VILNIUS - A series of anti-Semitic articles in a local newspaper have sparked outrage both at home and abroad and put top Lithuanian officials on the defensive.
Israel was so moved by the four-part series in the daily Respublika, titled "Who Rules the World" and written by editor Vitas Tomkus (cover of part 2 is shown below), the country's Foreign Ministry called Lithuanian Ambassador Alfonsos Eidintas to the carpet to express its "deep disappointment, anger and shock."
Eidentas was quoted by The Jerusalem Post as saying that, "We have improved relations between Lithuania and Israel, and this type of thing hurts it."
Efraim Zuroff, head of the Israeli office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, wrote in a letter to Eidentas that "when Lithuania became independent again in 1991 we all hoped that a new and much better page would be written in Lithuanian-Jewish relations, and that the dark days in which numerous Lithuanians participated in the murder of their Jewish neighbors would never return.
"But the events of the past few days and the fact that no measures have hereto been taken against the purveyors of hatred, are bad omens in that regard for the future of Lithuanian Jewry and Lithuanian democracy," Zuroff wrote.
In reaction to the publications, Prime Minister Algirdas acknowledged on Feb. 27 that anti-Semitism threatened to harm Lithuania's international reputation.
"I regret that some politicians, public figures, media owners and journalists lack a sense of responsibility," Brazauskas said in a statement. "The achievements of the Lithuanian economy and democracy, which make us feel proud, are threatened."
But the damage was already done. As The Jerusalem Post quoted a Foreign Ministry official on March 2: "What bothers us is that it took a week for the prime minister to even say anything about the article, and he has been the only person. Everyone else has simply gone about their business."
In an attempt to heal wounds and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control, Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis met on March 8 with both EU member-states' and acceding states' ambassadors to Lithuania to discuss the anti-Semitic articles.
"The articles have been condemned by the Lithuanian government, the public and nongovernmental organizations, intellectuals and the media," the minister said, stressing that Lithuanian authorities strictly condemn any instigation of ethnic, racial, religious or social hatred, violence and discrimination.
Lithuania's Jewish community also stepped into the fray, appealing to the International Federation of Journalists for support in suppressing the anti-Semitic material in Respublika.
The community said in a statement that the "reason for the appeal is a well-coordinated anti-Semitic campaign carried out by two large Lithuanian dailies - Respublika and Vakaro Zinios - which has already been raging for several weeks."
The appeal, dated March 9, said that "Campaign initiators shamelessly employ 'arguments' of Nazi propaganda, publish most vulgar caricatures, mock the catastrophe that befell Lithuanian Jews during World War II and deny the possibility of coexistence between Lithuanians and Jews."
Authors of the appeal blasted the Ethics Commission of Lithuanian Journalists and Publishers for its delay in responding to the anti-Semitic publications.
A parliamentary board on March 8 ordered the chancellery to terminate Parliament's contract on the publication of official state information with Respublika following publication of the articles.
In 2002-2003, Parliament paid Respublika over 160,000 litas (46,000 euros) for publication of official information.
