Search for books and documents

You can search in Yiddish & Hebrew by using the virtual keyboard below

Type a search term into the box on the home page to get results for both books and archival materials. To obtain more accurate search results, use quotes for terms of more than one word. Try out the Hebrew/Yiddish keywords to search for books only.
Browse our list of subject terms.
Try out our advanced search option to refine your search.
Once you get your search results, try limiting them by selecting specific subjects, a date range, or source of original material.

More Options: Browse Advanced Search

Location Finder

1.3

The Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections

RG1.3: YIVO - Vilna Aspirantur Records

YIVO - Vilna Aspirantur Records

Abstract

The Aspirantur, a graduate training program for scholars of Jewish culture, was founded by the YIVO Institute For Jewish Research in 1935. Led by key figures such as Simon Dubnow, Max Weinreich, and Zalmen Reyzen, the Aspirantur educated students who continued to play an important role in the growth of Jewish studies, including Lucy Dawidowicz, Avraham Sutzkever, and Yosl Mlotek. This collection contains research projects produced by the students, evaluations by their professors, and administrative materials produced in the course of running the program, including planning documents, applications, and correspondence.

Scope and Content of Materials

The records in Series I consist mainly of research papers on topics relating to Jewish life in Eastern Europe, which were prepared in fulfillment of course requirements. Topics include literary analyses of major literary figures such as Mendele Moykher-Sforim and Yisroel Axenfeld, descriptions of individual towns in Eastern Europe, statistical materials on economic life, including agriculture and the leather trade, and research on daily life, including household budgets and family diaries. Among the 60 program participants there are some who survived World War II and continued to be active in Jewish culture decades later. These are the poet and publisher Avrom Sutzkever, the historian of the Holocaust Lucy Dawidowicz, (nee Libe Schildkret), the educator Yosl Mlotek, the Bundist leader Motl Zelmanowicz, and scholar Moishe Kligsberg.

In Series II there are administrative materials relating to the Aspirantur program, such as records of student meetings, notes from lectures and discussions, evaluations of research projects, applications from prospective students, and correspondence.

Scope and Content of Materials

The records consist mainly of papers prepared by students in fulfillment of course requirements. In addition, there are the following materials: reports of seminars, classes, lectures and discussions; student records, including applications, autobiographies, correspondence; programs of courses; publicity.

Historical Note

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (Yidisher visnshaftlekher institut), established in Vilna in 1925, was divided into four academic sections: Philology, History, Economics and Statistics, Psychology and Education. In 1935 the YIVO Institute added a graduate training division known as the Aspirantur (graduate-level training program). Named in honor of Zemach Shabad (1864-1935), YIVO's chairman, the Aspirantur aimed to educate scholars who wished to pursue research and teaching careers in Jewish scholarship. It was part of a larger project, espoused by intellectuals such as Zalman Reisen, Chaim Zhitlowsky, and Shmuel Niger, of creating a university that would not only serve to educate Jews excluded from national universities by the quota system, but also train a generation of scholars to study Jewish culture for its own sake. In a period when producing knowledge about Jewish culture was highly politicized, the founders of the Aspirantur sought to train scholars in the most sophisticated methods of the social sciences and humanities who would serve the interests of the Eastern European Jewish population itself, unbiased by Zionist or assimilationist commitments. This project, Zalman Reisen stated, was an essential part of arguing for Jewish self-determination. 1 The YIVO Aspirantur program was thus a prototype for a national university that merged a concern for quality scholarship with the goal of promoting Diaspora nationalism. The teachers in the Aspirantur program included Simon Dubnow, Max Weinreich, Zelig Kalmanovitch, Zalman Reisen, Jacob Lestschinsky, Raphael Mahler, Philip Friedman, and Noah Prylucki.

