Israelita's board members met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius on Tuesday and said they want to step up cooperation of young people from both countries and put the focus on future relations and not the dark past.
"We talked about the outlook for the development of Lithuanian-Israeli relations. We came with the position that we don't want to talk about bad things, we want to talk about what will happen. And only good things should happen," Jakob Kac, head of the organization, told journalists following the meeting.
"Our generation will soon end, it has its certain limits, and we realize that very well. We are the last people who were born here but live there. We are the bridge. If nobody uses that bridge, there will be no future," he said.
Kac stressed that his organization is not taking part in the process of distribution of compensation for property of Jewish religious organizations. Organizations involved in the process are part of the past, he said.
"We are on the other side. We are not in the past. And these organizations are perhaps a little dated, in our opinion," he said.
"Compensation for what? It's an amorphous issue. For some buildings some community used to own? This community no longer exists, we cannot tell stories that it exists. So if the compensation goes to the development of Lithuanian-Israeli youth relations, it will be very good," Kac said adding that it would be just to also give money to people who saved Jews.
Prime Minister's advisor Laimonas Talat-Kelpša said Kubilius liked the idea of an organization of friends of Israel in Lithuania. He also said an active club of pro-Lithuania people in Israel helps to spread information about Lithuania in Israel and get people interested in business opportunities in Lithuania.
"Perhaps the issue will be thoroughly discussed at the Prime Minister's Office and we’ll find the way to make use of this new instrument more actively," the adviser said.
The aim of Israelita is to develop cooperation between the two nations and countries, to contribute to the development of relations in culture, sport and art, to expand contacts in the fields of business, science and industry, to promote a favorable presentation of Lithuania in Israel and of Israel in Lithuania and to cooperate closely with the Embassy of Lithuania in Israel, Israeli representatives in Lithuania and all organizations that aim to bring both countries together.
