Jewish Resistance
in the Vilna and Kovno Ghettos
from 1941 to 1943

September 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Taper Hall (THH), Room 309K
Join us in person or on Zoom

A public lecture by Aliyah Blank (USC)
2025 Beth and Arthur Lev Student Research Fellow

Organized by the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research

(Join us in person or online on Zoom)

In Lithuania, 90 to 95% of the Jewish population was killed during the Holocaust. In this talk, Aliyah Blank (recent graduate of USC) draws on her research with Holocaust survivor testimonies in the Visual History Archive and with primary and secondary sources in the USC Libraries to illuminate multiple forms of Jewish resistance in the Vilna and Kovno ghettos. Broadening the definition of resistance beyond conventional understandings, she traces the strength, determination, and resourcefulness of Jews for whom survival itself was a profound act of defiance.

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Lunch will be served.

Aliyah Blank is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Law, History, and Culture and Jewish Studies with a Summa Cum Laude distinction. A top competitor on the USC Moot Court, she was recognized as “Second Best Orator” at the American Moot Court Association National Tournament. She has experience in legal research and writing, including authoring an amicus curiae brief and winning an award for her research on Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. Beyond her academic and legal pursuits, Aliyah is also a certified mediator in Oregon, a skill she used to provide over 500 hours of training on conflict resolution.

Lecture image: Holocaust survivors in the Visual History Archive who share their experiences and memories of the Vilna and Kovno ghettos. (From left to right: Liba Augenfeld, Alex Burstein, Jack Brauns, Solly Ganer, Miriam Gershwin, Zina Gurland, Ida Kacew, Harry Reischer, Morris Rich, Shlomoh Shafir. Images courtesy of USC Shoah Foundation.

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