Jews in “the land of the Litvaks” lived alongside their  non-Jewish neighbors for nearly seven centuries before the Holocaust. Ellen Cassedy, author of the award-winning We Are Here: Memories of the Lithuanian Holocaust (Univ. of Nebraska Press, 2012), explores a rich cultural history, including the social structure of a multi-cultural world, the daily lives of women and men in villages, towns, and cities, and the dreams, aspirations, and challenges faced by our ancestors.

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Ellen Cassedy traces her Jewish family history to the northeast corner of Lithuania. She was a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News and a speechwriter in the Clinton Administration. Her work has been published in Polin, Shofar, Ha’aretz, Hadassah, The Jewish Forward, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and other publications. Her book, We Are Here: Memories of the Lithuanian Holocaust, has won numerous awards. Jewish Book Council calls the book “brilliantly balanced, totally engaging, and constantly penetrating.” She lives in the Washington, D.C., area. For more information: www.ellencassedy.com.

Research Help

12:30 pm – come early to join the following discussion groups:

Introductory Meeting for Jerusalem Conference Attendees
Poland Special Interest Group

3:00 pm – stay after the lecture to join the following discussion groups:

Belarus Special Interest Group
Litvak-Baltic Special Interest Group (covers Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia)

Admission is free for members, $5 for non-members. Refreshments will be served.