Jewish slave laborers sorting books in the YIVO building, converted into the main worksite in Vilna by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR).
Jewish slave laborers sorting books in the YIVO building, converted into the main worksite in Vilna by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR).
Mikhal Kovner, brother of Partisan Abba Kovner, sorting books; Vilna, 1943 Courtesy of the Moreshet Archive, Israel
Mikhal Kovner, brother of Partisan Abba Kovner, sorting books; Vilna, 1943 Courtesy of the Moreshet Archive, Israel
Small tambourine made from the parchment of a desecrated Torah Courtesy of the Moreshet Archive, Israel
Small tambourine made from the parchment of a desecrated Torah Courtesy of the Moreshet Archive, Israel
The Book Smugglers is the nearly unbelievable true story of ghetto residents who rescued thousands of rare books and manuscripts by hiding them on their persons, burying them in bunkers and smuggling them across borders. Set in Vilna, Lithuania, also known as the “Jerusalem of Lithuania” for their robust Jewish culture rich with art, music, literature, poetry, theater and opera, a small group of partisans and poets risked everything to save Jewish cultural treasures.
Prior to WWII, literature and art enabled Vilna residents to rise above their everyday persecution and enjoy a world of beauty in sound and color. Cultural activity compensated for the Jews’ difficult political and economic situation. Once Vilna’s Jews were forced to live in a ghetto, the “Paper Brigade” was formed by a group of 40 intellectuals, writers, educators and activists to save Judaica for the next generation. Together, they rescued Jewish artifacts, books, scrolls, photographs, works of art, diaries and literature from the hands of the Nazis by either smuggling them into the ghetto or hiding them in plain sight.
The exhibition consists of approximately 100 artifacts and reproductions on display, including panels with paintings and drawings, photographs, poetry, diaries, testimonies and music representing the Jewish heritage of Vilna. Featuring themes of resistance and persistence of cultural identity, the exhibition focuses on the complicated history of Vilna, life before WWII, contributions of five members of the Paper Brigade and the results of their heroic mission.
The Book Smugglers exhibition is a partnership between Holocaust Museum Houston, David E. Fishman, Moreshet Archive, Anielevich Memorial Holocaust Study and Research Center,The Archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, New York, The Judaica Collection of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania and the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania.
The Book Smugglers exhibition is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
Resources
Through the link below, Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Carol Manley gives a tour of the exhibition, sharing the nearly unbelievable true story of ghetto residents who rescued thousands of rare books and manuscripts by hiding them on their persons, burying them in bunkers and smuggling them across borders.
