Mertes, A. and L. Graif. Yiddish-Litvish Verterbuch [Yiddish-Lithuanian Dictionary]

(VILNA)

N. Rosenthal

Vilna

1940

In the Foreword, the publisher remarks that while there was always felt the need for a Yiddish-Lithuanian dictionary, this need has become even more pressing since Lithuania has once again taken possession of its historic city of Vilna and environs, wherein tens of thousands of Jews have come in contact with the Lithuanian people and language. From 1920 until the outbreak of World War Two, Vilna was within the borders of Poland. When the Soviets occupied Eastern Poland in September 1939, they transferred Vilna and the Vilna province to the Lithuanian Republic. With the incorporation of Vilna, the Jewish community of Lithuania swelled by some 100,000. In June 1940, the Soviets occupied Lithuania, and a year later, in June of 1941, the Germans overran Lithuania