Although the Aspirantur was not an accredited academic program and did not demand a formal university diploma it was "designed to provide graduate-level instruction for students with the equivalent of a university education" 2 and required its students to conduct independent scholarly work in the fields of the Jewish humanities and social sciences and in Yiddish language and literature. Students were also required to write papers summarizing their findings. Several of these papers were publicly presented and some of them were later published by YIVO.

Aspirantn, as the Aspirantur participants were called, would come to Vilna for a financially subsidized academic year. They would each choose a research topic and participate in seminars and classes led by YIVO affiliates. YIVO initially planned to accept ten students for the first year, but due to the program's overwhelming response, fifteen applicants were admitted. Enrollment continued to rise in subsequent years.

In 1937 a new division called the Pro-aspirantur, named in memory of Borukh Kahan-Virgili was added to the Aspirantur program, as a two-year preparatory program for prospective aspirantn who had not received a university-level education and were not yet sufficiently prepared to enter the Aspirantur program. The Pro-Aspirantur evolved into a teacher-training program, filling the educational void of the Vilna Teachers Seminary, which closed in 1931.

The Aspirantur was originally intended to be a one-year program, but the decision was made subsequently to allow "outstanding" students to return for a second year. By its fourth year, several of the participants were returning students who were attending the program for the second, third, and fourth time. Due both to the Aspirantur program's success and the limited professional prospects for young Jews in Poland in the late 1930s, it was not uncommon for students to remain longer than originally envisioned.

The Aspirantur and Pro-Aspirantur and several program faculty members and participants are described in greater detail by Lucy Dawidowicz, an aspirant (1938-1939) - then known by her maiden name Libe Schildkret - in her memoir, From That Place and Time: A Memoir, 1938-1947.

Reference

Kuznitz, C.E. The Origins of Yiddish Scholarship and the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (doctoral dissertation, Stanford University)

Dawidowicz, Lucy. From That Place and Time: A Memoir, 1938-1947. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2008.

Historical Note

The aim of this YIVO division was to educate scholars who intended to pursue their teaching and research careers in the fields of Jewish scholarship. While the Aspirantur was not an accredited academic institution, it required its students to conduct graduate work in the Jewish humanities and social sciences and in Yiddish language and literature and to write papers summarizing their findings. Some of those papers were later published by YIVO. The division also had a Pro-Aspirantur (introductory) program. The teachers in the Aspirantur program included Simon Dubnow, Max Weinreich, Zelig Kalmanovitch, Zalman Reisen, Jacob Lestschinsky, Raphael Mahler, Philip Friedman.

Series and Folders

2 Seriess Showing 1 - 2

Series I: Student Research , undated, 1934-1940

Projects conducted under the auspices of the Aspirantur and the Pro-Aspirantur are interspersed with one another. Materials that belong to the Pro-Aspirantur program are marked with an asterisk; if unmarked, materials originate in the Aspirantur program proper.

2 Sub Seriess Showing 1 - 2

Subseries 1: Research Papers and Notes , undated, 1934-1940

Materials in Subseries 1 primarily consist of original research papers, notes, and statistical materials, but also include some student evaluations.

84 Folders Showing 1 - 84

Folder 3961: Ayzn, Avrom. Myth and Ideas in Moshe Kulbak's Works: Philosophical Motifs in Moshe Kulbak's Works , 1937

Also includes research notes and student evaluations.

Folder 3962: Ayzn, Avrom. Yiddish Art Prose in Poland After the World War , 1937

First part.

Folder 3962a: Ayzn, Avrom. Yiddish Art Prose in Poland after the World War , 1937

Second part.

Folder 3963: Arnshteyn, Dovid. Jewish Male and Female Apprentices in Vilna , 1937

Final draft; notes; reports.

Yiddish, Polish, and German.

Folder 3963a: Arnshteyn, Dovid. Jewish Male and Female Apprentices in Vilna , 1939

Evaluation; reports.

Folder 3964: Arnshteyn, Dovid. Questionnaires to the work: Jewish Male and Female Apprentices in Vilna , undated

Questionnaires; notes.

