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The Jews of Vilna between the Two World Wars

After WWI, Vilna retained its standing as one of the largest and most important centres of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. In 1921, some 46,500 Jews were living in the city, approximately 36% of the total population, and by 1931 the number had grown to 55,000 people. Some 85% of them declared their mother tongue to be Yiddish, and the rest were listed as Hebrew speakers.

The entrance to the Philips factory. Vilna, prewar

The entrance to the Philips factory. Vilna, prewar

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 186AO3

The entrance to the Philips factory. Vilna, prewar

Jews' Daily Life in Interwar Vilna: Holocaust Survivor Testimonies

Jews' Daily Life in Interwar Vilna: Holocaust Survivor Testimonies

Jewish Life in Vilna, 1939

The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Jewish Life in Vilna, 1939

Niuta Salominski née Teper (b. in Vilna) with her two children, Abrasha and Lilinka. All three were murdered at Ponary

Niuta Salominski née Teper (b. in Vilna) with her two children, Abrasha and Lilinka. All three were murdered at Ponary

Courtesy of Yair Barkai

Niuta Salominski née Teper (b. in Vilna) with her two children, Abrasha and Lilinka. All three were murdered at Ponary

Klaczki Street in the Jewish Quarter of Vilna, prewar

Klaczki Street in the Jewish Quarter of Vilna, prewar

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 183GO8

Klaczki Street in the Jewish Quarter of Vilna, prewar

Jewish-owned shop in prewar Vilna: “Hat Shop – M. Fajwusiowicz”

Jewish-owned shop in prewar Vilna: “Hat Shop – M. Fajwusiowicz”

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 2074/100

Jewish-owned shop in prewar Vilna: “Hat Shop – M. Fajwusiowicz”

Jewish-owned shop in prewar Vilna: “Shoe Shop - E. Kolpenicki”

Jewish-owned shop in prewar Vilna: “Shoe Shop - E. Kolpenicki”

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 2074/100

Jewish-owned shop in prewar Vilna: “Shoe Shop - E. Kolpenicki”

Feigele Salma, daughter of Rabbi Yehoshua Liberman, prewar. Salma was murdered in the ghetto together with her two children, Isia (aged 7) and Rubin (aged 3)

Feigele Salma, daughter of Rabbi Yehoshua Liberman, prewar. Salma was murdered in the ghetto together with her two children, Isia (aged 7) and Rubin (aged 3)

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 8925/1

Feigele Salma, daughter of Rabbi Yehoshua Liberman, prewar. Salma was murdered in the ghetto together with her two children, Isia (aged 7) and Rubin (aged 3)

Isia Salma, grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua Liberman and son of Feigele, prewar. Isia was murdered at the age of 7 together with his mother and his 3-year-old brother, Rubin.

Isia Salma, grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua Liberman and son of Feigele, prewar. Isia was murdered at the age of 7 together with his mother and his 3-year-old brother, Rubin.

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 8925/2

Isia Salma, grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua Liberman and son of Feigele, prewar. Isia was murdered at the age of 7 together with his mother and his 3-year-old brother, Rubin.

The Rabinowitz family and friends. Vilna, prewar

The Rabinowitz family and friends. Vilna, prewar

Bottom row, from left: Haim Rabinowitz, his wife Meche, their son Yossele, a student at Leib Shapira's school in Vilna, Chasia Shapira (immigrated to Israel), wife of Leib Shapira
Top row, from left – Ester Rodmin (immigrated to America) and Feigel Schneider
Feigel was murdered in the Holocaust. The fate of the Rabinowitz family is unknown.

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 121FO2

The Rabinowitz family and friends. Vilna, prewar

Members of the "Aid Through Employment" welfare organization in Vilna, 1931-1932

Members of the "Aid Through Employment" welfare organization in Vilna, 1931-1932

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 185FO9

Members of the "Aid Through Employment" welfare organization in Vilna, 1931-1932

The Jewish Quarter in Vilna, prewar

The Jewish Quarter in Vilna, prewar

Yad Vashem Photo Archives GO7185

The Jewish Quarter in Vilna, prewar

Painted postcard of prewar Vilna

Painted postcard of prewar Vilna

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 186FO5

Painted postcard of prewar Vilna

Jakob Szer (1895-1944). Ramailes Yeshiva Courtyard, Vilna, 1931

Jakob Szer (1895-1944). Ramailes Yeshiva Courtyard, Vilna, 1931

Watercolor on paper

Collection of the Yad Vashem Art Museum, Jerusalem
Gift of Maurice Spielman, USA, in honor of Abraham and Ida Chodos Spielman. Photograph © Yad Vashem Art Museum

Jakob Szer (1895-1944). Ramailes Yeshiva Courtyard, Vilna, 1931

Rehabilitation and support activities that had begun among the Jews during WWI continued afterwards. The city had a committee to assist the refugees. The "ORT" organization established artisan organizations, helping them acquire equipment and raw materials, and supported Jewish agricultural ventures in the surrounding areas. Jewish organizations in the United States and Holland also aided the Jews of the city.

Jewish representatives in municipal institutions managed to get subsidies for Jewish schools and cultural institutions such as YIVO, libraries, the music conservatory and institute, the theatre, and more.

The Jews of the city continued to work mostly in industry, craft, trade and finance. They were dominant in many branches of labour, clothing and transport, but most of them barely made a living. With the support of the Joint in the US and Jewish communities in the US and in the UK, the Va'ad Kehillah (community council) distributed food and clothing to the needy, children and the elderly. The community also supported religious, educational and health activities.

In the interwar period, the economic situation of the Jews worsened. Vilna turned into a marginal city in Poland, and its economic importance dwindled. Moreover, the authorities supported Polish tradesmen. Competition with the Jewish traders intensified, and their tax burden rose. The branches of industry which the Jews had dominated were nationalized, including parts of the textile and wood industries, in addition to the economic ebb, financial boycott, and antisemitism.

In 1933, a branch of the Polish National Democratic Party (ND) opened in Vilna, with its regulations branding Jews as "the enemies of the small citizen." Jews were accused of controlling trade, industry and the free professions, and of trying to control the media. The suggested solution was to expel them to "Palestine" or scatter them across the world. An antisemitic newspaper began circulating in Vilna, and armed gangs looking to harm Jews were formed. A number of violent clashes in the 1930s led to the death of one Jewish resident, the wounding of others, and enormous damage to Jewish property. At Vilna University, where some one thousand Jews studied, the Jewish students were ridiculed and discriminated against by their colleagues. Antisemitic incitement and violence at the University continued until the German occupation. After that, the fate of the Jewish students became the same as that of the rest of the Jewish population of the city.

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