GENS FAMILY PROJECT
History.
Humanity.
Freedom.
From Jewish life in independent Lithuania, through the Holocaust and Soviet occupation, to exile and the restoration of freedom—preserving the human lives behind history.
ONE FAMILY. A CENTURY OF HISTORY.
A RETURN TO FREEDOM
1990–1992
After half a century, Lithuania regained its independence-and Ada returned.
OUR MISSION
To preserve the histories of Lithuanian Jews, give voice to the victims, and ensure their stories endure for future generations.
Through testimony, research, film, archaeology and fieldwork, we recover the people, places and histories that persecution, occupation and time threatened to erase.
History Is Made of Human Lives.
Behind every document, photograph, grave, testimony and statistic was a human being—with a family, a childhood, friendships, ambitions and a future.
LITHUANIA • 1940–1990
Freedom Lost. Freedom Reclaimed.
Lithuania’s twentieth century was shaped by the promise of independence, the destruction of sovereignty under Soviet and Nazi occupation, and a decades-long struggle to reclaim freedom.
The same history that transformed Lithuania also shaped the lives preserved throughout this project.
Explore Our Work
From documentary film and archival research to fieldwork and education, our work brings history into public view and preserves it for future generations.
FILMS
Watch history come alive through testimony, archival material and documentary storytelling.
RESEARCH & FIELDWORK
Archival research, archaeology and work on the ground recover histories that remain hidden or at risk of disappearing.
EDUCATION & RESOURCES
Films, research and primary sources designed to support learning, remembrance and informed public understanding.
SUPPORT THE GENS FAMILY PROJECT
Help Us Preserve What Can Still Be Saved.
Your support makes possible documentary film, survivor testimony, archival research, archaeology, fieldwork, preservation and educational resources.
Together, we can preserve these histories while there is still time to recover them.