Folder 3965: Babicki, Jacob. Agricultural Research on Jews in East Galicia: Statistical Materials on the Stanisławów Region ; Jewish Colony in Lejpuny , undated

Data sheets on Stanisławów.

Polish.

Folder 3966: Babicki, Jacob. Statistical Materials about the Lwów, Stanisławów and Tarnopol Regions , undated

Data sheets on Lwów, Stanisławów, and Tarnopol.

Polish.

Folder 3967: Babicki, Jacob. Questionnaires about Petranka , undated

Data sheets and notes on Petranka, Czortowiec.

Polish, Yiddish.

Folder 3968: Babicki, Jacob. Statistical materials about Czortowiec, Lisiatycze, and other towns in the Stanisławów region , undated

Data sheets and notes on Czortowiec, Lisiatycze, Starunia, Petranka, Rakowczyk, Sarnki Gorne, Ruda, Wierzbowiec, Słobódka, Jackówka.

Polish, Yiddish.

Folder 3969: Babicki, Jacob. Questionnaires about towns in the Stanisławów region , undated

Data sheets, questionnaires, and notes on Czerniów, Pczany, Sarnki Gorne, and other towns in the Stanisławów region.

Polish.

Folder 3970: Babicki, Jacob. Correspondence with YIVO about the research; questionnaire forms , 1936, 1939

Folder 3971: Babicki, Jacob. Jewish Agriculture in Stanisławów Region , 1935-1936

Project report.

Folder 3972: Berezin, Shlomo. Jewish Small Industry in Vilna , undated

Research notes on light industry, printing shops, knitwear industry, lithographers, mills, clay industry.

Yiddish, Polish, German.

Folder 3973: Berezin, Shlomo. Jewish Small Industry in Vilna , undated

Research materials, drafts.

Folder 3973a: Berezin, Shlomo. Jewish Small Industry in Vilna , 1938-1939

Project report.

Folder 3974: Berezin, Shlomo. Jewish Small Industry in Vilna , 1938-1939

Research materials and periodicals.

Russian, Polish.

Folder 3975: Berkman, Anna. Statystyka Żydów w Wilnie w 1795 r. (Statistics of Jews in Vilna in the Year 1795) , undated

Draft of research paper; tables and supporting evidence.

Polish.

Folder 3976: Hoyz, Gavriel (Gabriel Haus). The Vilna Ghetto at the Present Time. (The Sociological Aspect of Three Streets) , 1937-1938

Final report and rough draft with Zalmen Reisen's corrections.

Folder 3977: Hoyz, Gavriel (Gabriel Haus). Article about Territorialism , 1937

Evaluation.

Folder 3978: Valt, Leye. Short papers.* , 1940

Drafts of research papers, research notes, research activity reports.

Folder 3979: Warhaftig, David. Short papers.* , 1938-1939

Reviews of articles; research activity reports.

Folder 3980: Zak, Leyb. Short papers.* , 1940

Drafts of research papers; reviews of articles; research activity reports.

Folder 3981: Zelmanowicz, Motl. Short papers.* , 1940

Reviews of articles; research activity reports.

Folder 3982: Tapuach, Shimshon. The Jewish Agricultural Settlement in Stojaciszki, Vilna Region , 1935-1936

Rough draft, daybook, and proof sheets.

Folder 3983: Tapuach, Shimshon. Land, Capital, Buildings: Agricultural Technology , 1937

Draft of article; tables with supporting evidence.

Folder 3984: Babicki, Jacob. Jewish Agriculture in Stanisławów Region , 1935-1936

Questionnaires and data sheets on Żabie, Kamionka Mała, Rakowcyzk, Chomiaków, Słobódka Leśna. Drafts and reports.

Polish.

Folder 3984a: Tapuach, Shimshon. Correspondence regarding the Agriculture project , 1935-1936, 1939

Correspondence, reports, and evaluation.

