Forgotten Memory
The Jews of Vilne in Diaspora
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
How East European Jews are remembered is increasingly becoming the focus of attention. Nevertheless, how East European Jews remember themselves is largely unknown. Most Holocaust survivors did not return to their homelands, but settled around the world. The Jewish associations of fellow countrymen from the old world kept the memory of their homeland and the Holocaust alive in their new countries. This is seen in the case of Jews from Vilnius (Vil’na, Vilne). The way they look at the past differs fundamentally from the way Jews still living in Eastern Europe look back. This contains the potential for conflict over historical interpretation and cultural heritage. This is demonstrated by the dispute over materials from YIVO Institute still located in Lithuania.
(Osteuropa 8-10/2008, pp. 353–366)
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Forgotten Memory