Commemorative ceremony and ecumenical prayer at the Bikernieki Memorial

Marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an ecumenical prayer and flower laying took place at the Bikernieki Memorial in Riga on 26 January, commemorating more than 35 thousand people of different faiths killed during the Nazi occupation in the Bikernieki forest – Jews, prisoners of war and opponents of the Nazi regime.

The prayers were led by Rabbi of the Riga Jewish Religious Community Elijohu Krumer and Rabbi Kalev Krelin, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia Rinalds Grants, Priest of the Roman Catholic Church in Latvia Aivars Līcis, Archpriest of the Latvian Orthodox Church Jānis Dravants and Pastor of the Union of Baptist Churches in Latvia Jānis Pallo. The event was led by the director of the Museum “Jews in Latvia” Ilya Lensky.

The memorial ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign ambassadors, members of the Jewish community, students of the Riga Jewish Sh. Dubnov School, a group of youth from Germany.