As we approach Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, this year’s theme of “Bridging Generations” reminds us that the responsibility of remembrance lies with all of us. At the Lost Shtetl Museum, a major new Jewish history museum located in Seduva, outside Vilnius, we tell the often-overlooked and remarkable story of Lithuania’s Jews.
The museum’s opening is significant on many levels. I would like to highlight three points in particular.
First, at a time of rising ignorance about the Holocaust, it provides a crucial and historically accurate educational resource. The global context is deeply worrying.
An eight-country study found that in the UK, 20% of respondents believe that two million or fewer Jews were killed in the Holocaust, while 17% do not accept that the Holocaust and the number of Jews killed have been accurately described. Furthermore, a 50-state survey of Americans aged 18-39 found that nearly half could not name a single concentration camp or ghetto, despite there having been more than 40,000.
Alongside ignorance about the Holocaust, Holocaust denial is on the rise. These are component parts of a toxic combination of antisemitism and prejudice. The Holocaust is the ultimate example of what can happen when hatred goes unchecked. Yet the most effective antidote to the rise of hatred is education.
The importance of education
Over 80 years since the end of the Shoah and the Second World War, survivors of the Holocaust are sadly dying. In the not-too-distant future, none will be alive to give their first-hand testimony. This underscores the importance of strengthening education and dialogue across different communities, and re-engaging younger generations with the past.
We are proud to be among the newest major Holocaust museums, alongside outstanding institutions that already operate in the US and Europe, and of course Yad Vashem in Israel. With antisemitic incidents rising sharply across Europe and beyond, the museum’s lessons carry urgent contemporary relevance.
The second reason why the Lost Shtetl Museum is so significant is that it reflects international cooperation and interest. Our exhibitions were developed by a team of local Lithuanian curators in collaboration with experts from Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Poland, and the United States. Since opening in September 2024, over 26,000 people have visited the Lost Shtetl Museum, including Lithuanians as well as Jewish and Christian visitors from across Europe, North America, and Israel. Their level of interest has been inspiring, demonstrating a commitment among the public to honoring and remembering Jewish history. It is crucial that we continue to provide the educational resources to match their interest.
Thirdly, the Lost Shtetl Museum is unique amongst Holocaust museums in that it tells the particular story of Lithuania’s Jews.
Spotlighting Lithuania's Jewish community
In 1941, over 90% of Lithuania’s Jewish population perished. Yet the history of this once-thriving community has rarely been told. At the Lost Shtetl Museum, we are seeking to change this, one visitor at a time.
We spotlight the history of Lithuania’s Jewish community from the very beginning. The first Jews arrived in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century, having been invited for their knowledge of trades and craftsmanship. For generations, Jews enjoyed protections and privileges, had freedom of worship, and lived alongside Christians in shtetls, as well as in cities like Vilnius and Kaunas.
Of the 190,000 Jews who lived in Lithuania on the eve of the Second World War, over 90% perished during the Holocaust – one of the highest proportions of any European Jewish population. Most shtetl Jews were killed at the hands of Nazis and local collaborators between June and December 1941. In Šeduva, the Jewish community was forced into a temporary labour camp before 664 people were murdered in the nearby Liaudiškiai Forest, exemplifying what has been termed the “Holocaust by bullets.”
Jews who survived lived in urban ghettos until their liquidation in 1943, when they were largely transported to concentration camps across Europe. The collaboration between locals and Nazis during the war can be uncomfortable to confront, but serves as a compelling reminder of the evils that can unfold when ignorance is allowed to flourish.
On January 27, millions of people around the world will observe Holocaust Remembrance Day. Their joint dedication to remembrance should be taken as a reminder of the power that rests in our togetherness. When we understand our history, we are less likely to repeat its mistakes.
The writer is the director of the Lost Shtetl Museum in Šeduva, Lithuania.