American Library Association (ALA) published a tribute resolution honouring Vilnius University Library’s librarian, Righteous Among the Nations Ona Šimaitė (1894–1970). As said in the official letter, ALA, on behalf of its members „honours and is grateful to Ona Šimaitė for her dedication, courage and achievement to the ‘beloved profession’ of librarianship, the preservation of archives, protection of history and serving as a beacon of humanity in the midst of barbarism”. ALA also expresses its gratitude for the example she set to librarians and archivists across the world.
During the World War II, while being an employee of Vilnius University Library, Ona Šimaitė hid refugees, helped hide Jewish children, smuggled food into and children out of Vilnius Ghetto. In the environment that attempted to annihilate the Lithuanian Jewish culture, Ona Šimaitė, at the risk of her own life, smuggled out Jewish cultural items, including books, literary and historical documents, resulting in the “largest collection of material about Jewish life in Eastern Europe that exists in the world”. She was arrested, tortured, but always remained true to her values. Ona Šimaitė was one of the first Lithuanians to receive the Righteous Among the Nations honour (in 1966).
2021-07-14