Holocaust Narrative(s) in Soviet Lithuania: The Case of the Ninth Fort Museum in Kaunas

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Holokaustas Lietuvoje; Sovietmetis; Žydų raudonieji partizanai; Kauno IX forto muziejus. Keywords: Holocaust in Lithuania; Soviet period; Red Jewish partizans; Kaunas IX-th Fort museum.

ENThe narratives presented in the Ninth Fort Museum remained unchanged until the late 1980s, when the fascist-centered narrative was changed to a new nationalist one. This new perception of history focused on the crimes of the communist regime, and as Lithuanian philosopher Leonidas Donskis observes, the idea that “the Nazis were a lesser evil” prevailed in Lithuania at that time. Communism, on the other hand, was seen as “the only form of real evil for Lithuania.” Thus, after 1984, with the opening of the new memorial complex, the focus of the memorialization in the Ninth Fort shifted from the victims of World War II to the victims of the Stalinist regime. The museum was now composed of two main parts, the Ninth Fort and the Exhibition of Occupations. The Jewish victims were now overshadowed by the memory of the Lithuanian deportees and partisans, which was presented in the Exhibition of Occupations. This exhibition introduces the visitors to the first Soviet occupation in 1940 and the Soviet repressions carried out from 1944 to 1990. The focus of this historical narration lies on the Soviet deportations and the history of Lithuanian anti-Soviet resistance. Partisan activities are presented in a very positive light, neglecting the fact that among some of the partisans there were also people responsible for the mass murder of Lithuanian Jews, Poles, and Russians during World War II. Historian Makhotina observes that this historical site, “which had witnessed the suffering of Jews . . . had been transformed into a ‘temple’ of Lithuanian martyrdom. [Extract, p. 126-127]