the Holocaust in Lithuania. The Government of Lithuania attaches great importance to the issue by promoting historical studies, through education, and commemorating the victims of this horrible crime against humanity. Nowadays, the understanding among the general public about the Holocaust in Lithuania has been growing considerably, including the role of the local collaborators with the Nazi regime. The Lithuanian Government has unequivocally condemned those Lithuanians who participated in the atrocities of the Holocaust in the strongest possible terms.

As regards Jonas Noreika, the Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Research Centre, after thorough research by historians, has so far concluded that there is no evidence of his direct involvement in the extermination of Lithuanian Jews. Notably, in 1943 Jonas Noreika was arrested for his disobedience to Nazi orders to create a SS legion in Lithuania, and was imprisoned in Stutthof concentration camp. After its liberation, he returned to Soviet-occupied Lithuania and led the anti-Soviet resistance. Arrested by the Soviets in 1946, he was tried and executed in 1947.

In the meantime, a legal process is taking place in the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, after a lawsuit against the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre was filed by Mr Gochin. The Lithuanian Government shares Mr Gochin’s desire to establish the historical truth; however, while awaiting the conclusions of the ongoing legal process, one should refrain from further comments. The first Court hearing of the lawsuit took place on 15 January 2019, the next Court hearing is scheduled for 5 March 2019.

The claims made against Jonas Noreika could be best discussed by historians specialising in the matter. The Embassy of Lithuania in London would be happy to provide the BBC the relevant contacts and offer its assistance in arranging the interviews.

Superficially, the response appears reasonable only to the ignorant; rather, it is misleading and dishonest with an agenda to confuse. I deconstruct the Lithuanian falsifications and explain point by point. The Lithuanian comments are italicized, my explanations are in regular text:

Since the restoration of Lithuania’s independence in 1990, a great deal of academic research has been conducted and public debate held to facilitate an open discussion and to raise better awareness about the Holocaust in Lithuania. This statement is false. Lithuania has deliberately converted many Holocaust perpetrators into national heroes and have re-written and falsified history. There have been many articles exposing their consistent Holocaust distortions. A simple Google search is sufficient to educate.

The Government of Lithuania attaches great importance to the issue by promoting historical studies, through education, and commemorating the victims of this horrible crime against humanity. This statement is false. The Government has created an entire department (The Genocide Center) to misinterpret and falsify the record of Lithuanian involvement in the Holocaust. Their messaging about the Holocaust attempts to hide Lithuanian involvement in the murder of 220,000 Jews on Lithuanian soil.

Nowadays, the understanding among the general public about the Holocaust in Lithuania has been growing considerably, including the role of the local collaborators with the Nazi regime. The Lithuanian Government has misinformed their population about the involvement of Lithuanians in the Holocaust and uses intimidation tactics to suppress speech and education about their role in the Holocaust. The local population fears speaking out because of public retribution.

The Lithuanian Government has unequivocally condemned those Lithuanians who participated in the atrocities of the Holocaust in the strongest possible terms. This is false. The Lithuanian Government has named streets in honor of some Holocaust perpetrators, named a school to honor Noreika and built monuments to honor other Holocaust perpetrators. There is a difference in the Government’s falsified platitudes about the Holocaust and their deliberate honoring of Holocaust perpetrators. The Lithuanian Government has long suppressed the names of known Holocaust perpetrators, and do not acknowledge facts about the national Lithuanian Holocaust policy makers. The Lithuanian Government has never punished a single Holocaust perpetrator. Statements of regret have no credibility in the face of their very clear actions, and should be taken as an insult. Without truth, there is no sincerity.

As regards Jonas Noreika, the Lithuanian Genocide and Resistance Research Centre, after thorough research by historians, has so far concluded that there is no evidence of his direct involvement in the extermination of Lithuanian Jews. The Genocide Center is a government agency that is a locus of Holocaust fraud. They have even gone so far as to misuse USA Congressional documents in their efforts to commit Holocaust fraud. This Center has no interest in research that contradicts their approved narrative. When presented research by Silvia Foti, the Lithuanian Government declined to review her research and dismissed Foti as “unreliable”, offering the reason that she disagreed with her Mother. The Lithuanian Genocide Center serves as the official mouthpiece of the Lithuanian Government on the Holocaust in Lithuania.

