Congratulations to our 2025 YU Student Library Research Award Winner Aden Lyons! Aden, YC 鈥26, is a double major in history and political science. His paper, 鈥The Jewish Community of Lida During the Second World War,鈥 was written for Professor Joshua Zimmerman鈥檚 course 鈥淗istory of the Holocaust.鈥
He stated that his goal in writing this paper was to write a deeply moving research paper both analyzing the systematic steps leading to the extermination of Lida鈥檚 once vibrant, yet largely unknown Jewish community, and highlighting the heroic acts both individuals and community leaders took in the face of rising persecution. He prioritized firsthand accounts in a way that allowed him to recount the horrors and acts of heroism Lida鈥檚 Jews faced, which in turn impacts the reader on an emotional level.
Our committee of seven readers, who reviewed 27 entries, was particularly impressed by the depth and originality of his paper, and by the quality and variety of resource materials. Mazel tov, Aden, on a job well done!
鈥揥endy Kosakoff, Public Services and Outreach Librarian
