EVENTS TO MARK THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF YIVO AND THE
LITHUANIAN DAY OF HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE
September 17-24
Vilnius, Lietuva
PROGRAM
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
4:00 P.M. Presentation of the scarf donated by Kaunas ghetto and Stutthoff concentration camp
survivor Dita Šperlingienė-Zupavičienė (Pamėnkalnio street No. 12, Vilnius).
The Holocaust exposition of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum has a new exhibit: a dark blue scarf with
white dots donated by Kaunas ghetto and Stutthoff concentration camp survivor Dita ŠperlingienėZupavičienė. The scarf became a symbol of perseverance for Dita and helped her survive the hardships of
the concentration camp. This unique item will be presented at the Holocaust exposition along with the
moving testimony of Dita Šperlingienė-Zupavičienė herself in video format.
*Entry free
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
5:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M. Reading of Yitzhok Rudashevski's Diary (Piano.Lt concert hall, Trakų street No. 9/1).
Participating: YIVO director Jonathan Brent, ghetto prisoner and partisan Fania Brancovkskaja, Lithuanian
Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky.
Yitzhok Rudashevski was born in Vilnius in 1927 – his father, Eliyahu, worked in a publishing house, and
his mother, Rosa, was a seamstress. In September 1941, when Yitzchak was not yet 14 years old, the Nazis
forced the boy and his family into the Vilnius ghetto. At some point during the Nazi occupation, Yitzhok
started writing a diary in Yiddish where he described the day to day horrors the Jewish population had to
endure. In the main part of the diary, which encompasses the period from September 1942 to April 1943,
the young man chronicled all aspects of the ghetto, using his literary talents to not only describe, but also to
reflect with great clarity and insight for a 15 year-old upon what was happening within the walls of the
houses and streets he had been confined to. As the author himself put it, “I consider that everything must be
recorded and noted down, even the most gory, because everything will be taken into account”. In the fall of
1943, as the Vilnius ghetto was being liquidated, the Rudashevskis managed to hide away in a secret
shelter, but after only two weeks the Nazis discovered their hiding place and executed everyone. Only
Sarah Voloshin, Yitzhok’s cousin, managed to escape and flee to the forests surrounding Vilnius. After the
Soviets re-occupied the town in the summer of 1944, she returned to the shelter and found a small
notebook, its more than 200 pages filled with handwriting, some in pen, and some in pencil. It was the
diary of Yitzhok Rudashevski.
*Free entry.
7:29 P.M. Beginning of Sabbath prayer (Vilnius Choral Synagogue, Pylimo street No. 39, Vilnius).
8:00 P.M. Concert "Jazz, the Poet and Casanova" by Vyacheslav Ganelin and Arkadijus
Gotesmanas
(Piano.Lt concert hall, Trakų street No. 9/1).
*Tickets required.. For more information about the event please see:
http://www.tiketa.lt/dziazas_poetas_ir_kazanova_62491
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
11:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M Tour of Jewish Vilna (Tour begins next to the clock tower on Cathedral Square,
Šventaragio street, Vilnius).
*Participation free, requires prior registration.
2.00 PM Presentation of Fania Lewando’s The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook (Lithuanian Jewish
Community, Pylimo street No. 4, Vilnius)
In 1938, Fania Lewando, the proprietor of a popular vegetarian restaurant in Vilnius where all the hip
Yiddish speaking intellectuals ate and conversed, published a Yiddish vegetarian cookbook unlike any that
had come before.
Presented by: Jonathan Brent, Director, YIVO
10:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M. Mincha/Ma'ariv Sabbath (Vilnius Choral Synagogue, Pylimo street No. 39, Vilnius).
8:30 P.M.-10:00 P.M. Klezmatics concert (Vilnius Old Town Hall, Didžioji street No. 1, Vilnius).
