About — Association of Jews of Vilna and vicinity in Israel

Who are we?

Ever since the inception of the Association, its founders and hundreds of active members have worked tirelessly to implement its basic objectives: to assist and support the survivors; to commemorate those who perished; to gather historical material about the magnificent community and to transmit it to the future generations.

Bet Vilna in Tel Aviv is proud of the impressive accomplishments of the Association's volunteers over the years: activities perpetuating the memory of those who perished, a variety of cultural events, the extensive reference library,  transmitting the heritage to IDF soldiers and high school students, "Roots" visits to Vilna and the surrounding cities, the March of the Living to Ponary (Vilna), the Ninth Fort (Kovno) and the Polygon (Swieciany) and maintaining a close relationship with the community in Lithuania and the embassies in Lithuania and Israel.

We continue along the same deep, meaningful path that our parents outlined and lead our children in the same direction. We want to keep up with what has happened in our parents' motherland after the deaths of our martyrs. We want to learn about the significant contribution the Jews from Vilna have made to Israel from its earliest days, the history of the community that has arisen in the wake of the destruction of "Jerusalem in Lithuania" and to discover the new culture that has sprouted and developed from the magnificent pages of history that were burnt to ashes.