YIVO, the National Library’s Partner, Celebrates the 95th Anniversary

The 7th of August of 1925 ninety-five years ago saw the start of the conference of Europe’s Jewish intellectuals, which announced the establishment of the Jewish Scientific Institute. Several months after that, the Institute started to operate in Vilnius under the abbreviated name YIVO and before long, it became a centre of attraction for the world’s Jewish diaspora. The Institute conducted innovative research in all humanitarian domains, collected a vast documentary archive and scholarly library and provided postgraduate degrees for young people from Europe and America. YIVO much contributed to the strengthening of Vilnius’s reputation as a hub of the Jewish intellectual potential. The Institute had its branches and departments in other countries (USA, Poland, Argentine, etc.). During World War II, the operation of YIVO was savagely disrupted and a great number of its team lost their lives. All functions of YIVO were taken over by its New York Branch, which has been operating as the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research up to the present day.

The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania and YIVO in New York are long-time partners having implemented and continuing implementing more than a few international projects: “The Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections” and its follow-up “Using EBYVCP Primary Sources in the Classroom”, the publishing of the manuscript of Abraham Sutzkever’s ghetto poetry, etc.. We welcome the 95th anniversary of YIVO and wish it long years of productive activity!