Was the Lithuanian Va’ad Abolished? Some remarks on the history of Jewish self-government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

ABSTRACT The article draws attention to an issue that has been well discussed in historiography – the abolition of Jewish self-government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Based on the re-interpretation of known sources and the introduction of new historical materials several questions are raised. Is everything so obvious in respect of the liquidation of the Va’ads? The conclusions reached during this research correct the currently, generally recognised date of the ‘abolition’ of the Polish and Lithuanian Va’ads and provide new examples of the functioning of the supra-communal organisation in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the end of the eighteenth century.