Minister remembers genocide victims

RIGA - Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks unveiled a monument July 4 commemorating Jewish genocide victims of WWII.

Amid the ruins of the Great Choral Synagogue at 25 Gogola street, which was burnt down in 1941 during one of the most shameful episodes in Latvian history, Pabriks drew attention to those Latvians who actively resisted participation in Hitler's 'Final Solution', including Janis Lipke, who is credited with saving the lives of 55 Jews.

In his address, Pabriks noted: "Janis Lipke and others whose words are carved in this monument did saintly work. Opposing the majority and the ruling authority, they were guided by the principles of morality and common sense. Often we do not need wise books and knowledge to make a decision, all that remains is to rely on our intuition and feelings."

To mark the occasion, the Foreign Ministry also provided financial support for an English language edition of a book on Janis Lipke by New York-based Jewish writer David Zilberman, entitled 'Like a Star in the Darkness'.

The book will be presented at the meeting of the Task Force for International Co-operation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research in Prague in December of 2007, and will also be distributed among Holocaust research and remembrance institutions worldwide.