In my role as the Consul for the Republic of Latvia in Southern California, in conjunction with the Estonian Consul and our respective communities, we have had the pleasure of organizing a historic Holocaust Commemoration which will be held at the Latvian Center in Los Angeles on January 28th – I would be honored to have as many of you as fit in the hall come and join us. Please follow the RSVP instructions below to join us.
Today, the Baltic nations of Latvia and Estonia make the news as possible targets for Russia if Ukraine loses the battle for her independence. This region has been the center of turmoil for generations.
The Baltics suffered the tragedy of a Soviet invasion in 1940, a Nazi conquest in 1941 and were invaded again by the Soviets in 1944 – this time our conquerors stayed for 50 years. When the Soviets first invaded, some Balts welcomed them and collaborated with them to establish Soviet control. Others collaborated with the Germans when they came in – NKVD and Nazi files verify that each conquest saw plenty of Baltic quislings volunteer to help our invaders.
Much has been written and spoken about the Soviet atrocities in the Baltics but the Holocaust has received less mention.
The Honorary Consuls of Estonia and Latvia, together with the Latvian and Estonian Societies in Los Angeles, invite you to this not to be missed historical presentation of Baltic history.
