WATCH: How The Jews Of The Vilna Ghetto Saved Precious Books From Nazis

Image by The Yiddish Forverts/YIVO

By Brian Vinik, Jordan KutzikJune 7, 2018

This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts.

A group of several dozen Jewish intellectuals known as the Paper Brigade risked their lives to save thousands of books and documents from destruction during the Holocaust by hiding them in the Vilna ghetto. The Yiddish Forward spoke with Dr. David Fishman, author of the recent book “The Book Smugglers,” which tells their story.

During the conversation, Fishman led a tour of an exhibition featuring materials saved by the Paper Brigade that is currently on display at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York.

Jordan Kutzik is the deputy editor of the Yiddish Forward. Contact him at [email protected].

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