History of YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research was founded by scholars and intellectuals in Vilna, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania), in 1925 to document and study Jewish life in all its aspects: language, history, religion, folkways, and material culture. YIVO had a special focus on the Jews of Eastern Europe, but collected books, manuscripts and other artifacts from Jewish communities around the world. It grew to be a beloved communal institution with active members from Buenos Aires to Shanghai. Read more about YIVO's establishment and early years.

World War II and the Holocaust forced YIVO’s relocation to New York in 1940. Its collections in Vilna were looted by the Nazis. With the help of the U.S. Army, YIVO was able to recover some of these materials and begin its work anew in America. Read more about the destruction of YIVO during World War II.

Today, YIVO’s collections are the primary source of the documentary history of East European Jewry and the surviving record of millions of lives of Jewish victims of the Holocaust. YIVO brings treasures from its library and archives to broad audiences via a rich array of programs, including lectures, concerts, and exhibitions; adult education and Yiddish-language programs and courses; books and scholarly publications; and fellowships for scholars. Read more about the history of YIVO in America.