Litvak World

Who Are We?

Litvak World was founded by a group of Litvaks (Lithuanian Jews) and Lithuanians who believe that the Litvak culture is something that should be brought back to life and celebrated and preserved for the ages.

Our Mission

"Our mission is to bring back Lithuania to Litvaks and Litvaks to Lithuania. Our aim is to unite reliable sources of information about the Litvaks' heritage in one place and with the help of modern technologies to encourage Litvaks from all over the world to communicate - among themselves and with Lithuania."  Antanas Zabulis, Chairman of the Board


We have now broadened our efforts to the  Americas through the group founded by Jerrold Zoloto. The mission of the American group is to:

Raise awareness of the Litvak culture,

Engage the interest of Americans in Litvak culture,

Awaken the Litvak identity and to promote it,

Create Litvak experiences for Americans, especially though travel to Lithuania, and

Raise funds to support Litvak World in Lithuania.

Why Support Us?

"The history of the Litvaks is one of the proudest in Jewish history. Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is called the Jerusalem of the North. The Holocaust destroyed Jewish culture in Lithuania, as it did throughout the German reach. Vilnius (the capitol city) alone had over 100 synagogues. Now there is only one. The majority population in many parts of Lithuania was Jewish. Now there are only 4000 Jews in the entire country. It is our responsibility, Jews and non-Jews alike, to re-develop this culture before it is too late. "  Jerrold Zoloto, President, Litvak World, U.S.

What Have We Accomplished?

So far, our efforts have focused in Lithuania. We have:

Created and delivered free Holocaust education seminars for Lithuanian school teachers.

Developed a website for sharing Litvak experiences, past and present.

Sponsored memorial events to highlight the Litvak history in Lithuania.

Translated, published and distributed “Smuggled in Potato Sacks” – 50 stories of the rescued Kaunas ghetto children.

Published and distributed “Litvak Art” a book reflecting the works of over 40 great Litvak artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Published “Hundred Synagogues of Vilnius”, a map, depicting the scope of pre-war Jewish life in Vilnius, marking over 134 locations of synagogues on it.

What We Plan:

In expanding our efforts, we plan to:

Build a Litvak Center in Vilnius, the capitol of Lithuania, on the site of the former Great Vilna Synagogue, to memorialize, educate, stimulate interest in and preserve the traditions of Litvak culture.

Use the Litvak Center to develop, support and preserve the continuing Litvak culture in Europe and abroad.

Educate people in the Americas regarding Litvak history and current events.

Gather groups of Litvaks throughout the world to celebrate our culture.

How you can help:

Raise and donate funds to continue and expand our work.

Share this project through your email, Facebook, etc.

Join us to broaden our efforts.

Participate in Litvak events.