Irena Veisaitė (9 January 1928 – 11 December 2020) was a Lithuanian theatre scholar, intellectual and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

activist. She was awarded the Goethe Medal in 2012 for her contribution to cultural exchange between Germany and Lithuania.

Life and career

Veisaitė was a

Lithuanian Jew {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Litvaks , image = , caption = , poptime = , region1 = {{flag, Lithuania , pop1 = 2,800 , region2 = {{flag, South Africa , pop2 = 6 ...

. She was born in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

and survived the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. She earned a doctorate in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 1963 with a dissertation on the poetry of

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

, and was a lecturer at the teacher's college in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

from 1953 to 1997. She was also head of the

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

Cultural Centre in

Nida, Lithuania Nida (, Kursenieki language, Kursenieki: ''Nīde'') is a resort town in Lithuania, the administrative centre of Neringa municipality. Located on the Curonian Spit between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea, it is the westernmost point of Lit ...

. She was the president of the Open Society in Lithuania Foundation. She said in an interview with ''

Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...

'' that "the Soviets were very, very bad. Different from the Nazis, but not better." In Moscow in 1952 Veisaite married a young Jewish economist named Jakov (Jasha) Boom. Later she married the Estonian film director

Grigori Kromanov Grigori Kromanov (; 8 March 1926 in Tallinn – 18 July 1984 in Lahe, Lääne-Viru County, Lahe, Lääne-Virumaa) was an Estonian Theatre director, theatre and film director. He directed some of the best-known Estonian movies, including ''Viimne r ...

, with whom she remained until his death in 1984. She died of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on 11 December 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania The COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania was a part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Lithuan ...

, twenty nine days short of her 93rd birthday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veisaite, Irena 1928 births 2020 deaths Academic staff of the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences Lithuanian Jews Lithuanian human rights activists Holocaust survivors Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Writers from Kaunas Lithuanian women activists Jewish women activists Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania 20th-century Lithuanian Jews Jewish human rights activists Jewish women writers