Presented by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Jewish Community of Lithuania: The
Klezmatics, the gold standard of the klezmer revival, are celebrating their 30th anniversary! Rather than
rest on their laurels ground-breaking recordings, a Grammy award, collaborations with the likes of Chava
Alberstein, Itzhak Perlman, Allen Ginsberg, Tony Kushner and Woody Guthrie the band continues to push
boundaries. Letters To Afar is an ongoing artistic collaboration between the Klezmatics and the awardwinning video artist Péter Forgács that brings to life the rich and vibrant life of Jews in inter-war Poland
using historical film footage from the YIVO Institute. The original ground-breaking video art installation
was commissioned by POLIN and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in 2013 and has been seen by
over 100,000 people on two continents.
*Tickets required. Tickets available on the internet, at Bilietų pasaulis counters located at Hyper Rimi and Maxima
supermarkets and at the ticket counter at the Vilnius Old Town Hall before the concert begins.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
8:45 A.M. Placing of flowers at the memorial plaque commemoration YIVO founder and director Max
Weinreich (1894-1969) (J. Basanavičiaus street No. 16, Vilnius).
9:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M. Conference dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the founding of the YIVO
institute for Jewish research
(Building III, Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, Gedimino prospect No. 53, Vilnius).
9:00 A.M.–9:30 A.M. Registration of participants (Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, Gedimino prospect
No. 53, Vilnius).
9:30 A.M. -5:00 P.M. Conference dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the founding of the institute for
Jewish research.
In 1925, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research was founded in Vilnius by key European intellectuals,
including Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, to record the history and pioneer in the critical study of the
language, literature and culture of the Jews of Eastern Europe. In 1940, YIVO moved its permanent
headquarters to New York City, becoming the only pre-Holocaust institution to transfer its mission to the
United States from Europe. In 1941, the Nazis destroyed YIVO in Vilnius and ransacked the archives and
library. A portion of YIVO’s archives was sent to Frankfurt to become the basis of the Institute for the
Study of the Jewish Question; another part was hidden in Vilnius; another part was destroyed. In 1946, the
U.S. Army discovered the seized YIVO materials in the train depot in Offenbach, Germany and returned
them to YIVO. The part that remained in Vilnius was saved from the Soviets by a Lithuanian librarian, and
remained hidden in the basement of a church until 1989. In 2014, YIVO along with its partners the Central
State Archives of Lithuania and the National Library of Lithuania, launched the YIVO Vilnius Collections,
a seven-year project to preserve, digitize and virtually reunite YIVO’s prewar archives located in New
York City and Vilnius, Lithuania. The project encompasses some 10,000 rare or unique publications and
approximately 1.5 million documents to add to the existing 24 million documents and 385,000 books and
periodicals the YIVO Archives and the YIVO Library currently hold. The conference in Vilnius will
feature top YIVO officials, researchers and prominent members of Lithuanian, US and Israeli academia
delivering presentations on a wide ranging variety of topics regarding the political, social and cultural
context of the founding of YIVO, its current activities and future prospects.
*Entry to the conference is free but requires prior registration.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
12:00 noon Event to commemorate Lithuanian Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Kaunas Ninth
Fort Museum
(Žemaičių plentas No. 73, Kaunas).
*Transportation from Vilnius to be provided, prior registration required. Departure from base of Kalinausko street
in Vilnius at 10:30 A.M.
17.00 val. Presentation and Screening of The Touch of an Angel, a documentary film by Marek
Tomasz Pawłowski (2015) (Jascha Heifetz Hall, Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street No. 4, Vilnius).
The Touch of an Angel is an unusually sensitive and intriguing story of one person's survival during the
Holocaust. Polish Jew Henryk Schoenker visits sites in Poland still haunted by the specter of the war and
retells in great detail the story of his family, their hiding from the Nazis and their Herculean efforts to
escape extermination. Henryk's moving testimony serves to bring his story to life. The film makes use of
archival footage and unusual cinematography.
*Entry free. Film in Polish with Lithuanian subtitles.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
10:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M. Awards ceremony for rescuers of Jews (President's Office of the Republic of
Lithuania, S. Daukanto square No. 3, Vilnius)
*Entrance by invitation only.
