On May 9-11, 2016 in Vilnius on the base of World Jewish Congress International Yiddish Center the seminar “Pearls of Yiddish Culture” was conducted. Ukrainian teachers and educators as well as “Tkuma” Institute and the Holocaust Museum Educational Department staff became the participants of the seminar.

Vilnius is a Lithuanian Jerusalem and for centuries it had been a center of Jewish culture in Europe, and Yiddish had been the mother tongue of European Jews for hundreds of years. By some estimates, 11-13 million people spoke Yiddish before the Second World War.

Participants of the seminar had the opportunity to get acquainted with the rich heritage of Yiddish culture through lectures by experienced professionals on this topic such as Ilya Lempert, historian and Professor of Jewish history if Lithuania; Dr. Lara Lempert, Vilnius University lecturer, senior bibliographer in the National Library of Lithuania; Dr. Mordehay Yushkovsky, Academic Director of International Yiddish Center.

Within the framework of the seminar participants attended guided tours around the Jewish sights on Vilnius that successfully complemented the rich lecture program.