Lithuania

Lithuania

From June 15-19, we were in Vilnius, Lithuania, for “Learning from the Past – Acting for the Future: Teaching about the Holocaust and Human Rights,” a five-day seminar organized by TOLI in partnership with the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania and the Jewish Community of Lithuania. The program brought together educators from across Lithuania, Ukraine, and Poland to deepen their understanding of the Holocaust, antisemitism, human rights, and effective teaching practices.

The seminar began with an exploration of identity, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination, setting the stage for thoughtful dialogue and reflection. Participants engaged with leading scholars and educators Vadim Altskan and Saulius Suziedelis as they examined the Holocaust in both European and Lithuanian contexts, heard testimony from Jewish Community of Lithuania President Faina Kukliansky, and learned about Jewish culture and traditions.

Throughout the week, we focused on strategies for countering antisemitism and Holocaust distortion, while connecting Holocaust education to broader human rights issues. Highlights included a walking tour of historic Jewish Vilna, a visit to the Samuel Bak Museum, a presentation by journalist and author Silvia Foti on uncovering her grandfather’s wartime legacy, and a guided visit to the Ponary Memorial, one of Lithuania’s most significant Holocaust memorial sites.

The seminar concluded with collaborative planning sessions where participants developed educational projects to bring their learning from the seminar back to their classrooms and communities.

About the Seminar

Since 2019, TOLI has organized yearly Holocaust and human rights education seminars for Lithuanian educators, in partnership with the International Commission for the Evaluation of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania and the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

TOLI’s Lithuania Seminar brings together 30 educators from across the country to learn the importance of the Holocaust and human rights. Through interdisciplinary methodology, teachers learn how to work with their students by using the lens of human rights to understand how atrocities like the Holocaust are possible.

Along with lectures and workshops by local and international experts, participants learned about the Holocaust in Lithuania through guided tours of Jewish Vilna, the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, and the Paneriai Memorial Site.

Thank you to the Good Will Foundation and the Kazickas Family Foundation for their generous support of our Lithuania Seminar.