Vilna

Poland and Lithuania both claimed Vilna (Vilnius) after World War I. Polish forces occupied Vilna in 1920, and before the outbreak of World War II, the city of Vilna was part of northeastern Poland.

The German Occupation of Vilna

On the 24th of June 1941, the Germans conquered Vilna and established a joint administration with the Lithuanians. The Lithuanians murdered dozens of Jews and the Germans kidnapped many Jewish men for work; not all of whom returned. Lithuanians searched the Jews for weapons and stole items of value. Jews were dismissed from employment and in grocery stores, special Jewish queues were established, from which most left empty handed.

"Remembering Vilna: The Jerusalem of Lithuania"

Those Who Were There: Voices from the Holocaust is the only podcast dedicated to sharing the history of the Holocaust through the first-hand testimonies of survivors and witnesses. The podcast draws on recorded interviews from Yale University’s Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, which comprises the oral histories of over 4,000 people. It took incredible courage for these individuals to revisit their memories of Nazi-occupied Europe and provide testimony to the Fortunoff Video Archive; it is our duty to listen and share, so that the horrific events of the Holocaust do not fade from memory.

Season three of the series, "Remembering Vilna: The Jerusalem of Lithuania," is a joint production of the Fortunoff Video Archive and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York City. The 10-part audio documentary brings to life the story of Vilna’s Jewish community—before, during, and right after World War II— through the vivid recorded testimony of Holocaust survivors and excerpts from a diary that was kept by the librarian of the Vilna ghetto.

Remains of Lithuanian Synagogue Destroyed by Nazis and Soviets Unearthed

Archaeologists in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius have found sacred objects from the Great Synagogue of Vilna, which was partially destroyed by the Nazis before being razed by the Soviets in the 1950s, reports Michael Bachner for the Times of Israel.

World Jewish Congress Communities: Lithuania

Lithuania, according to the 2023 estimates, has 2,400 Jews. Jews have a deep connection to Lithuania, as it was home to a historically large and influential Jewish community. Consequently, a large number of Jews throughout the world can trace their roots back to the region and are considered “Litvaks.” Lithuanian Jews live harmoniously with the general Lithuanian population and there has been a somewhat recent revival of Jewish learning in the community. Despite some manifestations of antisemitism, Jews in Lithuania enjoy a relative sense of security. The Jewish community in Lithuania is represented by the Jewish Community of Lithuania – the Lithuanian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress.