Vilnius-founded YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, founded in Vilnius in 1925 as the first secular academic center for Eastern European Jewish studies, is celebrating a centennial this year. Although the institute was relocated to New York in 1940 due to the devastation of World War II and the Holocaust in Europe, its legacy in Vilnius remains important to this day.

Building a deeper understanding of history

While still in Vilnius, YIVO quickly became a major center for Yiddish culture, language, and Jewish studies, expanding into a global movement with branches from Buenos Aires to Shanghai. YIVO's main goal was to research, standardize, preserve, and promote the Yiddish language and culture. Over a century, YIVO published Yiddish literature, trained scholars, and built the world’s largest library and archive on Eastern European Jewish life. YIVO’s members included many prominent figures; the institute’s Honorary Council featured Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, while Marc Chagall was involved in establishing YIVO’s art division in Vilnius.

Because of the Holocaust, Vilnius lost its Jewish community, along with centuries of cultivated Jewish heritage. However, several members of the Vilna Ghetto resistance – such as Abraham Sutzkever, Shmerke Kaczerginski, Zelig Kalmanovich, and others – managed to save part of the written cultural heritage. After the war, Antanas Ulpis, who led the Lithuanian Book Chamber, continued their work, helping preserve many of these documents, which are now kept at the Lithuanian National Library. The original YIVO building was later demolished, but today a memorial plaque on A. Vivulskio Street in Vilnius marks the spot, with inscriptions in Lithuanian, English, and Hebrew.

Since one of YIVO’s primary goals has always been to preserve, study, spread, and immortalize Litvak culture and history, a series of special events will be held in Vilnius to mark the centenary. These events aren’t just about honoring YIVO’s past – they’re also about bringing people together and building a deeper understanding of history. It’s a great chance to explore Vilnius’ rich Jewish heritage and experience Yiddish culture up close!

Vilnius Picture Gallery

Exhibition: "You Shall Not Make an Image. Commandments, Daily Life and Change"
March 5 – September 14, 2025
Didžioji Str. 4, Vilnius

Explore the heritage of traditional Jewish art and discover the interaction between neighboring cultures through art. The exhibition, organized to commemorate the centenary of YIVO’s founding in Vilnius, aims to bring visitors together in pursuit of a common goal: preserving, researching, promoting, and memorializing Litvak culture and history – precisely the mission that drove YIVO’s creation.

Museum of Culture and Identity of Lithuanian Jews

Exhibition: "YIVO: Stories of Vilna"
May 21 – December 22, 2025
Pylimo St. 4, Vilnius

Find out why Vilnius was chosen as the birthplace of YIVO in 1925. How did this institution shape and enrich the intellectual life of the interwar period? At the exhibition "YIVO: Stories of Vilna", you’ll step back into interwar Vilnius through revived photographs and learn about the daily lives, economic, social, and cultural narratives of the city's Jewish community. Find out more about YIVO’s founders and notable figures linked to the institute, such as Max Weinreich, Zalmen Reisen, Nahum Stutchkoff, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Simon Dubnow, Abraham Sutzkever, Shmerke Kaczerginski, Marc Chagall, Rafael Chvoles, and others.

Judaica Research Centre

YIVO Centenary Events
National Martynas Mažvydas Library
Gedimino Ave. 51, 5th Floor

To commemorate YIVO’s 100th anniversary, the Judaica Research Centre at the Lithuanian National Library will host various seminars and conferences focusing on key aspects of Jewish life.