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Donatas Januta: Reply to Olga Zabludoff re Holocaust in Lithuania

Honest differences of opinion do not mean bad intentions or motives

Donatas Januta

Dear Olga,

I have sincerely and honestly tried to respond to you. But you keep changing the rules on me, and you attribute to me intentions and motives which I have not stated and do not have.

We seem to agree on the important basic points. Yes, the Jewish Holocaust was and is the most terrible tragedy that has occurred in Europe. And if I could do anything to undo it, I would. Yes, I do not dispute Israeli historian Dina Porat’s conclusion that half of one percent (0.5%) of Lithuanians were involved directly or indirectly in the German organized killing of Jews. But beyond that, we, including yourself, get into the specifics of individual events – the where, why, and how – and there we do not seem to be able to find common ground.

You said that the reason Jews had a monopoly in the trades and commerce in Lithuania is because ethnic Lithuanians “chose” not to enter those fields. I responded by showing that ethnic Lithuanians’ long history of repression by the Russian czars did not allow them to make any such choice. Now you tell me that history is irrelevant.

You said that Litvaks had been dancing in Lithuania for 700 years, and that failing to invite some non-existent Yiddish dancers to a Lithuanian ethnic dance festival in Los Angeles was an anti-semitic act. You brought that up, not I. So I responded by noting that during those 700 years, Litvaks themselves neither invited nor joined ethnic Lithuanians. And that I understand and appreciate the rich and unique culture that Litvaks were able to develop as a separate culture from that of ethnic LIthuanians. So, I asked, why could not ethnic Lithuanians also celebrate their own separate culture.

But then, you turn this on its head and say that I am “chastizing the Lithuanian Jews for not being ethnic Lithuanians.” Yet, on October 26th here, I wrote:
“Litvaks’ vast contribution to world knowledge, science and the arts over the last 100 years probably has no no parallel in any other group. And we have all benefitted from their talents and intellect.”

Does that really sound to you that I would prefer that Litvaks were ethnic LIthuanians? Gosh darn, Olga, if anything, I would wish the other way around - that my small tribe of ethnic Lithuanians were half as talented and accomplished as yours have been. Yet, you say that I am “leading up in cunning fashion to the Nazi-inspired rhetoric.” Olga, that’s really not fair of you. I can’t seem to win.

Yes, true, as you say, in Lithuania during the brief period of independence, 20 years total between the two World Wars, Jewish signs were taken down from storefronts and other public places - the same as Russian, Polish, and German signs which were also taken down.

After having been denied for hundreds of years the use of their own language in their own country, Lithuanians sought to gain back lost ground. Isn’t that similar to what Israel did by introducing Hebrew as the official state language – or are all Israelis speaking the Palestinian language that they found in Palestine? Aren’t you applying – oops, there’s that phrase again that you don’t like – a double standard here?

But Jews in Lithuania continued to maintain and attend their own yeshivas and synagogues, have their own Yiddish and Hebrew newspapers, and their own Jewish cultural and political organizations like the Bund, the Zionists, and so forth, all the way until the Soviet occupation of 1941.

I have read the articles that you directed me to as well as others. Suziedelis’ articlde offers what appears to be a fairly good general overview of past Lithuanian attitudes, as well as of his own learning path, towards the Holocaust. He does, however, lean towards generalities and avoids specifics, and some of his comments are too obscure or vague for me to understand.

For example, he states (in his original Lithuanian) that “I never felt that my parents had any particular sympathy for Jews” and that his parents “were tortured by the same stereotypes as others of his generation.” I have no idea what to make of such statements. As far as his statement about his parents not having any sympathy for Jews, in contrast elsewhere in the same article he states he is aware of two occasions when his father protested the treatment of Jews. And he really does not tell us which particular stereotypes he is referring to, nor in what manner they tortured his parents.

Incidentally, you seem to refer to Suziedelis as one of the “young educated” Lithuanians, “not clouded by present-day Nationalist politics”, as opposed, I guess, to someone like me. But he and I are of the same generation. We both came to the US as children, as war refugees, we both grew up and were educated in the US and have lived our adutl lives here. And by “present-day Nationalist politics” – do you mean like that of Israel, which I understand and appreciate, despite the fact that I may disagree with some of Israel’s policies from time to time.

