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SWC Director for Eastern Europe Urges Boycott of Lithuania at Demonstration Against Planned Law Which Exonerates Entire Nation of Complicity in Holocaust Crimes

Tel Aviv-The Simon Wiesenthal Center Director of Eastern European Affairs, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, was one of the speakers who addressed a demonstration held here on Friday in front of the Lithuanianembassy against a proposed bill which would exonerate the Lithuanian nation and its government of any responsibility or complicity in Holocaust crimes. In his speech, Zuroff called for a boycottof the cultural events planned in 2020 by the Lithuanian government to honor the revered Jewish sage the Vilna Gaon. if the bill is passed.

Photo: LOTL D.E. Kaplan

According to Zuroff:

"This bill constitutes an outrageous distortion and denial of the historical reality of the Holocaust in Lithuania, where all strata of local society participated in the mass murder of 96.4% ofthe Jews who lived under the Nazi occupation and the plunder of their property and belongings. Such a bill is an unforgivable insult to the victims of the Holocaust in Lithuania. Every effortmust be mounted to prevent this colossal desecration of their memory, including even the boycott of events to honor the Gaon who also would certainly have been murdered had he lived in Lithuaniaduring World War II."

Photo: LOTL D.E. Kaplan

For additional information please contact the Israel Office of the Wiesenthal Center:
Tel: 972-2-563-1274 or Tel: 972-50-721-4156, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, orfollow @simonwiesenthal @EZuroff for news updates sent directly to your Twitterfeed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agenciesincluding the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).