Home
   Under Reconstruction!
Object Alone

Obj. ID: 45488
Modern Jewish Art
  "The Flame of Hope" Memorial in Vilnius, Lithuania, 2000

© Center for Jewish Art, Photographer: Levin, Vladimir, 2022

Memorial name

Vilties liepsna, The Flame of Hope

Who is Commemorated?

Thousands of murdered Lithuanian Jews

Description:

The memorial is located near the northern corner of a courtyard.

The metal sculpture of a flame is situated on a high pedestal tiled with marble. The “flame” reflects the building of the courtyard (therefore the access of the public to it is somewhat restricted).

An inscription in Lithuania that reads “The Flame of Hope” is placed on the front of the pedestal. On its back, identical inscriptions in Lithuanian and English describe the topic of the memorial and list the donors. A small inscription indicating the sculptor’s name is located above the Lithuanian text.

Inscriptions:

On the facade:

In Lithuanian:

Vilties liepsna

Translation: Flame of Hope

On the back side:

In Lithuanian:

Čia, buvusiame judenrato (geto tarybos)
kieme, prisimindami tūkstančius nužudytų
lietuvos žydų, tariame: Tai neturi pasi-
kartoti!

Paminklą pastatyti padėjo:
Tarptautinis menų fondas, JAV; Sulamita
Shelly Rybak Pearson, JAV; skulptorius
Leonardas Niermanas, Meksika;
JAV Paveldo užsienyje apsaugos komisija;
Hyman ir Ida Kirsner, JAV

In English:

Here, on the site of the former Judenrat
(Vilnius Ghetto Council), we remember
thousands of murdered Lithuanian Jews
and say: This should never happen again!

The memorial has been erected by
The International Foundation for the
Arts, USA; Sulamita Shelly Rybak Pearson,
USA; Leonardo Nierman, Mexico; The United
States Commission for the Preservation
of America’s Heritage Abroad; Hyman and
Ida Kirsner, USA

In English:

Artist:
Leonardo Nierman

Commissioned by

The International Foundation for the Arts, USA; Sulamita-Sheilly Rybak-Pearson, USA; Leonardo Nierman, Mexico; The United States Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad; Hyman and Ida Kirsner, USA.

Summary and Remarks
Remarks

9 image(s)

sub-set tree:

Name/Title
"The Flame of Hope" Memorial in Vilnius | Unknown
Object Detail
Monument Setting
Ghetto
{"3":"So-called by the Nazis to designate an enclosed area of enforced settlement of Jews within a previously built area in the city or town."}
Date
2000
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Nierman, Leonardo (sculptor)
{"4430":"Born 1932 in Mexico City."}
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Congregation
Unknown
Location
Lithuania | Vilnius County | Vilnius
| 5 Arklių St. (courtyard)
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period
Unknown
Period Detail
Collection
Unknown |
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Iconographical Subject
F | Flame
|
Languages of inscription
Material / Technique
Metal, marble
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Basis of the sculpture - 123 cm x 75 cm x 75 cm
Height
Length
Width
Depth
Circumference
Thickness
Diameter
Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Condition
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
Coin Series
Coin Ruler
Coin Year
Denomination
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Hallmark
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance

The building at 8 Rūdninkų St./ 5 Arklių St. was built in the 18th century as a palace of the Oginski family. The courtyard building was constructed in the late 19th century. In the interwar period, the Jewish Real Gymnasium was located there. Upon the establishment of the Large Ghetto on September 6, 1941, a new Judenrat occupied the courtyard building (Guzenberg 2021, 152). 

The sculpture was unveiled on October 5, 2000.

Main Surveys & Excavations
Sources

Agranovskii, Genrikh and Irina Guzenberg. Vilnius: Po sledam Litovskogo Ierusalima. Pamiatnye mesta ereiskoi istorii i kul’tury, 2nd ed. (Vilnius: The Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, 2016)., 192.

Guzenberg, Irina, Vilnius: Traces of the Jewish Jerusalem of Lithuania. Memorable Sites of Jewish History and Culture. A Guidebook (Vilnius: Pavilniai, 2021)., 200.

Guzenberg, Irina. Vilnius: Pamiatnye mesta evreiskoi istorii i kul'tury (Vilnius: Pavilniai, 2013)., 63.
Type
Documenter
Vladimir Levin, Aistė Niunkaitė Račiūnienė | 2022
Author of description
Vladimir Levin | 2023
Architectural Drawings
|
Computer Reconstruction
|
Section Head
|
Language Editor
Adam Frisch | 2023
Donor
|
Negative/Photo. No.
The following information on this monument will be completed: