On October 17-19, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library in Vilnius hosted a seminar on “XXth Century Jewish History and the Holocaust.”
The seminar was organized by Centropa, which invited teachers and educators interested in the history of Lithuanian Jews. The three-day seminar offered the participants lectures, educative field trips, and methodological activities based on the unique material collected by Centropa about Lithuanian Jews: biographies, photos, documentaries, and educational films.
On the first day of the seminar, the teachers had the opportunity to explore the sources collected and stored at the Center for Jewish Studies of the National Library. Dr. Lara Lempertienė, head of the Center for Jewish Studies, explained the stories behind the emergence of the stored sources and, at the same time, introduced the prominent Jewish intellectuals who had the greatest influence on the education of the Jewish community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
On the next day of the seminar, the educators took part in a guided tour of the Old Town of Vilnius, following a route developed by the Centropa organization with the help of an audio guide. Ingrida Vilkienė, coordinator of the educational programs of the International Commission, added new objects to the tour, reflecting the life of the Jews in Vilnius before the Second World War. A guided tour of the Samuel Bak Museum followed, where the artist’s life story, his rescue during the Holocaust, and his work were presented.
During the workshop, two films were shown and discussed, and teachers shared ideas on how to use the films with students. The event also introduced an exhibition on Lithuanian Jews, prepared by the Centropa organization, about life in Lithuania before the war: schools, leisure, festivals, everyday life, religion, etc.
According to Maximilian von Schoeler, Centropa’s representative, “Centropa hopes that the teachers who participated in the workshops will make use of the information material collected by Centropa, which is easily accessible to any educator. Because visual material is very important for today’s young people”.
The seminar was attended by 26 teachers, museum professionals, librarians, and NGO representatives from all over Lithuania. The seminar was the first introduction to the Centropa organization and the material it collected on the Jews who lived there.
Centropa organized the seminar in cooperation with the Secretariat of the International Commission and the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library.
Photo: Wojciech Wojtkielewicz