On April 10, 2025, the Prienai Regional Museum hosted a seminar entitled “Local Jewish History and Historical Memory.”
The seminar, which took place at the Prienai Regional Museum, was aimed at teachers, museum staff, and librarians and was dedicated to the discussion of local Jewish history and its commemoration. Lolita Batutienė, director of the Prienai Regional Museum, who opened the seminar, said she was pleased that the seminar offered opportunities for greater cooperation between teachers and museum staff.
The event began with a visit to the Prienai Regional Museum. The museum assistant, Ernesta Juodsnukytė, presented the history of the Prienai region from the beginning of the 20th century to the present and told the stories of famous people from the Prienai region and unique discoveries made while searching for exhibits. Ingrida Vilkienė, the coordinator of the educational programs of the International Commission, informed about the activities of the Secretariat and the initiated educational projects. Teachers were invited to use the guidelines “Why, what, and how to teach about the Holocaust” prepared by the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) Working Group on Education.
During the seminar, historian Dr. Arūnas Bubnys gave a presentation on the Holocaust in Lithuania and the Prienai region. The seminar ended with a visit to the site of the former barracks where a temporary ghetto was established in August 1941, before the destruction of the Jewish community, and where it operated for about 2 weeks. Later, a visit was made to the site of the mass murder of Jews near the town of Prienai.
The Secretariat of the International Commission organized the one-day seminar together with the Prienai Regional Museum. Twenty educators from the southern region of Lithuania attended.
Photos by Marius Kimbirauskas