2:00 P.M. Commemoration of Holocaust victims at Ponar (Agrastų street No. 15, Vilnius)
*Transport from Vilnius to be provided. Prior registration required. Departure from the base of Kalinausko street in
Vilnius at 12:30 P.M.
7:00 P.M. Concert "Scream of Silence: Music for the Destroyed Synagogues of Vilnius" (Church of St.
Catherine, Vilniaus street No. 30, Vilnius).
"Scream of Silence" is large musical work written in the form of resisim (Hebrew for shards). It is mainly a
requiem for the destroyed synagogues of Vilnius but also urges us to celebrate values we sometimes lose
sight of during times of trouble and hardship. Performers: the St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra of the
City of Vilnius Municipality, artistic director and conductor Donatas Katkus; the Brevis chamber choir,
led by Gintautas Venislovas; the actor Michailas Jevdokimovas; and conductor Giedrė Šlekytė. Composer
and musician Vyacheslav Ganelin also participating.
*Tickets required. For more information and tickets, please see: http://www.bilietai.lt/lt/event/26894
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
7:00 P.M. International concert "Breaking the Silence" (Vilnius Church of St. Francis of Assisi (Church of
the Bernardines), Maironio street No. 10-22, Vilnius).
Program: Three premieres in Lithuania: Karl Amadeus Hartmann (1905-1963), Concerto funebre altui and
string orchestra; Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942), five works for strings; and Arvo Pärt (born 1935), Stabat
Mater for choir and stringed instruments. Performers: Vilnius City Municipality Choir Jauna muzika,
artistic director and conductor Vaclovas Augustinas, Austrian-Bulgarian string orchestra , Camerata
Orphica Les Orphéïstes, Razvan Hamza (alto), conductor Amaury du Closel.
*Entry free.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
7:.00 P.M. Music and poetry installation "Subačiaus Street: the Ghetto" (based on poetry by V.
Jasiukaitytė) (Subačiaus street Nos. 47 and 49, Vilnius).
Performers: Rimvydas Vilkaitis and Dalia Michelevičiūtė. Algimantas Pociūnas, director.
There are many places in Vilnius which bring the Holocaust to mind. One of them is Subačiaus street. This
presentation combines the spoken word, music and images. Actors will read works by the poet Vidmantė
Jasiukaitytė and testimonies by Jews who hid from death. Passages of the musical work "Balsai iš po
žemių" ["Voices from under the Ground"] by Žeraldas Povilaitis will play and building walls will become
screens for archival images and videos. The intention is to surround visitors with an atmosphere of the lifeand-death struggle to survive.
*Entrance free.
EVENTS TO MARK LITHUANIAN HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY IN THE CITIES OF
ŠIAULIAI AND PANEVĖŽYS
ŠIAULIAI
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
11:00 A.M.-11:30 A.M. Wreath-laying ceremony at the gate of the Šiauliai ghetto. Kaddish. (Corner of
Ežero/Trakų streets, Šiauliai).
Participating: Šiauliai Jewish Community chairman Josifas Buršteinas, representatives of the City of
Šiauliai.
12:00 noon-1:30 P.M. Event to commemorate Holocaust victims in the Luponiai Forest (Kužiai
aldermanship, Šiauliai).
Participating: Šiauliai Jewish Community chairman Josifas Buršteinas, public figures.
2:00 P.M.–2:30 P.M. Unveiling of memorial sign to commemorate Jews who lived in the town of
Gruzdžiai (Nepriklausomybės aikštė [Independence Square], Gruzdžiai, Šiauliai region.)
