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The 7th annual Litvak Days took place on 29-30 November in London. The series of events present the Lithuanian Jewish cultural heritage. This year, the Litvak Days were dedicated to celebrating and exploring the many artistic talents and contributions of Litvaks to world art.

The Litvak Days kicked off in London with a concert from the Litvak klezmer singer, multi-instrumentalist and educator Michael Alpert. The Lithuanian Embassy in London hosted the Conference, entitled “The Litvak Impact on the Arts”. During the conference, renowned academics from Lithuania, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America gave speeches about the Litvak’s contribution to the traditional fine arts of painting and sculpture, as well as music, photography, prose and poetry, theatre, and architecture.

The Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Darius Skusevičius, who arrived in in London to participate in the Litvak Days, said: “The Litvak legacy is an integral part of Lithuania’s history and culture. Some pages of our common history are extremely painful, so we must constantly remember them and understand what we have lost, while making efforts to identify, cherish and pass the Litvak heritage on to our future generations. The Litvak Days in London seem to be a bridge connecting past, present, and future.”

The Ambassador Renatas Norkus drew attention to the fact that there were many people living in the United Kingdom, who felt emotionally attached to Lithuania and had Litvak roots there.

“The Litvak Days in London aim to encourage these people to look back at their historic homeland. In addition, we call on the Lithuanian community to better understand the Litvak identity and culture, as well as their deep ties that connect Lithuania’s particular socio-cultural fabric,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Ambassador.

The Chairperson of the Lithuanian Jewish Community Faina Kukliansky welcomed the participants of the events on behalf of the community.

The Litvak Days in London have been held since 2011. Traditionally, the events of the Litvak Days are attended by members of the United Kingdom’s Lithuanian, Jewish, and British communities, as well as representatives from the Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Government of Lithuania. This year, the events were organised by the Embassy of Lithuania in the United Kingdom and University College London in partnership with the Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies and the Parkes Institute at the University of Southampton.