Never Again: Holocaust news for October 22, 2015

JERUSALEM (WJC) — A delegation of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the Israel Council on Foreign Relations (ICFR) met with Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaitė in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, Oct. 21,  to discuss a number of issues. The meeting was also attended by the Baltic country’s foreign minister, Linas Linkevičius.

Grybauskaitė told the WJC-ICFR delegation: “Our society acknowledges its history. Our Jewish heritage is part of the heritage of Lithuania. Our support for Israel comes automatically. We understand what is going on in the Middle East, and we coordinate our position with the United States.”

WJC CEO Robert Singer praised the strong relations between Israel and Lithuania and added: “Lithuania’s support is much appreciated.”

Singer also raised the issue of neo-Nazi rallies held each year in Vilnius and Kaunas and said the Jewish world was “very distressed by this phenomenon, especially given the tragic history of Lithuanian Jewry.”

Grybauskaitė agreed that this was a problem but said it was difficult for the government to act unless the groups involved openly used Nazi symbols or explicitly incited to anti-Semitism and racism. She assured the delegation that this was an entirely marginal phenomenon. “They make lots of noise, but represent very few people.”

In recent years, Lithuania has tried to foster good relations with the World Jewish Congress Israel. In an address to a WJC-ICFR event last month, Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius pledged to ensure that all Jewish cemeteries in Lithuania would be “memorialized and marked” by the end of 2017.

In 2014, the World Jewish Congress established the WJC International Yiddish Center in Vilnius aimed at promoting cultural treasures created in Yiddish and the continuity of Yiddish learning and research.

Dalia Grybauskaitė took office as Lithuania’s head of state in 2009 and was re-elected in 2014. She previously served as a government minister and was Lithuania’s first European commissioner between 2004 and 2009.(Preceding provided by the World Jewish Congress)
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Judi Gottschalk to chair Holocaust Memorial Museum unit in San Diego

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has announced the appointment of Judi Gottschalk as Wings of Memory San Diego Regional Chair. The position is a two-year, volunteer commitment.

The Wings of Memory Society is the Museum’s national annual giving program designed to recognize donors of annual gifts of $5,000 or more. Gifts at this level support a broad range of outreach and educational initiatives that reach young people, teachers, Museum visitors, and leaders both in the United States and throughout the world.

The Museum is in the midst of a $540 million national campaign Never Again: What You Do Matters, to make critical investments to keep Holocaust memory alive as a relevant force for change.

The Society’s Regional Chair plays a key leadership role in assisting the Museum’s responsibilities through support and promotion of the Society’s goals within a specific region. The Museum has regional offices throughout the country.

The Regional Chair’s role is two-fold: work closely with the local Museum Major Gift Officer to develop and implement plans for annual and long-range fundraising regional strategies, and act as a regional liaison between the Museum and Wings members and prospects.

“My values are aligned with the mission of the Museum, specifically to provide Holocaust education to inform global communities about the past and inspire them to work toward genocide prevention today,” said Gottschalk. “My goal is to promote the dignity of every human in the world – forever. It is our human imperative to treat each other as we want to be treated. I will proceed to represent that goal and work towards that endeavor.”

Gottschalk’s parents are Auschwitz survivors and immigrated to San Diego in 1949. She recently moved back from Phoenix after spending the past 44 years specializing in education as a teacher, principal and co-director for a principal prep program for Arizona State University. She has an extensive background with skills in Leadership and Organizational Development.

Gottschalk also served as Wings of Memory Regional Co-Chair Phoenix from 2012-2014. She has been a Wings of Memory supporter since 2007.

“I look forward to educating the San Diego community by increasing awareness of the vast resources that the Museum has to offer, which go far beyond the Holocaust. The Museum is an educational vehicle for the world on so many levels and I will help promote those resources along with continuing its mission,” added Gottschalk.

The Wings of Memory Society’s name is inspired by Pavel Friedmann’s poem The Butterfly, symbolizing both the strength and the fragility of the human spirit. He wrote the poem in April 1942 as a young man imprisoned in the Terezin concentration camp. Friedmann was later deported to Auschwitz, where he died.

In the 22 years since it opened, the Museum has educated and inspired more than 38 million visitors, including more than 10 million children and nearly 100 heads of state. A permanent reminder on the National Mall in Washington of what can occur when the world fails to take action, the Museum serves as the conscience of the nation, inspiring citizens and leaders alike to confront hate and indifference, end genocide, and promote human dignity.

The Museum’s work is having a significant impact – here in Southern California and around the world. Hundreds of area schoolteachers – and thousands more from all 50 states – are trained each year in how to make the Holocaust relevant and meaningful to young people. The Museum’s leadership programs are inspiring California judges, police and military officers to heed the lessons of the Holocaust and understand their roles as guardians of democracy. The Museum brings together policymakers, diplomats and heads of state to focus on ending the continuing scourge of genocide.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Western Regional Office is located in Los Angeles. For more information, please call 310.556.3222 or email western@ushmm.org.  (Preceding provided by the U.S.Holocaust Memorial Museum)