Lithuanian mission accomplished

SUZANNE BELLING

Krengel, honorary life vice-president of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies and businessman Robbie Brozin, of Lita Lives (an organisation of descendants of Lithuanian Jews), initially went to Lithuania to persuade the government there to change the law that prevented South African Jews from obtaining Lithuanian passports. This year, they went back to say thank you.

After their first visit, the Act to stop the granting of Lithuanian passports was amended by the Lithuanian Parliament – 94 in favour, none against – to allow anyone who left Lithuania between 1920 and 1990 – and their descendants – the right to reclaim their citizenship.

An upbeat Krengel told Jewish Report: “They heard what we said and our second visit last week was to say thank you, to explore the possibility of closer co-operation between the South African Jewish community and Lithuania, and to set up a proper Jewish museum in Vilnius (formerly Vilna).”

Under the previous law, the only way South Africans could get Lithuanian citizenship was if they proved their parents or grandparents had left the country for reasons of physical security – not for economic reasons.

“That was the law,” said Krengel. “You couldn’t have a blanket reason. You had to prove that your grandparents or parents were in mortal danger and that’s why they left.

“But it became almost impossible to prove that a specific Jewish family was in danger. However, the facts are that if you didn’t leave, your life was in danger, as proved by Lithuanian Jewry being decimated in the early part of the Second World War.”

South African Jews, including Krengel and Brozin, played a role in challenging this law, because of the pre-war anti-Semitism in Lithuania and the rise of Nazi Germany.

Describing the visit as a “healing process”, Krengel said: “We really were treated well in Lithuania as Jews.”

Part of this process was an acknowledgement that over 90 per cent of South African Jews were of Lithuanian descent and that virtually all those who did not leave in time were killed.

Krengel had told the authorities: “We don’t need the passports. South Africa has been unbelievably good to us. Of course, if our kids want to study in Europe, we can be part of the EU and also will not need visas if we hold Lithuanian passports.”

Now, by granting passports, Lithuania recognised that Jews had been forced to leave Lithuania, but could now be part of that country again.

“I think it’s very important that the authorities document the Jewish history. If we, as the South African Jewish community, do not take pride in our Jewish heritage, then no-one else will, because we are almost the only true-blooded Jewish Lithuanians left.”

In South Africa, he said, most Jews married others also of Lithuanian descent, whereas this was not the case with those who immigrated to Israel or the United States.

“One thing about Jewish people is that we can forgive, but we don’t forget. We all know what happened in Lithuania and what our ancestors went through,” Krengel said.

Both visits also explored the possibility of setting up a Jewish museum in Vilnius, the capital and aimed to foster closer ties between the Lithuanian government and South Africa’s Jewish community.

South African Jews had a responsibility to record the history of Lithuanian Jewry all the way back to its 600 years before the Second World War, said Krengel. Now only 5 000 Jews remained in Lithuania.

The Krengel-Brozin delegation included Zev’s father Julius, who had never been to Lithuania, to visit the shtetl of Julius’ late father, Shepsel.

Krengel said: “My zeide wrote a diary in Yiddish on his life in Lithuania, which my uncle Benny Krengel translated into English. I had it published last year and presented Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis with a copy.”

The delegation met with the prime minister, the mayor of Vilnius, Arturas Zupkas, and members of the Opposition.