From a certain desire or real need: the contexts of Jewish acculturation in Lithuania after the failure of national autonomy in 1925-1940

ENIt is generally held that the failure of Jewish national autonomy in Lithuania served as an encouragement for Jewish integration and acculturation, a process that was halted by the Second World War. However there is still little research that analyses the context for a Jewish-Lithuanian mutual recognition. This article analyses Lithuanian and Jewish interactions in the cultural sphere in the years 1925–1940. It looks at a range of contacts between different Lithuanian and Jewish social groups after the failure of the national autonomy in education, the media and culture. It also reconstructs the political and ideological context, to explore the main tendencies, the motivation behind them, and their relevance and impact on Lithuania’s society.