*For further information on the events in Šiauliai, please contact: agavasiauliai@takas.lt
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
10:00 A.M. Commemoration of the Holocaust victims of Žagarė (Žagarė, Lithuania)
*For further information on the events in Šiauliai, please contact: agavasiauliai@takas.lt
PANEVĖŽYS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
2:00 P.M. Exhibit "Anne Frank: The Story Today" (Saulėtekis Pre-Gymnasium, Statybininkų street No. 24,
Panevėžys)
The story of the life of Anne Frank is the basis of the exhibit. It uses pre-war, Nazi dictatorship and postwar events to show the plight of the family. Includes photos from the Frank family photo album and other
materials.
* For further information about events in the city of Panevėžys, please call 845435295 or 861120882
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
12:00 noon Event to mark Lithuanian Holocaust Remembrance Day (next to the Sad Jewish Mother
statue on Atminties square, Vasario 16-s street, Panevėžys).
Participating: Panevėžys Jewish Community chairman Gennady Kofman, public figures, city
representatives.
12:30 P.M. Holocaust victim commemoration at Jewish mass murder site in Kurganava Forest.
1:00 P.M. Holocaust victim commemoration at Holocaust memorial site in Žalioji Forest.
2:00 P.M. Exhibit of photographs to mark Lithuanian Holocaust Remembrance Day (The Margarita
Rimkevičaitė Technical School, Panevėžys).
3:30 P.M. Screening of Holocaust film (the first in a series of films about the Holocaust received from Yad
Vashem) (Ramygalos street No. 18, Panevėžys).
* For further information about events in the city of Panevėžys, please call 845435295 or 861120882
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
2:00 P.M. Educational lecture for students from Panevėžys primary and secondary schools: "To
Mark the Jewish Tragedy of the Holocaust in the Panevėžys District." Presenter: Panavėžys Jewish
Community chairman Gennady Kofman. Participating: Panevėžys city school students and teachers.
* For further information about events in the city of Panevėžys, please call 845435295 or 861120882
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
9:30 A.M.-3:30 P.M. Seminar/event "Save the Švėkšna Synagogue" (Liepų a. No. 24, Švėkšna).
Presentations: "Special Features of Jewish Life: Holidays and Kosher Food" by Elijas Danas Pyragas
(Klaipėda, Lithuania); "Teaching Jewish Youth: History of a Fragment of the Panevėžys Yeshiva,"
delivered via skype, Gennady Kofman (Panevėžys); "The Effect of the Soviet Regime on the Development
of Lithuanian-Jewish Relations after Lithuanian Independence," Justas Stončius (Palanga, Lithuania);
"Talking of the Land by the Sea: What Does the Lithuanian Context Provide?," Vytautas Toleikis (Vilnius);
"Traditional Judaism and Customs," Gercas Žakas (Kaunas); "The Kaunas Jewish Community, "Ieva
Černevičiūtė (Kaunas); "The Architecture of the Brick Synagogues of Lithuania," Marija Rupeikienė
(Kaunas).
3:30 P.M.-4:45 P.M. Tour of the town of Švėkšna. Visiting the Synagogue. Monika Žąsytienė
(Švėkšna).
* For more information about the seminar, please contact Monika Žąsytienė, 865757152,
monika.zasytiene@gmail.com
* For further information about events in the city of Panevėžys, please call 845435295 or 861120882
ORGANIZERS
Lithuanian Jewish Community
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
PARTNERS
World Jewish Congress International Yiddish Center Vilnius
Council of Senior Lithuanian Archivists
Lithuanian Central State Archives
Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library
Panevėžys Jewish Community
Šiauliai Jewish Community
Kaunas Jewish Community
Municipality of the City of Vilnius
Municipality of the City of Šiauliai
Municipality of the City of Panevėžys
SUPPORTERS
Goodwill Fund
World Jewish Congress
FELLOW ORGANIZERS AND PARTICIPANTS
Embassy of the Republic of Poland to Lithuania
Embassy of the United States to Lithuania
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania
Lithuanian National Defense Ministry
Lithuanian Foreign Ministry
International Commission for Assessing the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regimes in
Lithuania
St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra
Pax et Bonum
Forum Voix Etouffées
PRO S studio