Vilna Gaon Jewish Museum of History

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Abbreviation

VGŽIM

Address

Naugarduko g. 10/2, Vilnius, LT-01141, Vilniaus m. sav., Lietuva

Phone No

+370 523 123 57

Fax No

+370 523 123 58

E-mail

muziejus@jmuseum.lt

Website

http://www.jmuseum.lt/

Type by theme

istorija

Institution code

190757374

Bank account number

LT 78 7044 0600 0112 2245

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Information about the museum

The mission of the Vilnius Gaon Museum of Jewish History is to present the authentic world of Lithuanian Jews, to preserve heritage, to learn from history, and to work toward a common future. The foundation of the museum's collections consists of the exhibits saved by people who sought to preserve Jewish heritage during the Holocaust, and which were kept at Vilnius Jewish Museum after the war.

The Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum was established here, in 1991. The Holocaust Exhibit at the Green House was the first such exhibit in Lithuania and the Baltic states. The founders of the Holocaust Exhibit were themselves Holocaust survivors, and include Rachel Margolis, Dmitri Gelpern, Rocha Kostanian, Eugenija Biber, Genrich Agranovski and Fania Brancovskaja.

The Holocaust Exhibit provides a short introduction to the history and culture of the once quite populous Jewish people of Lithuania and a more comprehensive treatment of their destruction during World War II.

The museum has three active branches: the Samuel Bak Museum, the Holocaust Exhibition, and the Paneriai Memorial Site. The exhibitions of the other three branches: the Museum of Culture and Identity of Lithuanian Jews, the Jacques Lipchitz Memorial Museum, and the Memorial Museum of the Holocaust in Lithuania and Vilna Ghetto are still in preparation.

Branches and units of the museum

Holocaust Exhibition	Pamėnkalnio g. 12, Vilnius, LT-01114, Vilniaus m. sav., Lietuva	Information about the branch / unit The Holocaust Exhibition is a branch of the Vilnius Gaon Museum of Jewish History. It depicts the life of Lithuanian Jewry until the Holocaust and how it changed after the beginning of the Second World War; the circumstances and the development of the Holocaust in Lithuania; the importance of the armed and spiritual resistance in Vilna and Kaunas Ghettos; the forced labour and concentration camps; the rescue of the Jews during the Nazi occupation, and the destruction of Jewish heritage in the Soviet period.
Museum of Culture and Identity of Lithuanian Jews	Pylimo g. 4A, Vilnius, LT-01117, Vilniaus m. sav., Lietuva	Information about the branch / unit The Museum of Culture and Identity of Lithuanian Jews is the newest and largest branch of the Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History. The Museum is located at Pylimo Str. 4A, in the former Jewish Gymnasium Tarbut building. It is the first museum in the country to present Lithuanian Jewish history, culture, customs and different scenes of everyday life in such a diverse and comprehensive way. The top floor houses the museum of Rafael Chwoles, one of the most famous Lithuanian Jewish artists of the 20th century. Other world-famous Litvaks who were born, lived in or are connected to Lithuania are also featured. Among them are Nobel laureates Aaron Klug and Bernard Lown, artists Mark Antokolski, Jacques Lipchitz, Neemija Arbitblatas, Hollywood stars Ruth Roman, Al Jolson and Laurence Harvey. The four-storey building houses 17 modern design exhibitions (the project was designed by the architectural bureau Processoffice, chief architect Vytautas Biekša). Visitors are not only shown authentic exhibits, but also have the opportunity to interactively engage with the history of Lithuanian Jews. The ground floor of the building is dedicated to welcoming and serving visitors, and also houses a hall for educational activities. The museum's exhibitions are spread over the other three floors.
Paneriai Memorial	Agrastų g. 15, Vilnius, LT-02243, Vilniaus m. sav., Lietuva	Information about the branch / unit The Paneriai Memorial Site is a branch of the Vilnius Gaon Museum of Jewish History. Here, at the massacre site, 50 000–70 000 people were murdered during the Second World War. Most of the victims were Jews; others were the Polish underground fighters, the Lithuanian Territorial Defence Force, Soviet prisoners of war, Romani people and other local residents who resisted Nazi orders. On the memorial grounds, visitors can see monuments to the victims, the pit of mass killings, and the pit where members of the cremation brigade, who were forced by the Nazis to exhume and burn the victims' bodies, were kept. Visitors are also invited to visit the memorial's information centre and learn more about the tragic history of Paneriai – the largest site of mass killings in Lithuania.
Samuel Bak Museum	Naugarduko g. 10, Vilnius, LT-01309, Vilniaus m. sav., Lietuva	Information about the branch / unit The Samuel Bak Museum is a branch of the Vilnius Gaon Museum of Jewish History. It was established in 2017 in the premises of the Tolerance Centre. The paintings of the artist Samuel Bak, who was born in Vilnius and miraculously survived the Holocaust, are exhibited here. Thirty-seven artworks of exceptional value, showing the creative development of Samuel Bak and related to the artist's personal history and the events of the Second World War, have been donated to the museum.

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Vilna Gaon Jewish Museum of History

Information about the museum

Branches and units of the museum