NCSJ Baltic Trip - September 2002

 

 

NCSJ COMMUNITY SERVICES TRIP TO THE BALTIC STATES

September 20-30, 2002

Introduction

Dr. Judith L. Wolf and Lesley Weiss visited Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in September. Dr. Wolf is NCSJ Treasurer and Chair of Community Services, and Lesley Weiss is NCSJ Director of Community Services and Cultural Affairs. The purpose of their trip was to meet with Jewish leadership, assess societal and government relations with the Jewish community, and participate in programs commemorating the Holocaust.

The visit strengthened NCSJ’s advocacy role in the region by allowing NCSJ to assess first-hand the issues facing the Jewish communities of the Baltics and deepen relationships with community leadership. 

At the Vilnius Holocaust Conference, September 2002. (l.-r.): Emanuelis Zingeris, Director of Lithuania’s Jewish Gaon State Museum and an organizer of the conference; Lesley Weiss, NCSJ Director of Community Service and Cultural Relations; Dr. Judith L. Wolf, Community Services Chair and NCSJ Treasurer; Dan Mariaschin, Executive Vice President of B’nai B’rith International

The three Baltic states are in the process of applying for membership in NATO and the European Union, with good prospects for accession to both.  A decade after independence, the economies in these countries are growing, tourism is increasing, and democracy is taking root. The Jewish communities, though varied in size, have developed a strong network of organizations, humanitarian services, and Jewish educational programming. 

 The Jewish and general populations in all three countries live with the legacy of Nazi and Soviet occupation.  Holocaust history in the Baltics is a complicated mix of politics, propaganda, and anti-Semitism.  Government and societal attitudes toward the Jewish community are still greatly influenced by this history, and discussion of the topic is often stymied by these attitudes.

The visit coincided with Lithuania’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Latvian parliamentary elections and the 10^th anniversary of Riga’s Bikur Holim Jewish hospital. It followed the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s controversial announcement of its “Operation: Last Chance” project. The Baltic public and media have harshly criticized the high-profile project, which offers monetary rewards for information leading to the prosecution of war criminals from the region.

Part I - Lithuania