The Vilnius and Kaunas ghettos and the fate of Lithuanian Jewry, 1941-1945

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Antrasis pasaulinis karas, 1939-1945 (World War II); Getai; Holokaustas; Kaunas; Kauno getas; Lietuvių ir žydų santykiai; Lietuvos žydai; Nacių okupacija; Vilniaus getas; Vilnius; Žydai; Ghetos; Holocaust; Kaunas; Lithuanian Jewry; Lithuanian-Jewish relations; Nazi occupation; The Holocaust; The Kaunas ghetto; The Vilnius ghetto; Vilnius; WWII, Jews.

ENIn recent years, serious research into the history of Lithuanian Jewry has expanded significantly. And yet there remains much that we do not know - and far more that is not widely known or accepted among the broader Lithuanian populace - about the tragic (and by far best-researched) final chapter in the history of Jews in Lita. The present chapter aims less to present radical new factual findings than to examine and analyse previous scholarship with one main question in mind: what were the key differences between the formation, existence, and destruction of the Kaunas and Vilnius ghettos, and what can these differences tell us about relations between Lithuanians and Jews in these terrible years? In order to understand the specific cases of Kaunas and Vilnius, a certain amount of background information is indispensable but the main focus here will be on the two largest 'Lithuanian' cities in this period. [Extract, p. 357]