Litvak Days in London are an annual event which explore the rich cultural legacy of Lithuanian Jews in the UK and beyond.
This year, which marks the 14th Litvak Days event, join us for a panel discussion dedicated to a centenary of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, a global movement which included participation of the most important intellectual figures of the 20th century. The institute was established in Vilnius, had its branch in the UK, and currently operates in New York. This will be followed by a concert.
In the spring of 1925 the Yidisher visnshaftlekher institut (Yiddish Scientific Institute), known as YIVO, was established in Vilnius. At this time Yiddish was the native language of approximately 11 million people, and Jewish Vilna was world renowned as a centre of Yiddish culture.
In Eastern Europe, secular Jewish Diaspora Nationalists promoted their own national life in the countries of their residence, creating a new movement that gave rise to a network of innovative cultural institutions. These culminated in the creation of YIVO, which became the centre of a global network of scholars and support groups.
The efforts to rescue a portion of the institute’s collections during the Holocaust and transfer them to New York was no less of a monumental achievement. While YIVO continues its work today in New York, it remains a symbol of the rich heritage of the Vilna Jewish community.
Panel speakers will include Dr. Lara Lempertienė, head of the Judaica Research Centre of Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania and Dr. William Pimlott, researcher at the Birbeck Institute Study of Antisemitism.
