These are hard times for those who reject the polarization of public discourse. Not only in the U.S.A., but also in Germany, there is practically no room left for nuance and differentiation.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz delivered a historic address today at an AJC Transatlantic Institute (TAI) event, which focused on strengthening EU-Israel relations and Jewish life in Europe.
“Lithuania had made considerable progress in confronting its Holocaust-era past,” said Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC Director of International Jewish Affairs. “That is why this latest reversal is so troubling. No one today can claim ignorance about the role of Lithuanian collaborators.”
AJC praised Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Šimašius for removing a plaque on the Lithuanian Academy of Science building honoring Jonas Noreika, an anti-Soviet fighter who was responsible for the deportation of Šiauliai Jews and seizure of their property during the Holocaust.