Folder 3985: Tapuach, Shimshon. Agriculture among Jews: Regional Questionnaires of the Vilna Statistical Material, 1921 , undated

Folder 3986: Berezin, Shlomo. Questionnaire about Jewish Gardening , along with reports and analysis , 1939

Yiddish, Polish.

Folder 3986a: Tapuach, Shimshon. Report , undated

Folder 3987: Tykoczinski, Pinkhes. Jews in Eastern Europe during the World War , 1937-1939

Minutes, reports, correspondence, and materials.

Yiddish, Russian, Polish, German.

Folder 3987a: Tykoczinski, Pinkhes , 1937

Review of the work by Dr. Kurt Stillsweig, Die Juden Osteuropas in den Minderheitsvertragen (The Jews of East Europe in the Minorities Conventions); miscellaneous pages of a paper about anti-Semitism in liberated Poland.

Folder 3988: Tykoczinski, Pinkhes. Jewish Parliamentary Representation in the Polish Constituent Sejm , undated

Complete draft.

Folder 3989: Tykoczinski, Pinkhes. Jewish Parliamentary Representation in the Polish Constituent Sejm , undated

Research notes organized by subject.

Folder 3990: Yones, Eliyohu. Short papers.* , 1938-1939

Short research papers (5-10 pp) on both ancient and modern Jewish cultural topics, as well as research notes.

Folder 3991: Lubacki, Khasye. Short papers.* , 1938-1939

Reports, papers, lecture notes.

Folder 3992: Lubacki, Daniel.* , 1939-1940

Activity reports and evaluations.

Folder 3993: Leizerowicz, Yankev. History of Secular Education of Jews in Russia in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century , 1940

Draft of research paper and associated notes.

Yiddish, Polish.

Folder 3993a: Feinman, Sol. Mendele-Moykher Sforim: Yiddish and Hebrew , 1942

Draft of Mendele-Moykher Sforim: Yiddish and Hebrew. and other research papers; research notes. Feinman was a student of the YIVO Aspirantur program in New York.

Folder 3994: Likhtshteyn, Ruven, S. The Problems of Ansky's Personality , 1937-1938

Seminar report.

Folder 3995: Linder, Menachem. The Suede-Leather Trade in Vilna , 1937

Questionnaires. (First part.)

Folder 3995a: Linder, Menachem. The Suede-Leather Trade in Vilna , 1937

Questionnaires, reports. (Second part. Oversize.)

Folder 3996: Linder, Menachem. The Suede-Leather Trade in Vilna , undated

Manuscript fragments.

Folder 3997: Levin, Shloyme. Lithuanian Jews in the Uprising of 1831 , 1937-1938

Drafts of research paper.

Folder 3998: Lerner, Daniel. Ozdziutycze, a Jewish Shtetl in Volhynia , 1937

Research materials.

Folder 3999: Lerner, Daniel. Tarnopol: Description of a Shtetl in Eastern Poland , undated

Chapter of an article.

Folder 4000: Mlotek, Joseph. Short papers.* , 1940

Folder 4001: Natisz, M. (Michael Shutan) , 1936

Rough copy of a Jacob Dinesohn biography, with materials.

Folder 4002: Natisz, M. (Michael Shutan) , 1936

Rough copy of a Jacob Dinesohn biography, with remarks.

Folder 4003: Nutkiewicz, Shloyme. The May-Regime and the Jewish Question in Poland , 1940

Work plan, notes, bibliography, report.

Polish, Yiddish.

Folder 4004: Slucka-Kestin, Chava. School Holidays and Entertainment in the Life of Children , 1936-1937

Report.

Folder 4004a: Slucka-Kestin, Chava. School Holidays and Entertainment in the Life of Children , 1936-1937

Reports on school holidays.

Folder 4005: Szmuszkiewicz, Khane. Jewish Guilds in Vilna at the Beginning of the 19th Century , 1938

Reports, bibliography, evaluations.

