Rūta Vanagaitė’s project “The Paneriai Lullaby”, which lets you interact with Jewish culture for a day, is one of the most successful projects financed by the European Commission (EC).
This year it once again received EC support. Rūta Vanagaitė, the initiator and implementer of the concept, told us what it was that most influenced the success of this project.
You said that you know that in your family there were people who, probably without any choice in the matter, collaborated in the tragic destruction of the Jews in Lithuania. You stated also that you have a choice and so started this project. How did the thought come about for this project and what inspired the initial idea?
I always do only what interests me. I don’t know Jewish Vilnius. I used to live in a house that once belonged to Jews. Where are they now? In Paneriai? I knew practically nothing about the Litvak culture or traditions of Vilnius. I am ashamed to say, I was asked by an artist once taking part in the LIFE festival to show him Paneriai and I couldn’t find it. And so the idea of creating this project came about, one that would expand my own knowledge and be of interest to my friends, my children and their friends.