Klaipėda University to host conference on Jewish cultural heritage

Scholars from various countries will gather at Klaipėda University on October 13–14 for a conference focused on Jewish cultural heritage. The event will examine the fate of Jewish community property and cultural assets following the Holocaust, as well as how this heritage has been preserved and commemorated since the restoration of independence.

The discussions will compare how Lithuania and other post-socialist European nations have addressed the protection, restitution, and inheritance of Jewish cultural heritage. Professor Ruth Leiserowitz, the primary organizer, noted that while the restored Lithuanian state took early legal measures to protect Jewish cultural heritage in 1991, the full extent of these transformations is best understood through a comparative lens with other former Warsaw Pact countries.

The conference is open to the public, including historians, heritage protection specialists, and representatives of ethnic minorities.