Birzai memorial only third in Lithuanian killing fields to name victims

TALI FEINBERG

In 2011, a wall of names at the site of the mass graves was erected in the town of Plunge/Plungyan. This was followed shortly after by a memorial with names at the mass grave in Kedaniai/Keidan.  

Now, a group of Jews of Birzai descent are working on a third memorial, listing the known names of the 2 400 Jews of Birzh/Birzai who were murdered there on 8 August 1941. They are also assisting in establishing a tolerance centre at the town’s high school to educate about the history of the Jews of the town, their lives, and their deaths, and they are helping to create a permanent exhibit for students and visitors at the local museum. 

“It all started three years ago, when Abel Levitt told me about how he had done this work in Plunge (Plungyan), says Ben Rabinowitz. “My family came from Birzai, and I told him I wanted the same thing there.”

The two men are now leading the project, and have roped in the support of a team from around the world. This includes architect Dr Joseph Rabie from France, who has designed a magnificent memorial bridge listing the names of those who perished.

But it has taken months of painstaking efforts to get permission to build the memorial, followed by extensive research and fundraising. A large part of the project has been to find the names of those killed there during the Shoah.

“The aim of this project is to ensure that the world doesn’t forget them, or forget what happened there,” says Rabinowitz. “This is especially urgent when a recent study shows that 5% of adults in the United Kingdom do not believe the Holocaust took place, and one in 12 believes its scale has been exaggerated. Anti-Semitic stereotypes are alive and well in Europe. I hope this project will be replicated across Lithuania, with South African Jews leading the way, seeing as so many of our families came from there.”

The project, which will cost R3.2 million, is underway. It has already secured some financial backing, but project leaders are still contacting potential donors.

The memorial will be unveiled and dedicated at a ceremony on Sunday 16 June, attended by local and national dignitaries. The unveiling forms part of a tour to Vilnius, Birzh, with the option of two extra days including Plungyan. The tour will include guided visits to museums and historical sites, presentations, and interactions with local schoolchildren. Shabbat will be celebrated in Birzh with the Israeli Ambassador to Lithuania, Amir Maimon.