Jews, Lithuanians and the Holocaust

Alfonsas Eidintas. Jews, Lithuanians and the Holocaust. Vilnius: Versus Aureus, 2003. 534 pp. Photographs . Bibliography. Index.Important changes in the interpretation of the Holocaust in have only recently begun. Alfonsas Eidintas, a Lithuanian historian, points out that investigating this sensitive subject-the history of the Holocaust in Lithuania-was quite difficult, since the perpetrator was more often than not Lithuanian (p. 13) and, furthermore, disagreement regarding this fact still exists there. Eidintas acknowledges that the role of the shooter is not something that we, Lithuanians like to talk about, although we all understand and know just how dirty a job was done by this person, and under whose command(p. 13). However, he provides a full account of the Catastrophe that was truer than true (p. 11).Jews, Lithuanians and the Holocaust is especially significant since it is the first comprehensive and sincere history of the Holocaust in Lithuania, and an effective way to get back in touch with the darkest page of Lithuanian modern history. The author addresses the subject as an objective storyteller and reflects on a current problem-the issue of the open wound, i.e., the difficult dialogue between Lithuanians and Jews. From this point of view, the work is not only history but also political scicnee.The first chapter focuses on the attitude toward the Jews among different Lithuanian social groups from the late nineteenth century to the post-Second World War era. Rather than providing a general history of Lithuanian Jews, Eidintas describes the escalation of anti-Semitism. he outlines the negative attitude of the church and nationalistic press, which not only displayed economic anti-Semitism, but also manifested racist ideology (pp. 34, 43). Eidintas concludes that a non-radical anti-Semitism increased during the interwar period (1918-1940) and was widely spread among ethnic Lithuanians. In a balanced way, the author observes the political role of the Jews during the first year of Soviet regime ( 1940-1941 ). he reveals the myth that Jews betrayed the nation of Lithuania (p. 145) and rejects their identification with Bolshevism. This provides historical background of the Holocaust in Lithuania.In the second chapter, Eidintas investigates Lithuanians' collaboration with the Nazis, their role in the mass murder of the Jews, and what historical circumstances determined such collaboration. he explains how the Jews were brutally murdered by the Lithuanian militias and often by their own neighbours.The book poses the question: could the Jews in have been rescued? Eidintas does not answer it, but he illustrates, with many stories, acts of kindness by Lithuanians toward the Jews (p. 329). In the hostile environment of the time, it took a great deal of heroic efforts, risk and sacrifice to rescue a Jewish family. The concluding chapter of the book deals with the complex dialogue between Lithuanians and the Jews in the post-Holocaust period and discusses the possibilities and means of reconciliation. …

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