Folder 4006: Szmuszkiewicz, Khane. Jewish Guilds in Vilna , undated

Collection of excerpts from sources, card-index, materials, notes.

Russian, Polish, Yiddish.

Folder 4007: Pipe, S.Z. The Yiddish Art-Song among the People: Folklorized Forms of D. Edelstadt's "Der arbeter"(The Worker) , 1935-1938

Correspondence.

Folder 4008: Piczaczer-Mann, Khane. Diaries about Children , 1936-1938

Includes diaries themselves, correspondence, notes, reports.

Russian, German, Yiddish.

Folder 4009: Piczaczer-Mann, Khane. Diaries about Children; Education of infants , undated

Supplementary notes to the diaries; discrete sheets, reports.

Folder 4009a: Piczaczer-Mann, Khane. Diaries about Children; Education of infants , 1938

Evaluation.

Folder 4009b: Unidentified (farsheydens) , undated

Miscellaneous notes from several sources; unidentified by name and unnumbered; frequently incomplete pieces of research notes or letters.

Yiddish, Polish, German.

Folder 4010: Feygenberg, R. Essays, research-lectures, research activity reports.* , 1940

Mixed works of R. Feygenberg and Elisheva Feygenberg.

Folder 4011: Frydman, Lew. The Brush Industry in Poland , 1937

Draft.

Polish, Yiddish.

Folder 4012: Kowalski, Gershon.* , 1940

Lectures, research activity reports.

Folder 4013: Kaplanowicz, Shoel.* , 1939-1940

Research papers on historical and literary topics, reports.

Folder 4014: Kligsberg, Moses. The Meaning of Normal Play among Children , undated

Typed draft (3pp).

Folder 4015: Kruglik, Usher.* , 1939-1940

Research notes, lecture notes, research activity reports.

Folder 4016: Rovner, S. (Lastik, Shlomo) Der Yugnt Veker , 1934-1935

Manuscript; research notes.

Folder 4017: Rivkind, Jacob. Family budgets in Vilna , undated

Statistical materials, research notes.

Yiddish, Polish.

Folder 4017a: Rivkind, Jacob. Family budgets in Vilna , undated

Additional research notes.

Yiddish, Polish.

Folder 4018: Rivkind, Jacob. Family budgets in Vilna , undated

Materials, address, card-index.

Polish.

Folder 4019: Rivkind, Jacob. Family budgets in Vilna , undated

Questionnaires.

Folder 4020: Rivkind, Jacob. Family budgets in Vilna , undated

Questionnaires to Jewish families.

Folder 4021: Rivkind, Jacob. Budgets of Jewish Families in Vilna , undated

Questionnaires.

Folder 4021a: Rivkind, Jacob. Budgets of Jewish Families in Vilna , undated

Questionnaires.

Folder 4022: Rivkind, Jacob. Budgets of Jewish Families in Vilna , undated

Budget books. Part I.

Folder 4022a: Rivkind, Jacob. Budgets of Jewish Families in Vilna , undated

Budget books. Part II.

Folder 4023: Shulman, Eliyahu (Elias). The Growth of Yiddish Literature in the United States, 1881-1900 , 1936

Complete text. Part I.

Folder 4023a: Shulman, Eliyahu (Elias). The Growth of Yiddish Literature in the United States, 1881-1900 , 1936

Complete text. Part II.

Folder 4024: Schlossberg, Ber. Khaykl Hurwitz' Seyfer Tsofnas Paneyekh , 1936-1937

Handwritten draft; research notes.

Folder 4025: Schlossberg, Ber , undated

Evaluation of the research-paper: Eastern Yiddish in the 16th Century; also a report about The Yiddish Written Language in the Second Half of the 19th Century.

Folder 4026: (No name). Die Anzahl der Juden in der ganzen Welt. (The Total World Jewish Population) , undated

With tables.

German.

