PROGRAM of 2025
All events are free of charge!
For the fifth time, the International Jewish Culture Festival “Shalom Everywhere” warmly welcomes you to Klaipėda!

Dear friends, as we invite you to the festival events, our humble organizing team reflects: five years—does it feel long or short? What began as a timid idea has, over five years, grown into a highly professional festival, the only one of its kind in Lithuania. Every year, participants come from across Europe—musicians, lecturers, writers, scholars, and filmmakers—to share their talents and insights. Our audience spans generations and interests, from Klaipėda residents to visitors from across the regions. The festival has already built a loyal circle of friends, partners, and supporters. The main sponsor of the International Jewish Culture Festival “Shalom Everywhere” is the Klaipėda City Municipality.

The 2025 festival will celebrate the 100th anniversary of YIVO and highlight Jewish literature and the Yiddish language.

YIVO founded in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 1925, YIVO—the Yiddish Scientific Institute—was established to preserve and study the history and culture of Eastern European Jewry. Today, the institute’s archives in New York hold over 23 million unique items, and its library boasts more than 400,000 volumes—making it the world’s largest repository for Jewish studies. During the festival, visitors will have the rare chance to explore YIVO’s fascinating history up close at our special exhibition.

Yiddish, also called Litvish or Litvishe, was once the everyday language of Ashkenazi Jews across Eastern Europe, including Lithuania. By the 19th century, it was the dominant language of Lithuanian Jews, and in the early 20th century, 99% of Jews in Lithuania spoke Yiddish as their mother tongue. It was even taught in schools. Tragically, the Holocaust dramatically reduced the number of speakers—but the language lives on.

Come to “Shalom Everywhere” to discover YIVO, the rich world of Yiddish, Jewish literature spanning over 3,000 years, and countless other fascinating stories. We await you, dear friends, throughout September in Klaipėda, Salantai, and Gargždai.

Be with us. Be among us

Program of 2025