As for the article by Wyman Brent that you referred me to – he seems like a well intentioned fellow who appears to have swallowed the Zuroff party line.

I guess, Olga, from your last post here, that we have come to the end of our current conversation. I wish you well.

EUROPE

my home & my castle

Text and photos:
Aage Myhre
aage.myhre@VilNews.com

The more I travel around the world the more I realize that I am European. Although I have had good, close friends and have experienced extraordinary things in all corners of the world. Maybe my mind is not sufficiently exotic. That's ok. I have grown older now. Europe does not lose lustre. Driving a car is the best way to experience Europe. Lithuania's border crossings to Latvia and Poland is no problem anymore. Within a day's drive you can reach most of the northern and central European countries. One more day and you can already stand and look out over the warm, slow waves of the Mediterranean Sea...

Over the next few weeks VilNews will present some glimpses of Europe ... A Europe that is now so close to everyone...

The Iron Curtain is gone, forever!

1 of 10: Exploring Europe
I love old towns. No matter how good a new suburb is. I, and many with me, prefer the old towns. It has something to do with the atmosphere. Details, ornaments. Human life. Sound and smell. Warmth. Joy.

Europe is the 'old town' for the entire world!

I think it primarily is about culture and history. All that Europe is so infinitely rich on. It is something about that feeling. The idea and the knowledge of the Roman Empire every time I'm in Rome. Recognition every time I visit a museum or gallery and see the many art treasures I feel is a part of my European self. It is more to Europe I never get tired of. For example, being able to walk, touch, feel, smell. Being a tourist here is like walking on the world stage as it has provided the basis for so much over thousands of years. Fortunately, European leaders long ago realized that the human being is more important than cars. Take Strøget in Copenhagen, bike paths in Holland and promenades along pretty much all The Mediterranean sea-coast as good examples of this.

Europe means walking around on cobbled streets. Between historic buildings.
To see. Listen. Experience. Feel. Smell.

Olga Zabludoff: Reply to Donatas Januta re Holocaust in Lithuania

. . . it was the “lucky Jews” who were deported [to Siberia] since they accounted for many of the survivors. . . . Jews could not return from the mass graves.

Olga Zabludoff

Dear Donatas,

I send New Year greetings to you and your family.

In response to your article of 20th December, 2011, I regret to tell you that your lengthy sermon on serfdom was irrelevant to our discussion. Let me remind you that from its onset this debate has been rooted in modern Lithuanian history. It has been labeled a discussion on “Holocaust in Lithuania” and has frequently traveled into the arena of current Lithuanian-Jewish issues and attempts at reconciliation.

I have tried to play by the rules and have told you time and again that I find it difficult to relate to medieval times in Lithuania or even to the period of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – given the time frame of our topic. (Sure, sometimes one makes a reference to an earlier period but almost as a simple footnote.) So when I asked: “When were the Lithuanian people not allowed to have a hand in their country’s economy or barred from any particular occupations?” I was clearly not referring to the 18th century when most Lithuanians were indeed peasant serfs. I was talking about the period of Independent Lithuania (the interwar years), the era on which our debate is focused. Your digression into the earlier centuries makes about as much sense as if I would have cried to you that my Jewish ancestors had been Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt.

In one of my earliest responses to you I claimed that you twist your facts and figures to suit your arguments. Actually you go further than that. You constantly resort to periods in Lithuanian history that have little or no connection to our theme. Is this in order to deflect or distract from issues you would rather not address? You corrupt history by telling only half the story. For instance, in your 24th November, 2011 article, “Litvaks: Lithuania’s Warriors,” you state openly that Lithuanian Jews were a force in helping win an Independent Lithuania, fighting and dying alongside their Lithuanian brethren. In turn, the Jews were rewarded with rights and privileges for their participation in achieving their country’s freedom. But at that point you stop short, obviously preferring to omit the rest of the story:

After a few years of this “Golden Age,” all Jewish rights and privileges were harshly revoked, and the darkest period in the history of Lithuania’s Jews began to germinate: “Lithuania for Lithuanians!” Jewish signs on businesses had to be removed. Then they lost their businesses, their homes. Vitriolic Nazi propaganda was embraced in Lithuania. We all know the end . . .

