JEWISH GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF TORONTO

and Classi Lectures
PRESENT

LITHUANIAN SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG)

Featuring Trudy Gold

Wednesday, 25 Jan 2023, 4-5 p.m. EST
VIRTUAL MEETING: Join from Home
Virtual doors open at 3:50 pm. EST.

The Jews of Lithuania
Jews had lived in Lithuania since the 14th century. From the 17th century onwards Vilna
the capital was known as the Jerusalem of the North, with personalities such as Elijah of
Vilna (The Vilna Gaon).
By the 19th-century, now under Czarist rule, Lithuania was an important centre of
Jewish life – religious, cultural, and political. The pogroms between 1881 and 1914 led
to thousands fleeing, mainly to North America and over 40,000 to South Africa.
After the bloodshed of World War I, Lithuania became independent, with a Jewish
population of over 150,000 people. They were integral to the economic life of the
country. However, by the end of WWII over 95% of Lithuanian Jewry had
been murdered both by Germans and their Lithuanian collaborators.

This three-week Series will examine Lithuania’s rich and tragic history and explore
many of the personalities whose lives were lived against momentous events.

Session 3
The Jewish community was caught between communists, Nazis, and Lithuanian
fascists. This is the terrible story of the destruction of a great and unique civilization.
Nevertheless, it is peppered with great incidents of heartbreaking heroism and the
extraordinary story of the Japanese consul who saved thousands of Jews including
students of the Mir Yeshiva.

Trudy Gold was the former C.E.O. of the London Jewish Cultural Centre, and one of
the founder members of the British delegation to the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance. She has taught Modern Jewish History in schools and
universities and for adult groups throughout the World.
She has coordinated teacher training in Jewish History and Holocaust Studies in
Eastern Europe and latterly in China.
She is the author of The Timechart History of Jewish Civilisation and the student
resources “Understanding the Holocaust” and the digital resource “Lessons of the
Holocaust.”

JGS Toronto, in conjunction with Classi Lectures is pleased to announce that this 3-part
series is a partnered program we are offering to its members. It will be open to non-
members through Classi Lectures, and you may contact them for further information at
[email protected]
Fees:
These 3 lectures are free for JGS Toronto Members.   Registration link in members area

For only $40, become a member
of JGS Toronto and attend this and future joint Classi Lectures for free. For non-
members, the fee is $12 per lecture or $30 for all 3 lectures. All fees are in Canadian
funds. Consider a donation to JGS Toronto by Clicking Here to assist us in continuing
our mission of providing a forum for the exchange of genealogical information.

(Tax receipts are issued to Canadian donors.)

Registration:
Non-members will register by clicking the following links.

Session 3. The Wandering Jews with Trudy Gold – Classi Learning $12
Note: the video recordings for these sessions will be available to JGS Toronto members only.

JGS Toronto members registration is available in the members area