Another Word for Uncertainty: Anti-Semitism in Modern Lithuania

Lithuania can take pride in its historical legacy of ethnical, religious and cultural diversity during the time of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Union. Modern Lithuania departed from this tradition, turning into an increasingly homogenous political actor in the age of nationalism. However, the new Lithuanian state offered Jews extensive cultural autonomy from 1918 to 1926. The Second World War and the Holocaust caused the complete destruction of the Litvak community and culture. Anti-Semitism in Soviet Lithuania never differed significantly from official policies, adopted by the Kremlin. Some characteristically Lithuanian traits of anti-Semitism emerged within conservative and chauvinistic émigré circles. Yet the country was to revive the full scale of prejudice and hatred after 1990. This article explores the trajectories of anti-Semitic imagination and the dynamics of anti-Semitic politics in modern Lithuania.