Gone But Not Forgotten : The Jewish History of Šeduva, Lithuania

Abstract

People know that the Holocaust was devastating to Europe’s Jewish population, but the true scope of the Holocaust is not always fully comprehended. Larger countries like Germany and Poland were greatly impacted, but so were smaller, lesser-known ones. Case in point: Lithuania. This project is branching off ongoing joint research efforts between the United States and Lithuania. The research is aiming to restore Jewish artifacts and shed new light on the effects of the Holocaust in Lithuania; this project focuses on Šeduva, a small northern town that once had a thriving Jewish population. Four UW-Eau Claire students and a professor have traveled to Šeduva to map underground features and anomalies that may indicate remnants of Jewish life. We collaborated with Lithuanian professionals as well to ensure cultural competency and foster connections between our two nations. The research has received both national and international news coverage in recent years and has produced groundbreaking insights into what Jewish life may have been like during the World War II era. This project, funded by the International Fellows Program, will speak in depth about some of these findings.