Visit of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research delegation

On 22 June, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania was visited by a delegation from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research as part of the international Lithuania & Poland Study Tour: exclusively for YIVO. The guide of this tour is Samuel Kassow, Professor of Trinity College (USA), who gave a lecture The Uniqueness of Jewish Vilnius during the opening of the Judaica Research Centre on 23 May.

Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, Director General of the National Library presented the renovated library, its mission and new spaces to the guests.

Director of YIVO Jonathan Brent presented the YIVO Vilnius Project, the importance of this project and told about how Jewish books were saved from destruction during the Soviet times.

Kristina Dūdaitė, Supervisor and Researcher of the Judaica Research Centre spoke about a new project implemented by the Centre – Strengthening the Knowledge of Jewish Cultural Heritage: a series of academic lectures. The aim of the project is improving public awareness of the Jewish cultural heritage. The results of the YIVO Vilnius Project achieved by the YIVO Vilnius Project team of the National Library over two years were also presented.

The guests visited the exhibition People and Books of the Strashun Library organised by the Judaica Research Centre and learned more about the Centre itself. The Head of the Centre Larisa Lempertienė presented the Jewish documents stored in the Centre.