by Uladzimir Valodzin
On August 2 we spent most part of a day in Vilnius Jewish Library at Gedimino pr. There we found two small exhibitions. One, with weird name „The genetic pool of Wilno“, showed photographs of Wilno’s jews from interwar period. Second had Lithuanian passports of Jonava’s Jews from the same period on display.
Before lunch three keynote speakers made their presentations. Violeta Davoliute from Yale University spoke about different representations and perceptions of Lithuanian involvement in the Holocaust and of Soviet partisans. I was particularly impressed that sculpture of Marite Melnikaite was removed from public space to Gruto parkas without any evidence of her being „Soviet perpetrator“ and not just antifascist resistance participant.
Rasa Čepaitienė from Vilnius University compared memory politics of contemporary Lithuania and Belarus. Finally, Lara Lempert from the same university gave her impressions about her personal involvement in preservation and interpretation of different parts of Jewish heritage. She underlined that Lithuanian public in general is able to accept visibility of (and even shows interest in) Jewish heritage, as long as Lithanian anti-semitism is not discussed.
After lunch we started presentations of our research projects or activities.
The day was concluded by a guided tour through Jewish Vilne. Our guide, Regina, showed us some important places of the former Ghetto, Shulhojf and the grounds of former Great Sinagogue, and some other places connected to local Jewish history.
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