On May 9-11, 2017 a group of directors of Israeli youth movements "Tnuot Hanoar" visited Vilnius. During their stay, the World Jewish Congress International Yiddish Center held a seminar "Pearls of Yiddish Culture". In total 24 persons attended lectures of two scholars on various subjects of Yiddish culture.

The WJC YC academic director Dr. Mordechay Yushkovsky talked on the subjects "Love and erotic in Yiddish literature", "Yiddish culture as a treasury of Jewish national collective memory" and "Longing for Zion in Yiddish literature". As usual, the audience's reactions were lively and active, with lots of questions.

Professor Hirshe-Dovid Katz's lectures arouse not less interest. Their subjects were: "Chapters from the history of Yiddish language" and "The Jewish Youth in Vilna before the Holocaust".

The seminar also included two study tours: one on foot, another by bus, both led by the experienced guide Nikita Meytin. During the first one, the participants followed traces of vibrant Jewish life in the old part of Vilnius. The bus trip culminated at visiting the memorial to Holocaust victims at Ponary (Paneriai). The latter tour was honored by the ambassador of Israel to Lithuania, Mr. Amir Maimon, who put flowers onto the memorial and held a minute of silence with the dipped flag of Israel.

The whole event was crowned with a concert–lecture, provided by Dr.Mordehay Yushkovsky and local ensemble "Klezmer Klangen", which consists of members of one Lithuanian family - descendants of the Righteous Among Nations. It was a real cherry on the cake – lots of laughter, stormy applauses and united choir of the performers and the whole group.

The delegation left Vilnius in high spirits, grateful for the perfect organization of the seminar. They thanked our center by handing the certificate of appreciation to the acting WJC YC director Mr. Lev Milner.