The Gens Family Project is dedicated to preserving and presenting the stories, efforts, and achievements of Lithuania’s Jews during the Holocaust—individuals and communities who did everything in their power to survive in the face of unimaginable brutality.

We seek to tell these stories as they were lived: community by community, city by city, shtetl by shtetl across Lithuania. Each place, each life, and each act of resilience matters. By restoring these narratives, we affirm that Jewish life in Lithuania was not defined solely by its destruction, but by its depth, creativity, courage, and humanity.

Our work is guided by the words of the Holocaust Library of New York:

“The Holocaust story should be untiringly told and retold, making the world aware of its lessons. This can contribute to that moral reconstruction which alone may prevent a repetition of the catastrophe in our hate- and violence-stricken world.”

Through research, education, and public engagement, the Gens Family Project exists to ensure that these voices are not lost—and that their lessons remain vital for future generations.