GO TO YIVO INSTITUTE HOME

News from YIVO: Spring 2025

Jan 24, 2025
YIVO Executive Director and CEO Jonathan Brent speaks at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Washington, DC.

The Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Washington, DC, Commemorates YIVO’s 100th Anniversary and the Establishment of the Antanas Ulpis Humanitarian Award

On December 9, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Washington, DC, hosted a distinguished event commemorating the 100th anniversary of YIVO and the establishment of the Antanas Ulpis Humanitarian Award. This award, a collaborative initiative between YIVO and the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, aims to honor individuals who significantly contribute to enhancing Lithuanian-Jewish relations and understanding.

During the event, Ambassador Audra Plepytė expressed gratitude to YIVO for its vital efforts over the past century in preserving Lithuania’s prewar history and culture, which had been obscured during the 50 years of Soviet occupation following World War II. Aušrinė Žilinskienė, Director General of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, conveyed her congratulations to YIVO and addressed attendees through a video message. Additionally, Jonathan Brent spoke about the organization’s historical significance and future endeavors.

The gathering served as a platform to celebrate YIVO's invaluable contributions to the preservation, study, and promotion of East European Jewish history and culture on a global scale. It was attended by numerous Litvaks, Americans of Lithuanian descent, as well as representatives from Jewish organizations and congressional representatives and their staff.

YIVO Receives $22,500 from the Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation, Inc.

YIVO is pleased to announce a grant of $22,500 from the Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation, Inc. for the conservation, processing, and digitization of Holocaust-related materials in the JLPA. The materials cover various aspects of the Holocaust and its lingering effects, painting a more detailed image of the lives lived and lost. This is the Foundation's fifth grant, the third towards this multi-year project. We are grateful to the Board of Directors of the Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation for their steadfast generosity, which enables us to match a challenge grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and an anonymous foundation. Their continued support allows us to continue honoring the memory of those who persevered in the wake of such tragedy.

YIVO Meets with the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States

YIVO’s Executive Director and CEO Jonathan Brent, together with Chief Development Officer Melissa Cohen and Chief of Staff Shelly Freeman, recently met with the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States H.E. Oksana Markarova. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss YIVO’s project with the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine (VNLU) aimed at digitizing and preserving the historically significant Sh. An-ski collection and to express YIVO’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ambassador expressed her robust support for the initiative which will safeguard this irreplaceable Jewish cultural heritage. Her endorsement underscores the project's importance in preserving historical documentation threatened by ongoing regional conflict.

Microfilm Digitization

This year, the YIVO Archives completed a major project: digitizing all of its microfilmed holdings. Over 100 collections are now digitized and freely available online. These materials are diverse, ranging from major collections on the Holocaust to the records of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society to material from the oldest Jewish congregation in America, Congregation Shearith Israel, dating back to the 18th century.

YIVO Launches Redesigned YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe

With over 246,000 visitors in 2024, the YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe is the go-to resource for anyone interested in the history of East European Jewry. The only resource of its kind, the Encyclopedia provides the most complete picture of the history and culture of Jews in Eastern Europe from the beginnings of their settlement in the region to the present. Now transformed into an easy-to-use website, the Encyclopedia’s accurate, reliable, scholarly information about East European Jewish life is accessible to everyone free of charge. The redesign offers a faster, more reliable user experience, with increased readability and accessibility, and it now displays content more effectively on desktop and mobile browsers. Explore at encyclopedia.yivo.org.

YIVO Archivist & Special Projects Manager Hallel Yadin gives a tour of the stacks as part of a workshop for The Cambridge History of Holocaust Literature.

YIVO Hosts Workshop for The Cambridge History of Holocaust Literature

In September, YIVO hosted a workshop of 41 contributors to the upcoming volume, The Cambridge History of Holocaust Literature. The scholars received exclusive tours of the YIVO stacks, with particular emphasis on our Holocaust collections. Select participants, Rachelle Grossman, Matt Johnson, Harriet Murav, Christin Zühlke, and Erin McGlothlin, also joined YIVO for a panel discussion about Yiddish writing and publishing after the Holocaust, which was open to the public. The workshop was funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council.

YIVO Partners with Esteemed Institutions to Bring Holocaust Education Training to Educators

We are excited to announce recently- held and upcoming workshops for educators, hosted by Karolina Ziulkoski, Chief Curator of the YIVO Bruce and Francesca Cernia Slovin Online Museum, focused on YIVO’s latest exhibition, “Yitskhok Rudashevski: A Teenager’s Account of Life and Death in the Vilna Ghetto.” These workshops are designed to introduce K-12 teachers to this poignant exhibition, providing them with access to primary resources and insights to incorporate Holocaust education meaningfully into their classrooms.

This educational initiative is being delivered in partnership with several respected institutions in the field of Holocaust education:

These workshops offer a unique opportunity for educators to connect with Yitskhok Rudashevski’s story and bring essential lessons of history, resilience, and remembrance into their classrooms. We invite all interested educators to join us in this important work of Holocaust education.