On March 9, 2026, the Good Will Foundation’s administration visited the Institute for Jewish Research (hereinafter referred to as YIVO) in New York City, United States, which is one of the most important institutions in the world studying the history, culture and Yiddish language of Eastern and Central European Jews.
In 1925, YIVO was founded in Vilnius (Vilna), which at that time was one of the most important centers of Jewish culture in all of Europe. Interestingly, the name YIVO itself comes from the Yiddish Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut (Jewish Scientific Institute). The institute, which operated in Vilnius, collected and studied Jewish historical documents, folklore, Yiddish language and literature, and various materials on the life of Jewish communities. During World War II, one part of the Institute’s materials was saved and transferred to New York, where the Institute itself continued its activities to this day.
After visiting the archives, which store pre-war documents of Lithuanian Jews which, thanks to partial funding from the Good Will Foundation, were all digitized, and seeing the educational classes where one can experience the work of the archives using the principles of living history, as well as the Yiddish language, and then hearing about YIVO’s future plans, it became clear that the pre-war heritage of Lithuanian Jews preserved by YIVO will be preserved, cherished, and disseminated, perhaps one day, not only from New York, but also from a YIVO branch established in Vilnius with the help of the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community.
YIVO offers many opportunities for various target groups, and anyone in Lithuania who is Jewish or interested in Jewish topics or archival work methodologies can use YIVO’s digitized materials for free or participate in YIVO’s various on line and in person activities.
All pre-war Vilna materials preserved at YIVO have been digitized and can be accessed on this link: Guide to the YIVO Archives
Two Online Exhibitions based on these Vilna materials can be accessed on this link:
YIVO Bruce and Francesca Cernia Slovin Online Museum
An example of precious Vilna materials are medical cards written by the famous Vilnius doctor, public figure and Jewish community figure Shabad (Tsemakh Shabad, Tsemachas Shabadas, 1864-1935) about the people of Vilnius at that time, and, for anyone who is interested in the history of their families or relatives, these medical cards are a great opportunity to find this information.
Also, anyone studying the humanities or dealing with archival science can take advantage of various internships at YIVO and receive a scholarship. More information can be found here: https://yivo.org/Scholarships
A strange, yet full feeling of gratitude came over us, being so far from Vilnius, on the other side of the Atlantic, and at the same time while at YIVO we feel like we are in pre-war Vilnius and listening, touching, or looking at the history of Vilnius. Anyone who wants can find the history of pre-war Vilnius in New York. Let’s take advantage of the opportunities to discover it!
Photos:
Stefanie Halpern, Ph.D., YIVO Director of Collections
Left to right:
Marija Navickaitė, GWF Assistant to director
Indrė Rutkauskaitė, GWF Director
Jonathan Brent, Executive Director & CEO
Vilma Zlatkauskaitė, GWF Project manager
