Lolita Tomsone is currently the director of Žanis Lipke Memorial in Riga. She has studied Jewish culture and language at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and in Latvian Academy of Culture. Ms. Tomsone is involved in the scientific research conducted by the museum by collecting testimonies of the Holocaust survivors and the witnesses of the war. She also actively participates in international conferences dedicated to social memory and Holocaust.
Worked as a journalist for radio “Free Europe” and published articles about Jewish culture and social politics in the magazine “Rigas Laiks” and other media outlets.
Besides the work in Žanis Lipke memorial, Lolita Tomsone is a freelance writer and translates articles, books and films.
Lolita is interested in “silent heroes” – people who went against mainstream and their own fear to help persecuted fellow human beings. She worked as a journalist in Israel and Latvia so she is fascinated how WW2 is still used in political discourse and perceived in Europe, Israel and, especially, in Latvia where it always causes heated discussions and very polarized opinions.