Like an insidious drum beat you recycle and recycle your party line: Jews contributed “zilch” to the Lithuanian economy. Jews created a monopoly in the marketplace. Jews played no role in Lithuanian culture. Jews kept themselves distinct from the Lithuanians among whom they lived. Jews did not invite Lithuanians to dance with them. Jews did not communicate with Lithuanians in the same language. Jews did not worship the Lithuanian religion. Jews had separate schools and dressed differently from Lithuanians. Jews did not intermix with Lithuanians except in the marketplace. Their Litvak culture was totally separate and distinct from the ethnic Lithuanian culture.

In other words, you are chastising the Lithuanian Jews for not being ethnic Lithuanians. You are leading up in cunning fashion to the Nazi-inspired rhetoric that the Jews themselves were responsible for what happened to them, and that they deserved their fate. This is a devious Nationalist strategy to incite hatred and to rid Lithuania of guilt. And of course there is the eternal echo in your arguments that the Lithuanians were the victims of the controlling Jews. This is another diabolical tactic to reverse the roles of perpetrator and victim.

A prominent historian in the UK (a non-Jew) wrote me recently: “The double genocide argument is so fraudulent. Of course the word ‘genocide’ cannot be used exclusively for the Holocaust: there are other genocides as well. But the evidence set out clearly indicates that there was no such extermination of the Lithuanians – terrible suffering, yes, but not a genocide. You don’t have to look far for the reasons (not the reasoning) for the argument. It helps to reduce the sense of guilt. So instead of saying ‘Weren’t we terrible,’ they say, ‘We all suffered together.’ Which in turn reduces the need for a complete realignment of sensibility.”

I have read recent pieces in VilNews concerning the Soviet deportations of Lithuanians to Siberia. Among the responses to the articles are many which confirm that the deportees eventually returned to their home country – not all, but many. It is also important for readers to realize that the Soviets did not spare Lithuanian Jews from being deported to Siberia along with non-Jews. In fact, it was the “lucky Jews” who were deported since they accounted for a good number of survivors. Brutal as were the conditions of the deportees, the population statistics tell us that by 1951 more than 90% of non-Jewish Lithuanians had survived, after which year the population began to climb. In sharp contrast less than 5% of the pre-war Lithuanian-Jewish population remained alive at the close of 1941. Jews could not return from mass graves. The annihilation of more than 95% defines a true genocide. 

Donatas, I don’t believe we have made progress, however hard we may have tried. I cannot and do not want to keep repeating myself in reply to your cyclical charges of red herrings, Jewish monopolies, Jewishness, Zuroff & Co., and one-way streets. It is like a jingle you have created. We will not convince one another. I find it unfortunate that a man of your education has a distorted view of the very same facts that other educated Lithuanians or Lithuanian-Americans or historians in general see as historical truth. The seeds of reconciliation are probably sprouting in the minds and hearts of young educated Lithuanians who are able to confront their nation’s past with clarity and whose visions for their country’s future are not clouded by present-day Nationalist politics.

In closing, I wish you would read the articles I have linked below.

http://www.bernardinai.lt/straipsnis/2012-01-02-prof-saulius-suziedelis-svarbu-ne-svari-o-teisinga-istorija/74448

Dear Editor,

The recent article by Dr. Irena Veisaite agreeing with the antisemitic   
establishment's evaluation of the life's work of Dr. Efraim Zuroff,
Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Israel office and a leading historian of the Lithuanian Holocaust, has been a cause of great dismay
to us, the world's last active organization of Lithuanian Holocaust
survivors and their descendants.

We have been equally dismayed by her years of betrayal of her fellow survivors and willingness to serve a Lithuanian government PR agent
who is sent far and wide to help cover up for the policies of Holocaust distortion and toleration of antisemitism in Lithuania.

We wish Dr. Veisaite well, and at the same time we ask that the readers of VilNews.com remember that she represents her own views and perhaps
those of high Lithuanian government officials, but certainly not those of the international community of Lithuanian Holocaust survivors who will not remain silent.

Joseph A. Melamed
Attorney
Chairman, Association of Lithuanian Jews in Israel