The Israeli-American Civic Action Network applauded the city of West Hollywood following the Aug. 3 passage of a resolution condemning the Lithuanian government for actively promoting Holocaust distortion.

“Government-backed Holocaust distortion perpetuated by Eastern Europe countries must stop,” said Vered Elkouby Nisim, ICAN California chair. “Lithuania is the most egregious Eastern European nation to engage in a dark and cynical campaign of Holocaust distortion, and we thank the city of West Hollywood for speaking out against this insidious form of state-sponsored anti-Semitism.”

Earlier this year, Lithuania drafted legislation that would have made it illegal to accuse the country of complicity in Nazi crimes. This followed the passage of similar laws by Poland and Ukraine. Also, Lithuania has engaged in a long-running campaign to rehabilitate Lithuanians who participated in the massacre of Jews during the Holocaust, ICAN said in a statement.

At a time of rising global anti-Semitism, it is ICAN’s position that any activity designed to mask the true history of the Holocaust is especially dangerous, and the organization is working with elected leaders across the United States, including West Hollywood, to oppose such activities using the strongest possible methods.

“The Holocaust is perhaps the greatest violation of the social contract between state and society,” said Dillon Hosier, chief advocacy officer at ICAN. “If we allow governments today to deny or distort the history of the Holocaust, then we give license to future governments to commit similar crimes against humanity. ‘Never again’ means preserving the historical integrity of the Holocaust, for those who were lost, for the survivors and for future generations.”

Passage of the resolution followed ICAN’s live event “Destruction of Life, Destruction of Truth” on July 29, which highlighted the Lithuanian government’s role in Holocaust distortion, denial and rehabilitation. The event featured West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath as a special guest.

The city’s resolution states that “the City Council of the city of West Hollywood finds that Lithuania’s efforts to minimize or even deny its historical involvement in the Holocaust is contrary to the city’s long track record of supporting an accurate depiction of the Holocaust and its atrocities.” The resolution also “denounces Lithuania’s efforts to distort the historical record, which shows many Lithuanians actively collaborated with Nazi Germany in the assassination of Jewish nationals.”

For information, visit israelusa.org.