7 October 2025

Roundtable discussion “Jewish heritage in Lithuania: what connects us, what divides?”

On October 17 at 5 p.m., the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania will host a roundtable discussion “Jewish heritage in Lithuania: what connects us, what divides?”.

The participants of the discussion are professor Jonathan Brent, historian and The Executive Director and CEO of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Sergejus Kanovičius, writer and founder of the Litvak Cemetery Catalogue MACEVA, dr. Lara Lempertienė, researcher of European and Lithuanian Jewish cultural history and head of the Judaica Research Centre at the National Library of Lithuania, and associate professor Aurimas Švedas, historian and director of the Lithuanian Institute of History. The discussion will be moderated by renowned British journalist Rosie Goldsmith.

The Jewish cultural heritage in Lithuania is an integral part of Lithuanian history. Historical buildings, Jewish cemeteries, and surviving documentary heritage are the legacy of the large and vibrant community of Lithuanian Jews, which was almost completely destroyed during the Holocaust. How is Jewish cultural heritage managed, researched, and interpreted in Lithuania? Do heritage sites become a space for dialogue or a source of controversy and disagreement?

The discussion will be held in English with a translation into Lithuanian.

We invite you to an event where experts on Jewish history and heritage, researchers of culture, history, and memory will discuss Jewish cultural heritage in Lithuania.

This event is supported by the British Embassy in Vilnius.

Participants:

Rosie Goldsmith is an award-winning English journalist and presenter. She was a BBC staff Senior Broadcast Journalist for twenty years, hosting the programs Front Row and Crossing Continents. She is currently a freelance journalist and organizes events and festivals with various cultural organizations. She is the director of the European Literature Network, Editor-in-Chief of the European literary magazine The Riveter, artistic director of the European Writers’ Festival, and host of the podcast Slightly Foxed.

Professor Jonathan Brent is a historian, translator, lecturer, and, since 2009, The Executive Director and CEO of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. On his initiative, in 2014, in cooperation with the Lithuanian government, The Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections Project was implemented, during which the YIVO pre-war collections from New York and Vilnius were digitized. In 2019, his work in promoting cooperation between Lithuania and YIVO and preserving Lithuanian pre-war Jewish archives was recognized with the Knight's Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania.

Sergejus Kanovičius is a writer, publicist, well-known researcher and public commentator on Lithuanian Jewish history and heritage, founder and creator of the Lost Shtetl Museum in Šeduva, and long-time cultural project manager. He regularly publishes analytical articles in the national and international media and actively participates in discussions on memory politics, tolerance, and human rights. He was awarded The Order for Merits to Lithuania for his efforts to preserve Jewish cultural heritage.

Dr. Lara Lempertienė is the head of the Judaica Research Centre at the Documentary Heritage Research Department of the National Library of Lithuania. She specializes in classical Jewish texts and the history of Jewish culture in Europe and Lithuania. L. Lempertienė is the editor of many books, author of articles, curator of exhibitions, and participant and organizer of Lithuanian and international cultural and academic projects related to Jewish culture and its memory. In 2023, L. Lempertienė was awarded The Order for Merits to Lithuania medal for her research, preservation, and dissemination of Lithuanian Jewish cultural heritage around the world.

Associate professor Aurimas Švedas is a historian, lecturer at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University, director of the Lithuanian Institute of History, and author of the books “Istoriko teritorija” (A Historian’s Territory) and Irena Veisaitė. Gyvenimas turėtų būti skaidrus (Irena Veisaitė. Life Should Be Transparent). A. Švedas’ academic interests include the history of historiography, oral history, cultural and communicative memory, historical theory, and the cultural history of the second half of the 20th century. He is the initiator and participant of various cultural research projects, a creator of television and radio programs, and a contributor to cultural publications.

The illustration shows the 1836 chronicle (“pinkas”) of the Lazdijai Talmud Study Society.

Briefly about the event

Date

17 October

Time

17:00

Place

Event Area, 3rd floor

Duration

2 h

Attendance

free

Organiser

Judaica Research Centre

Sponsor

British Embassy Vilnius

Important

the opening of the exhibition will be held in English
the discussion will be held in English with a translation into Lithuanian

More information

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