„It is my pleasure to greet you, the President of Israel, upon your arrival to Vilnius. As an honorable Litvak and a famous international politician, you have returned to Lithuania‘s Jerusalem.
When I visited Israel in May, you, honorable President Peres, said; ‚There are two cities in the world importanbt to the Jewish people – the Jerusalem in Israel and the other Jerusalem in the North – Vilnius, in Lithuania.‘ I‘ve always remembered that. From that perspective, Vilnius seems even older, holier and more colorful. You’ve said that you’re unsure of where you were born because of the changing national borders at the time. You were born in what was then Lithuania. Its borders at the time changed more than once due to historical events. You were born about 100 km from Vilnius in what is now Belarus. However, you were born in what was then Lithuania,” said Vilnius Mayor Artūras Zuokas.
The Jewish Community of Lithuania suggested that the Vilnius City Municipality grant S. Peres an honorary Vilnius citizenship. Their request underscores the fact that the Lithuanian Jewish community’s considers S. Peres to be one of the most famous litvaks in the world, alongside the Gaon of Vilnius, Jascha Heifetz, Romain Gary and others honorable Litvaks who have impacted not just Lithuanian, but also world culture and history.
Shimon Peres was born in the small town of Vishnyeva, Belarus, which is only 100 km from Vilnius. Since the Middle Ages, the town has been home to a community of Jews that consider themselves Litvaks. Now, S. Peres is a military and political figure in Israel and 1994 Nobel laureate. In 1997, he founded the Peres Center for Peace and, since 2007, has served as the President of Israel. According to the Israeli Embassy, Shimon Peres has been influential in forming Lithuania and Israel’s strong bilateral relationship.
In an address given in 2006 to commemorate 15 years of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Israel, S. Peres said, “You cannot be Jewish without being Lithuanian. Lithuania is the mother of the Yiddish language, therefore, they say Litvak. Litvak goes beyond a geographical expression, it is character and culture. Litvaks are famous for their special character – they will never yield to themselves or others.”
This year marked the 65th anniversary of Israeli independence and, on August 2, S. Peres will celebrate his 90th birthday.
Shimon Peres become the 12th person to receive an honorary Vilnius citizenship. Other recipients include U.S. President Ronald Reagan (1995), Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson (1996), Monsignor Kazimieras Vasiliauskas (2000), musician and conductor Mstislavas Rostropovičius (2000), U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert (2001), poet and Nobel laureate Česlav Miloš (2001), poet Justinas Marcinkevičius (2002), 1977-1981 U.S. National Security Advisor Zbignev Brzezinski (2003), professor and former Vilnius University rector Jonas Kubilius (2006), architect, important 1988-1990 Sąjudis reform movement member and rock group „Antis“ founder Algirdas Kaušpėdas (2012), and poet and publicist Tomas Venclova (2013).
www.vilnius.lt
