On November 27, the David Baazov Museum of History of the Jews of Georgia and Georgian-Jewish Relations in Tbilisi opened an exhibition named Fragments from the History of Lithuanian Jews. The event was organized on the initiative of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to Georgia as part of the events marking the 100th Anniversary of gaining back independence. The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum provided photographs for the exhibition, 46 to be exact, each unveiling important moments from the history Lithuanian Jews from cultural, economic, architectural and religious perspectives. The display will remain in Tbilisi until mid-December.
The David Baazov Museum of History of Jews of Georgia is the principal museum of Jewish history and culture in Tbilisi, established on November 30, 1932 as a departmental organization within the framework of the cultural base of Jewish workers.
“We wanted to share part of the Lithuanian history that is very important to us,” Ambassador of Lithuania to Georgia Giedrius Puodžiūnas said. “Vilnius is a very important city in Jewish history, yet almost all cities in Lithuania have a Jewish community. Our nations coexisted peacefully until the Second World War. The Second World War changed the situation dramatically and, unfortunately, some Lithuanians took part in shameful activities, yet we also saw many examples of heroism, when a number of Lithuanians sacrificed their lives to help Jewish people. We cannot change the past, but we can make a future and now we are rediscovering many things in our history. After 50 years of Soviet rule, we are discovering and analyzing the richness of our historical past and the richness of the history of the Jews in Lithuania,” he noted.
“Each of the ambassadors that attended the opening recalled the mistakes that were made by humanity in the past and emphasized the importance of learning from our mistakes. Remembering such moments in history is always important in order to avoid future mistakes. Although the 20th century saw the biggest cruelty against Jewish people, in other epochs in many countries anti-Semitism movements were also widespread. Not only were six million Jews sacrificed, but their offspring as well, since they could not give birth to future generations. It was a really huge loss for the entire world, since the Jewish nation has always been known for its talented and intelligent personalities. As a Georgian man, I’m happy that in my country we have never supported anti-Semitism, and have always respected other nations and their values. Even today it is so,” the museum director remarked.
The David Baazov Museum of History of the Jews of Georgia was first restored in 1992 and later in 2013, giving birth to new life at the venue. Since then, besides hosting a variety of exhibitions, the museum has served as a hub for cultural exchange and friendship in Georgia. In this regard, in 2018, the Georgian government granted the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage to the Georgian-Jewish friendship history, which counts over 26 centuries. According Gambashidze, the museum is working to present a document about the history of Georgian-Jewish relations to UNESCO in 2019, hoping this fact will receive recognition from UNESCO at the international level.
By Lika Chigladze