Folder 4027: Miscellaneous papers. Parts of research results and lectures , undated

Yiddish, Polish.

Folder 4065: Pipe, S.Z. The Yiddish Art-Song among the People: Folklorized Forms of of M. Gordon's "Di Mashke" (Whiskey) , undated

Handwritten draft.

Folder 4066: Pipe, S.Z. The Yiddish Art-Song among the People: Folklorized Forms of D. Edelstadt's "Der arbeter"(The Worker) , undated

Research notes.

see details for 84 folders

Subseries 2: Evaluations , undated, 1935-1940

Materials in Subseries 2 consist primarily of evaluations and reports, and do not include the research papers themselves.

22 Folders Showing 1 - 22

Folder 4028: Blecher, Moyshe. Heinrich Heine's Influence on Yiddish Poetry , 1935-1936

Evaluation.

Folder 4029: Bernstein, M. Bio-bibliographical index of the Participants in the Jewish Revolutionary Movement , 1940

Evaluation.

Folder 4030: Brestowicki, Aaron. Nationality and the National Problem in Dr. Zhitlowsky's Work , undated

Evaluation, chapter from work.

Folder 4031: Golinkin, Rokhl. The Vilna Kahal in the First Half of the 19th Century , undated

Evaluation, report.

Folder 4032: Gininger, Chaim. Dr. Alfred Landau's Dictionary , 1936-1940

Evaluation.

Folder 4033: Glickson, Sergius. The Provincial Jewish Youth in Vilna , 1935-1936

Evaluation.

Folder 4034: Domb, Chaim. Evaluation of Heredity and Environment , 1936-1940

Evaluation.

Folder 4035: Derwiansky, Yosef Dovid. The Rabbinical Seminary in Vilna (1847-1873) , 1935-1936

Evaluation.

Folder 4036: Valt, Reyzl. The History of Jewish Secular Education in Vilna , 1936-1937

Evaluation.

Folder 4037: Wrona, Irene , 1937-1938

Paper and notebooks.

Folder 4038: Teitelboym, Eliyohu. Teaching Singing in the Yiddish School , 1938-1940

Evaluation, report.

Folder 4039: Munits, Khayim (Chaim Munitz). Jewish Attire in Eastern Europe, First Half of the 19th Century , 1936-1939

Evaluation. Also includes illustrations and notes.

Folder 4040: Melamedowicz, Yitzchak. Jews in Non-European Countries: A Geography Textbook ; The Sephardic Communities in the USA , 1940

Evaluation.

Folder 4041: Epshteyn, Nekhame. Jewish Jokes , 1937-1938

Evaluation.

Folder 4042: Ehrlich, Alexander. The Main Problems of Business Cycle Theory , 1940

Notes and evaluations.

Folder 4043: Patt, Emanuel. Youth research , 1940

Evaluation, notes, and photostat of evaluation.

Folder 4044: Friedland, Shmuel. Nominal Inflection in the Mayse bukh , 1939

Evaluation.

Folder 4045: Kantor, I. Methods of Studying National Character , 1938

Evaluation.

Folder 4046: Kantor-Lichtenstein, R. The Working Conditions of Jewish Bakery Workers in Warsaw , 1936

Evaluation.

Folder 4047: Reyzen, Shoel. The Evaluation of the Jewish National Programs in Russia (1897-1907) , 1935-1936

Evaluation.

Folder 4048: Schildkret, Libe (Lucy Dawidowicz). The Beginning of the Jewish Press in England , undated

Evaluation.

Folder 4049: Schindelman, Esther. Polish Motifs in Yiddish Literature , 1937-1938

Evaluation. Vaysenberg's work.

see details for 22 folders

Series II: Administrative Materials , undated, 1934-1940

This series consists of administrative materials, including founding documents, meeting minutes, notes, correspondence, rules for students, lecture notes, fragments of essays and research papers, and application materials.

