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Since 2009, when Lithuania was invited to participate in the Jerusalem International Book Fair as an honorary guest, this book fair, which is held every two years, has become a strategically important occasion for the country to present its multicultural range of books, in which research studies and literary works on Jewish themes clearly play an important role.

This year, a small delegation of representatives from Lithuania’s research and art communities will take several dozen of the latest books to Jerusalem. In two round-table discussions to be held as part of the book fair, the main publications that came out in Lithuaniaduring the last few years relating to the rich cultural heritage of the Jews, and the history of Lithuanian Jews and their fate, will be discussed. They range from Lietuvos žydai (Lithuanian Jews, Baltos lankos, 2012), a serious academic work of history that appeared in bookshops just over a month ago, to literary works such as Debesis, vardu Lietuva (A Cloud Called Lithuania, The Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publisher, 2009) and Miestelio romansas (The Romance of a Small Town, Tyto alba, 2013), the latest books by the Lithuanian-Jewish writer Grigory Kanovich now living in Israel. From the bare facts of Holokausto atlasas (The Holocaust Atlas, The Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, 2011) to the heartrending testimonies of Kazimierz Sakowicz, Valdemar Ginzburg and Miron Ginko, or the pearls of Jewish folklore and Kabala in the poetry of Menke Katz, sparkling in the industrial landscape of New York, whose bilingual collection Rinktiniai eilėraščiai / Selected poems, Versus aureus), published five years ago, will appear in electronic form for the Jerusalem Book Fair. Sigitas Parulskis’ novel Tamsa ir partneriai (Darkness and Partners,Alma littera, 2012) will be another of the books presented to Israeli readers this year. It is a novel which reveals the bitter truth about the mass killings of Jews inLithuania, from the lips of a young photographer who unexpectedly became a witness to the tragic events. No other non-Jewish Lithuanian writers have so far dared to write about the killings so explicitly.

Dr Larisa Lempertienė, a lecturer atVilniusUniversityand a well-known investigator into the cultural and spiritual traditions of the Litvaks, will lead the first discussion ‘The Heritage of the Lithuanian Jews: Investigations, Considerations, Perspectives’ (11 February, 17.00–18.30). She will discuss books reflecting the different attitudes and reactions of modern Lithuanian society to the history and culture of the Lithuanian-Jewish community, and its past and its present.

In looking at studies of the Holocaust published during the last few years, the historian Dr Ilja Lempertas will examine issues which, in his opinion, have not been analysed sufficiently, and will share his impressions about various reactions by the Lithuanian public to the publications on the Holocaust.

Dr Kamilė Rupeikaitė of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum will present publications issued by the museum between 2009 and 2012 and its educational activities, and will discuss the concept of the envisaged Centre of Litvak Culture.

The high point of the first discussion will be the appearance by the writer and playwright Grigory Kanovich, who was born and spent most of his life in Lithuania, to speak about his latest works, in which his precious childhood reminiscences and the colourful world of the Jews of the town of Jonava come to life.

The second discussion ‘Review of Digital Books and Media inLithuania: Form, Content, Significance’ (12 February, 14.00–15.30) will be devoted to modern book publishing and media possibilities inLithuania. Some of the more important book distribution channels in Central andEastern Europewill be featured, and the most interesting examples of Lithuanian electronic books, including books on Jewish themes, will be presented.

Darius Vosylius, from the independent e-book distribution and marketing company Prodigita and the e-book production company IKalvis, will introduce news and statistics relating to electronic books.

Saulius Beržinis, the moderator of the discussion, and a documentary filmmaker, will review traces of the cultural and spiritual heritage of the Litvaks, and stereotypes of Lithuanian-Jewish relations in Lithuanian films, and on the radio, television and the Internet.

Dr Kamilė Rupeikaitė will present documentary films commissioned by the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum between 2005 and 2012 on the themes of saving Jews during the Second World War and anti-Semitism inLithuania, virtual exhibitions, and the electronic projects of the museum. 

The Lithuanian programme at the Jerusalem International Book Fair will be accompanied by a retrospective of documentary films specially prepared by Saulius Beržinis, to be held in the Jerusalem cinematheque two evenings in a row, during which his best films made on Jewish themes or clips from them will be shown, beginning with the very first, Goodbye, Jerusalem (1994), and ending with Maine Vilne, which is still in production.

The Lithuanian events at this year’s The Jerusalem International Book Fair are organised and coordinated by Books fromLithuania, operating under the auspices of the International Cultural Programme Centre.Lithuania’s participation in the book fair is supported by the Ministry of Culture of theRepublicofLithuania. The programme’s partner is the Embassy of theRepublicofLithuaniain Tel Aviv.

The Jerusalem Book Fair, which is held every two years, was established in 1963, and is famous for its various educational programmes for new book publishers and literary agents, its endless fascinating meetings in the literary café, and its international seminars and discussions on themes other than just literature. One of the most important events at the book fair is the award of the Jerusalem Prize to the writer who embodies best the idea of the ‘freedom of the individual in society’ in his work. Five writers who were awarded this prize have later gone on to win the Nobel Prize. In 2011, the Jerusalem Prize went to the British writer Ian McEwan.

More information available at www.booksfromlithuania.lt ; www.jerusalembookfair.com

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