On the 14^th April, 2011, the Tolerance Center and the Lithuanian-French Association invited to commemorate the birth centenary of the famous French photographer of Lithuanian background Israel Biderman-Izi. The event was devoted to the artist and his works. Probably few Lithuanians have heard his name although in France Izi is mentioned along the names of such masters of photography as Brassaï, Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Doisneau and Willy Roni. Exhibitions of his photographs have been held at prestigious exhibition halls in Paris, New York, Berlin, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. In 2006, Izi’s works were on display in Lithuania for the first time, with the participation of his son Manuel Biderman. The photographer was born to the family of a poor china shop owner in Marijampolė in 1911. At the age of thirteen, he started to attend a photography course led by one of the town’s four best photographers; at the age of sixteen he and his friend worked as retouchers in several Lithuanian towns. He became a famous photographer in France where he arrived at the age of nineteen trying to escape poverty and anti-Semitism in his native country. It is interesting that after Lithuanian regained independence Izi changed his name and surname in his passport to the Lithuanian form becoming Izraelis Bidermanas instead of Israel Biderman. All events to mark Izi’s birth centenary were devoted to the memory of the Biderman family whose members perished during the Second World War.

Participants of the commemoration were greeted by Ramunė Žvirblytė, Chairman of the Lithuanian-French Association and Audelin Chappuis, Deputy Director of the French Cultural Center. Photographer Valentinas Juraitis made the presentation about Izrael Bidermanas-Izi’s creative works. Ambassador of the French Republic to Lithuania, Francois Laumonier also honoured the commemoration with his participation.

The team of Marijampolė Culture Center  prepared the musical-poetical part of the event: poems, created by the Jewish authors were read by Andžela Paulauskienė, Mindaugas Radzevičius, Head of the Č.Sasnauskas Chamber Chorus, played the fortepiano and Darius Klišys – the hornpipe.