The Cultural Heritage Department under the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture has posted a PDF document called Jewish Cultural Heritage in Lithuania:

Jewish Cultural Heritage in Lithuania

Jews settled in the territory of historic Lithuania during the rule of Grand Duke Gediminas in the first half of the 14th century. Economic and historic conditions in the Lithuanian lands proved to be conducive for the emergence of a unique community of Lithuanian Jews, which later became known as the Litvaks. The growing Lithuanian Jewish communities attracted rabbis, who were knowledgeable and experienced in the field of education. Jewish quarters were formed in each town, with a synagogue and a synagogue yard as a prayer house and schooling and administrative centre of the local community. As the authority of Lithuania-based rabbis grew and the Lithuanian Jewish communities prospered, yeshivas, Jewish spiritual high schools, were founded in various Lithuanian towns. From the end of the 19th century, and with yet greater intensity after World War I, a network of secular educational institutions developed in the Republic of Lithuania, in Vilnius, and in the surrounding areas, offering instruction in the Yiddish and Hebrew languages. Local printing houses produced sacred and secular books needed for the educational process. All this collectively created a solid foundation for the Jewish press and high culture—theatre, art and literature—to grow and flourish. The Lithuanian Jewry, like Jewish people everywhere else in Europe, was subjected to the horrors of the Holocaust in 1941–1945. Their cultural heritage fell victim to the destruction alongside its creators. In present day Lithuania, the quiet witnesses of this formerly glorious culture can be encountered in various Lithuanian towns and villages.

Vilnius, Lithuania’s Jerusalem, holds a special place in the history of the world’s Jewry. The Vilnius Jewish community emerged in the mid 16th century, becoming, over the course of history, a centre of attraction for the Jewish. Only a small part has survived of the former Jewish quarter, the territory of which was finally formed in 1633 by King Wladislaw Vasa. Today these are the streets of Gaono, Antokolskio, Stiklių and Žydų. Besides the still operating synagogue at Pylimo St. 39, buildings of other synagogues and prayer houses survive at Gėlių St 6, Lapų St. 6, and Aguonų St. 5 (in the courtyard). Vilnius used to be a famous centre for Jewish printers. Most influential of these was the Romas Printing House (1799–1940), several buildings of which still stand in Vilnius on Šiaulių St. 2, 3, and 4 and Šv. Dvasios St. 2. Quite a few buildings survived from the formerly wide network of secular schools. These are the former sciences gymnasium (Rūdninkų St. 8), Sofja Gurevič Girls’ Gymnasium (Aguonų St. 5), school Ort at Islandijos St. 3, and a trade school named Help through Work at Subačiaus St. 17. There are also extant Jewish hospital buildings on Kauno, Kęstučio and Ligoninės streets and a library building of the Jewish revival movement, Meficei haskala, at Žemaitijos St. 4. The Naujamiestis (New Town) district of Vilnius illustrates a significant page in the Jewish history of modern times. It is the location of a Jewish theatre (Naugarduko St. 10, currently one of the buildings of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum), a former boys’ school, Tushija, at Šopeno St. 9, and the buildings of other institutions and residences. The functioning Vilnius Jewish Cemetery at Sudervės Rd. 28 is the eternal resting place of the Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Grodzenski, and other celebrated Jewish political, spiritual and cultural figures. The Lithuanian and Vilnius Jewish community and (a part) of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum is now located at Pylimo St. 4 in the building of the former Tarbut gymnasium, which provided instruction in the Hebrew language.

