Diaspora

Dr. Stasys Bačkaitis. The world sighed a sigh of relief when the horrors of the 1914-1918 war drew to a close. It was identified by the misnomer “Great” and only later given a number when the subsequent War outdid the previous one. The Lithuanian people, like other oppressed peoples, rightfully assumed …

Henry L. Gaidis. A frequently overlooked historic fact is that Lithuania’s Declaration of Independence of February 16th, 1918, did not occur overnight. It was, instead, the consequence of a series of significant events and political developments. This, of course, does not detract from the achievement which the declaration’s signatories brought …

Mary Umans Jakubauskas’s first feature-length documentary film on the Lithuanian DP experience is nearing completion. Her film consists of numerous interviews with Lithuanian Americans. They as children fled Lithuania with their parents in 1944 in the final stages of WWII. Now, adults, her subjects recall what it was like to …

By Gediminas Indreika. Over the many years of creative work in America, Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas decorated more than 80 buildings, most of which were sacred spaces. His decorative elements were renowned for their originality and imagination. Their expression in stained glass, sculpture and mosaics conferred a distinctiveness and unique character …

Audronė (Audrey) Kižys. Next time you visit Chicago’s historic Bridgeport neighborhood, make it a point to stop in at Bernice’s Tavern. There you will find more than just a shot of Lithuanian history. Located at 3238 S. Hasted St. only a few miles southwest of downtown Chicago, Bridgeport was the …

by Thomas Latour. Karolis Požėla died in Chicago, Illinois in 1954. More than 3,000 people attended his funeral. In the 1930s and 40s, Požėla, better known in the wrestling world as Karl Pojello, was a name recognized around the world and familiar to every Lithuanian in Chicago. He was born …

On October 14 the National Lithuanian American Hall of Fame (NLAHF) will induct four illustrious Lithuanian Americans into its ranks: former President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus; U.S. Senator Dick Durbin; founder of Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, Stanley Balzekas Jr.; and philanthropist, statesman, entrepreneur, Juozas Kazickas. The ceremonies together with a celebratory …

By Carol Luschas. Between 1864 and 1914, over 400,000 people emigrated from the Baltic region. Pennsylvania became home to one of the largest concentrations of Lithuanians in the United States. Many Lithuanians settled in the small coal mining town of Mahanoy City in northeastern Pennsylvania. As the Lithuanian population grew, …

Tomas Vengris. A boy stares out the window as an old Soviet car rattles over uneven streets. He hears his mother’s voice, recounting her childhood memories: running through endless fields of wildflowers on her father’s beloved estate, swimming in the silver moonlight, dancing under the falling blossoms of the apple …

Rytis Satkauskas. Lithuanian emigration studies usually deal almost exclusively with Europe, the Americas, and Australia, where strong Lithuanian communities were formed over the years. There is, however, the virtually unknown story of a Lithuanian enclave in the Far East, specifically in the City of Harbin in Manchuria. The community had …