Lithuania commemorated the Day of the Rescuers of Lithuanian Jews on Wednesday for the first time.
The remembrance ceremony was approved by the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament, and is now an official commemorative day in the country.
The first official event to mark the day took place at Vilnius University (VU), according to the Lithuanian Jewish Community (LJC).
The names of 1,785 Lithuanians who rescued Jews during the Holocaust were read by politicians, officials, family members of rescuers, Lithuanian Jewish community leaders, foreign ambassadors, VU professors, staff and students, LJC said in a statement.
To commemorate the occasion, LJC unveiled a plaque dedicated to the rescuers. The plaque has “multiple layers of symbolism and meaning.” Plaques will be affixed to homes where the rescuers resided and where they hid Jews during the Holocaust.
“This is our thanks to the brave people who didn’t falter in the face of danger and who were not just the rescuers of Jews, but, as Icchokas Meras wrote, were also the blossom of goodness of their nation and heroes of the spirit who resisted the murderers,” LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said.
She noted that her family were saved during the Holocaust by ”Lithuanians with big hearts” who are part of the 900 Lithuanians recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Gentiles in Lithuania.
The Day of the Rescuers of Lithuanian Jews took place on March 15 to honor the memory of VU librarian Ona Šimaitė who was recognized on March 15, 1966 as Righteous Among the Nations for using her position to save Jews from the Vilna Ghetto during the Holocaust.