YIVO Hosts Conference Celebrating its Centenary

(New York, NY) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research proudly announces YIVO in America, a two-day conference commemorating its centennial anniversary. This event will explore how YIVO’s founding vision for Jewish social sciences has been realized since its relocation to New York City in 1940. YIVO in America will take place at YIVO’s headquarters, located in the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY, beginning Sunday, June 22 at 7:00 pm ET and continuing Monday, June 23 at 10:00 am ET. The conference will also be accessible worldwide via live Zoom streaming.

The Holocaust’s devastation of East European Jewry, including the destruction of YIVO’s original Vilna headquarters, profoundly challenged the core concepts of Jewish peoplehood and the central role of the Yiddish language that had inspired YIVO since its inception. Despite this, YIVO, continued to publish scholarly works in America, support Yiddish linguistics and folklore studies, and preserve the history and culture of East European Jewry. YIVO also helped create new fields such as Holocaust studies, played a vital role in teaching Yiddish as it transitioned from a mother tongue of the masses to a heritage language, and contributed significantly to the broader development of Jewish studies.

This conference will feature leading scholars discussing YIVO’s transformation and achievements in the American context since 1940, its influence on the evolution of Yiddish and Jewish studies after World War II, and the future directions for YIVO and Jewish scholarship. Distinguished participants include Jonathan Brent, Leyzer Burko, Deborah Dash Moore, Hasia Diner, Eric Goldstein, Itzik Gottesman, Stefanie Halpern, Cecile Kuznitz, Rebecca Margolis, Anita Norich, Samuel Norich, Eddy Portnoy, Alyssa Quint, Naomi Seidman, Mark Smith, and Kalman Weiser.

In conjunction with the conference, YIVO will unveil three exhibitions: Hail to the Zamlers! YIVO’s Collections at 100, The Strashun Library: Rare Books Rescued from the Ashes of Vilna, and The Paper Brigade: Smuggling Jewish Treasures in Nazi-Occupied Vilna. Attendees will also have the opportunity to purchase YIVO's forthcoming publication, 100 Objects from the Collections of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, which is currently available for pre-order at the YIVO Store, and will be available for purchase during the conference.

What:           YIVO in America
When:           Sunday, June 22 at 7:00pm ET & Monday, June 23 at 10:00am ET
Where:          Taking Place on Zoom and in person at YIVO, Located in the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011)
Cost:              Free
Reservations Available at:  yivo.org/Centennial-Conference

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

For more information contact:
Alex Weiser
Director of Public Programs

YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, now in its Centennial year, is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. For a century, YIVO has pioneered new forms of Jewish scholarship, research, education, and cultural expression. Our public programs and exhibitions, as well as online and on-site courses, extend our outreach to a global community. The YIVO Archives contains 24 million unique items and YIVO’s Library has over 400,000 volumes—the single largest resource for the study of East European Jewish life in the world. yivo.org / yivo.org/the-whole-story