Notably, in 1943 Jonas Noreika was arrested for his disobedience to Nazi orders to create a SS legion in Lithuania, and was imprisoned in Stutthof concentration camp. This statement is designed to confuse. It is a statement without context that has no relevance to the issue at hand. Noreika was arrested by Nazis, because, after murdering Lithuanian Jews, he wanted to create Lithuania as an independent nation. His disobedience to Nazis related to his nationalistic visions for independence, he was an avid Jew-hater and a genocidal monster. He was imprisoned in Stutthof as a “Honored Prisoner”, and as a political hostage, for his nationalistic aspirations. The Lithuanian Government inserts extraneous and non relevant facts in order to confuse the reader and deflect from the facts. This is an obvious attempt to deceive the reader.

After its liberation, he returned to Soviet-occupied Lithuania and led the anti-Soviet resistance. Arrested by the Soviets in 1946, he was tried and executed in 1947. – This is the only true statement within their response.

In view of the claims by the Lithuanian Jewish community about Noreika’s involvement in the creation of ghettoes, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius has recently called for the removal of the plaque in honour of Jonas Noreika from the Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, where Noreika worked before his arrest by the Soviets. – The documents and facts about Noreika have been known and in the public domain since the 1970’s. Notwithstanding widespread knowledge about Noreika’s crimes, the Lithuanian government awarded him national honors. The Ministers’ call has only come since the Government frauds have been exposed in the international media, these calls are not derived from any sense of integrity, they are simple “crisis management”. Attempts to present them as anything else are disingenuous.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania believes that until doubts about Noreika’s role during the period of Nazi occupation persist, his public commemoration is not appropriate. – There are no doubts about Noreika’s complicity, there have not been any doubts since Germany exposed Noreika in the 1970’s; the “doubts” they refer are the inventions of their Genocide Center. After the Minister capitulated and called for the removal of one plaque, the Mayor of Vilnius refused permission to remove it. The Mayor of Vilnius has also obstructed the re-naming of a street name honoring one of the major architects of the Holocaust – Kazys Skirpa. Holocaust perpetrators are widely honored within Lithuania.

In the meantime, a legal process is taking place in the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, after a lawsuit against the Genocide and Resistance Research Centre was filed by Mr Gochin. – The Lithuanian State President, the Lithuanian Supreme Court, the Lithuanian State Security Department and multiple other Government agencies are on record, in writing, supporting the honoring of Noreika as a national hero. These confirmations came after facts were repeatedly exposed to the government. Stated regrets have been issued only in response to the media crisis facing Lithuania since their Holocaust distortions have been exposed. The timing of their regrets demonstrate and clarify their insincerity. Lithuanian actions are louder than their words.

The Lithuanian Government shares Mr Gochin’s desire to establish the historical truth; – This is the most dishonest line in their response. The Government appealed to the Lithuanian Court not to hear the case as they claim nobody was hurt by honoring Noreika. The Lithuanian Government requested the Court to reject my standing to litigate their frauds. The Government has fought every aspect of this case and used every possible intimidation tactic against those exposing their Holocaust distortions. Claiming that the government “shares” a quest for truth is a demonstrable lie.

however, while awaiting the conclusions of the ongoing legal process, one should refrain from further comments. The first Court hearing of the lawsuit took place on 15 January 2019, the next Court hearing is scheduled for 5 March 2019. – The Court hearing is delayed because the Government’s lawyers defending their case stated that they had not yet reviewed all documents. The Government has claimed multiple times and over multiple years that they have reviewed all documents related to Noreika, so, why have they hidden their own documents from their own lawyers? This claim is not credible, and is one more delay tactic.

The claims made against Jonas Noreika could be best discussed by historians specialising in the matter. – The Governments historians have committed clear deception about many Holocaust perpetrators. This is why a Court case is required. Their official historians are dishonest and ideologically committed to protecting Nazi collaborators.

The Embassy of Lithuania in London would be happy to provide the BBC the relevant contacts and offer its assistance in arranging the interviews.

The Lithuanian Government is fully aware of all of the above facts, and yet they persist in issuing dishonest statements in the hope that their readers accept them at face value. If the Lithuanian government deliberately deceives the BBC on such important items, is there anything that Lithuania can say or do which may be accepted at face value?

The Lithuanian Government has long actively engaged in Holocaust distortion and fraud. Now their deceptions are coming back to haunt them so they have turned to public relations and damage control tactics. Thinking individuals are able to recognize obvious fraud. No public relations strategy and no falsehoods will be able to protect Lithuania from their clearly displayed values.

As Lithuania celebrates 101 years of independence, Jews must be aware of the consistency of the Lithuanian Jewish experience.