What was the daily experience of Jews hiding from the German machine of extermination and those who brought them help sometimes even risking their lives? An exhibition that juxtaposes these two distinct yet intertwined perspectives will be inaugurated in Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum on 24 January, three days before the International Holocaust Remembrance Day..
The exhibition ‘Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue During the Holocaust’ presents accounts from ten European countries: Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The Lithuanian part of the exhibition showcases the stories of the Shochot family, a mother with two little sons who went into hiding after the liquidation of the Telšiai ghetto, and Sofija Binkienė, who – supported by her family – managed to give a shelter to many refugees from the Kaunas ghetto and was later recognized as Righteous Among the Nations.
By outlining stories of survivors along with those of rescuers, the display highlights the complexity of human relations under extreme conditions. The testimonies are also shown against a broader historical background to offer a better understanding of local opportunities for Jews to survive and for helpers to provide aid.
The exhibition had its premiere in Brussels with the official opening in the European Commission headquarters and later was presented also in Amsterdam and Bratislava. Vilnius will be the fourth stop on the exhibition’s tour around Europe.
The official opening, which is open to the public, takes place on Thursday, 24 January at 17:30.
Speeches will be given by the Minister of Culture of Lithuania, Dr Mindaugas Kvietkauskas; the Director of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, Markas Zingeris; Ambassador of Poland, Urszula Doroszewska; and Chairman of the ENRS Steering Committee, Prof. Jan Rydel.
The official part will be then followed be a curator's tour of the exhibition led by Klara Jackl from POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
Read more about the display in Vilnius
Between Life and Death. Stories of Rescue during the Holocaust
24 January – 17 March 2019
Venue: Tolerance Center, Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum
Naugarduko st. 10/2, Vilnius
Organisers:
European Network Remembrance and Solidarity,
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews,
Silent Heroes Memorial Centre at the German Resistance Memorial Center Foundation
Funding:
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland,
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), Germany
Partners:
Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum,
Memorial Chambon sur Lignon,
Memorial de la Shoah,
Danish Jewish Museum,
‘Tkuma’ Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies,
Castrum Peregrini,
Museum of the Second World War,
NIOD, the Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies,
Nation’s Memory Institute (UPN)