Irena Veisaitė

Yves Plasseraud has been a lecturer on legal matters related both to intellectual property and minorities issues at various universities (Alicante, Berlin, Bordeaux, Kaunas, Minsk, Paris, Strasbourg, Vilnius, a.o.). He is the author of numerous articles and books on intellectual property, minorities issues, the questions of identity and the problem of racism and prejudice. Yves Plasseraud is lawyer by profession and lives in Paris, France.

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSFOREWORDINTRODUCTION1. A FAMILY ON THE MOVEA-A promising 20th century for the Veis family.B-Irena’s parents.C-Caught in the midst of revolutions and warD-Becoming Lithuaniansa-Kaunas, a lively small capitalb-Jewish KovnoE-The Lives of Irena’s parents2 . A CAREFREE CHILDHOODA-A tightly knit familyB-Journeys across a troubled EuropeC-School years in the Yiddish gymnasiumD-Anguish3- THE DARK YEARSA-Irena’s parents’ divorceB-A failed emigration projectC-Experiencing the dictatorship of the proletariatD-Difficult Soviet timesE-Turning the economy and culture into a wastelandF-Changes in Irena’s personal environment4- THE GERMAN OCCUPATION OF LITHUANIAA-Nazi ruleB-Assasinations of Irena’s uncle and motherC-Living with the yellow star in KaunasD-In the Kovno ghettoE-Exterminations (Aktionen)5. TOWARDS A PRECARIOUS SAFETYA-Escaping from the Ghetto and heading for VilniusB-Return of the Soviets: the second occupation.C-Mass DeportationsD-Irena’ second mother is arrested6. ALONE IN AN UNKNOWN ENVIRONMENTA-Being Jewish in the post-World War II USSRB-Trouble with the KGB: Suspicion of “cosmopolitism”C-Moscow Lomonosov University yearsD-The Annihilation of Soviet Jewish memory7. GETTING MARRIED IN MOSCOWA-A very private eventB-Defying Moscow’s Education Ministry in order to return to VilniusC-Birth of Irena’s daughter Alina, during the Khrushchev thawD-‘Aspirantūra’ years in Leningrad: 1958–1960E-Teaching freedom at the Vilnius Pedagogical InstituteF-Visiting her Father and the WestG-Crucial decisions8. THE OPENING OF THE WORLDA-A new life with Grigori KromanovB-Dramatic developmentsC-Irena and the singing revolutions (1988…)D-National IndependenceE-A new national stance towards the Jewish question9- NEW SOCIAL COMMITMENTSA-Creation of the Open Society Foundation of Lithuania (OSFL)B-Through the turmoil of the ninetiesC-Irena’s OSF Presidency: A force for good!D-A complex relationship with the Lithuanian Jewish communityE-Acting in favour of the Jewish communityF-The true meaning of the Holocaust10. THE TIME OF RECOGNITIONA-A cosy and stimulating personal environmentB-An unusual public figureC-Official Recognition11. AT THE CROSSROAD OF CULTURESA-Lithuanian ‘national’ feelingsB-The Russian questionC-German CultureEPILOGUEA-A coherent existence: Truthfulness to a few basic ideasB-A world of friendsC-A Spiritual approach to lifeCHRONOLOGYSHEMATIC FAMILY TREE OF IRENA VEISAITĖTHE LITVAKS1.Lite: a refuge for persecuted JewsD-A society of its ownE-A clash of worldsF-Litvaks and modernitya-Litvak culture and artb-Spiritual Lifec-A Dynamic Social lifed-Socialism as a religionINTERVIEW OF IRENA VEISAITĖ BY CAROLINE PALIULISSOME OF IRENA VEISAITĖ’S ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWSBIBLIOGRAPHYTABLE OF IN TEXT ILLUSTRATIONSTABLE OF OTHER ILLUSTRATIONSACRONYMSFOREIGN TERMSINDEX OF PERSONAL NAMES