17 Folders Showing 1 - 17

Folder 4050: Program founding documents, correspondence with students, evaluation of program , 1935-1936

First cycle

Folder 4051: Notes for student evaluations; minutes of a meeting following graduation , 1936-1937

Second cycle

Folder 4052: Notes and minutes for planning and program administration meetings , 1937-1938

Third cycle

Folder 4053: Notes and minutes for planning and program administration meetings , 1938-1939

Fourth cycle

Folder 4054: Student evaluations, correspondence with students , 1939-1940

Fifth cycle

Folder 4055: Plans and notes for student evaluations.* , 1938-1939

Folder 4056: Notes from the seminars of visiting professors , 1939-1940

Including: Dr. Olshvanger, Dr. Ormian, Simon Dubnow, Dr. M. Weinreich, M. Yoffe, Jacob Lestschinsky, Dr. R. Mahler, S. Mendelson, Dr. Philip Friedman, Chaim Kazdan, and Zalmen Reisen.

Folder 4057: Notes from seminars and data on students' work , 1940

Folder 4058: Report of the registration query regarding documentation of Jewish life worldwide , undated

Also contains notes on historical topics.

Folder 4059: Notes and research , undated

Notebooks by M. Kharash about Tacitus and the Jews (In Polish, Latin, German, Greek). Notecards containing newspaper excerpts on various topics.

Folder 4060: Fragments of research papers , undated

Folder 4061: Notes and rough drafts.* , undated

Folder 4062: Applications, as well as biographies/CVs of candidates alphabetically arranged , 1935-1940

Folder 4063: Applications, as well as biographies/CVs of YIVO pro-aspirants (candidates); also applications not accepted , 1935-1940

Folder 4063a: Additional applications , 1935-1940

Unaccepted applications.

Folder 4063b: Additional applications , 1935-1940

Unaccepted applications.

Folder 4064: Correspondence , 1934-1938

see details for 17 folders

Archival Reference Information

Archival identifier

RG 1.3

Archival identifier

orig-RG 1.3

Author

YIVO - Vilna

Author

YIVO - Vilna

Language

German Hebrew Polish Russian Yiddish

Language

German

Hebrew

Polish

Russian

Yiddish

Date

1934-1940

Date

1935-1940

Search in the "YIVO - Vilna Aspirantur Records" Archival Collection (RG 1.3)

Use restrictions

Permission to publish part or parts of the collection must be obtained from the YIVO Archives. For more information, contact:

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011

email: archives@yivo.cjh.org

Use restrictions

YIVO owns the compilation of content that is posted on this website, which consists of text, images, and/or audio, and video. However, YIVO does not necessarily own each component of the compilation. Some content is in the public domain and some content is protected by third party rights. It is the user's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in YIVO websites.

The materials on this web site may be used for personal, research and educational purposes only. Publication (including posting on the Internet and online exhibitions) or any other use without prior authorization is prohibited. Please visit https://www.yivo.org/Rights-Reproductions for more information about use of materials from this website.

YIVO has employed due diligence in seeking to identify copyright holders of the materials in this compilation. We invite any copyright owners who are not properly identified to contact us at yivomail@yivo.cjh.org.

Access

Permission to use the collection must be obtained from the YIVO Archivist.

The Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections project is an international project to preserve, digitize, and virtually reunite YIVO’s prewar library and archival collections located in New York City and Vilnius, Lithuania, through a dedicated web portal. The project will also digitally reconstruct the historic, private Strashun Library of Vilna, one of the great prewar libraries of Europe.

This project is a partnership between the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Lithuanian Central State Archives, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, and the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and includes the cataloging, conservation, and digitization of documents and books in both New York and Vilnius.

In May 2017, some 170,000 pages of previously unknown documents, lost to history for almost 70 years, were discovered in Vilnius, significantly expanding the scope of our project.

Read the article in the New York Times Watch our press conference

Are you using Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections material for your project? If so, please feel free to share information about your project here.