Oak grow „Izraelita“ planted to commemorate Israeli-Lithuanian friendship

Lithuania – Israel 25th anniversary is celebrated in the atmosphere of true friendship and understanding all year long. The oak grove was planted in the same spirit, as a testament to the strong and ever-growing friendship between Lithuania and Israel.

“In Judaism, tree planting is an old tradition that continues on to this very day, symbolizing the partnership between the people and the land in building a prosperous future. A tree is a symbol of human’s existence, a core value of individual and communal living: community. Today we planted oak trees – the trees, symbolizing strength and prosperity in Lithuanian culture, together with our friends, who came from all around Lithuania”, – said the Ambassador of the State of Israel Amir Maimon.

“Izraelita – is a symbolic name, which reflects durable and multifaceted history of Jews and Lithuanians. Keeping in mind the painful history and recognizing our mistakes, we have to re-create our future together. Planting the Izraelita grow is a step toward it. For me, it is a great honor to be invited to this symbolic gesture. There is still many joint projects to work on in the future, in order to commemorate names of those Jewish people, who are resting in peace in our forests”, – stated the Minister of Environment, Kęstutis Navickas.

More than 500 people have gathered for this meaningful initiative, during which 3.600 oak trees were planted. The oak grow is covering 0.9 hectares of land. Children from Kupiškis, Prienai, Anykščiai, Švenčionys, Vilkaviškis, Vilnius and Vilnius region municipalities arrived especially for this initiative and as part of the ongoing cooperation with the Embassy. During the event, all participants were dressed in colors of the national flags of two countries – some in blue and white, some in yellow, green and red colors. Each one of the participants, after the planting of the oak grow, have received special certificate of appreciation, to remember this meaningful day.