Kaunas was the interim capital of Lithuania between the two world wars. In the early 20th century, over the period of the Vilnius annexation, it came to perform all the functions of the cultural capital of Lithuanian Jewry. Jews settled in Vilijampolė, the suburbs of Kaunas, known among the Jewish as Slobodka. The Slobodka’s famous yeshiva remained a religious centre until the outbreak of World War II (only a residential building for rabbis and another structure built just prior to the outbreak of World War II on Panerių St. have survived). Jewish people settled in Kaunas only at the end of the 19th century. Nineteen synagogues were built in Kaunas, of which, including the functioning one at Ožeškienės St. 17, there are surviving buildings at Zamenhofo St. 7 and Vaisių St. 30. Two streets in the Kaunas Old Town are named after the world famous Jewish writers who lived and wrote in this town, Abraham Mapu and Israel Eljashev. An extant building of the former Jewish library can be found on Mapu St. 18. On J. Gruodžio St., buildings of an orphanage founded by the celebrated Rabbi Icchak Elchanon Spektor have survived. There are Jewish cemeteries in the Vilijampolė, Aleksotas and Žaliakalnis districts of Kaunas.

By the outbreak of World War II, the third largest, after Vilnius and Kaunas, Lithuanian Jewish community lived in Panevėžys. Located centrally and using the inexpensive waterway of the Nevėžis River, Panevėžys was a rapidly developing town and a large industrial and trade centre during the period of independent Lithuania. The Jewish took active part in the processing and trade of agricultural produce. However, it was religious and education centre of the Panevėžys Jewish community that has perpetuated the Jewish community of Panevėžys in the memory of the world Jewry. The Jewish people duly called Panevėžys a little Vilnius. The Panevėžys yeshiva (the building has survived on Savanorių Sq.), founded by Rabbi Joseph Shlomo Kahaneman in 1928, contributed to the spread of the name of the town far beyond Lithuania. The school continues its activity in Israel. Through Rabbi Joseph Shlomo Kahaneman’s support and initiative, a number of secular schools for boys and girls were founded in the town. Young people in Panevėžys still receive their schooling in one of the former Jewish school buildings at Ramygalos St. 18, which is also home to the Panevėžys Jewish community. Panevėžys was also a known medical centre, which gained influence primarily through the activity and person of Dr Shachna Mer, whose name was given to one of the streets in Panevėžys. There is an extant synagogue building at Valančiaus St. 4.

Telšiai is one of the oldest towns in Samogitia. In the second part of the 19th century, over a half of the town’s population was Jewish. In Telšiai and the surrounding smaller towns, the Jewish were occupied in trade and crafts, and some of them pursued secular scientific careers and took active part in politics. The town was also famous because of its yeshiva, a centre of education and knowledge. The structure of the Telšiai yeshiva and its adjacent buildings has survived on Iždinės St. and are visited by Jewish people arriving from all over the world.

From the mid 14th century until 1590, the town of Kėdainiai belonged to the Radvila and the Kiškis families. Under the rule of the Radvila, Kėdainiai evolved as a feudal economic and cultural centre. The Radvila allowed arrivals of different religions and denominations to settle freely in the town and leave without running the risk of losing their real estate in the town. This encouraged craftsmen and tradesmen from all over Europe, especially those persecuted on religious grounds, to go to Kėdainiai. Once the right of official settlement was granted, a Jewish community emerged in Kėdainiai, and the earliest knowledge of its existence dates from the mid 17th century. The Jews settled in the northern part of Kėdainiai around Senosios rinkos (Old Market) Sq. and were mostly tradesmen and craftsmen. From the mid 19th century, the community grew rapidly, engaging itself actively in all aspects of the life of the town. Senosios rinkos Sq. and Žydų Street became Jewish quarter the public and spiritual centre of the community. It was also the time of the final formation of the synagogue yard at Senoji Rinka 12, which partly survives to the present day. Recently renovated, it is used for the cultural needs of Kėdainiai.

The heritage of the unique Lithuanian Jewish history and culture, and especially its architectural objects, is witness to the scale of the world renowned culture that once flourished here and make up a part of modern Lithuania’s cultural heritage and spiritual treasure. These objects attract interest and visitors from all over the world. They are also in need of further research and, in many cases, special safeguarding efforts.

Written by Roza Bieliauskienė

Small PDF file with bilingual text and photographs from the Lithuanian Cultural Heritage Department available here.