Press release
December 4, 2020
Vilnius

The Jewish Community Announces the Beginning of Hanukkah

The Lithuanian Jewish Community is preparing to celebrate one of the most important holidays of the year, Hanukkah, which will begin this year on Thursday, December 10, and will end December 18. The beginning of the holiday is set for 4:00 P.M. when the first Hanukkah light is lit at the Choral Synagogue, Pylimo street no. 39, then at 5:00 P.M. the first light will be lit at the Lithuanian Jewish Community building in Vilnius. Hanukkah, which was mainly traditionally a family holiday, is celebrated at home by lighting a candle daily on the traditional nine-branched hanukiya candelabrum, more commonly known as the menorah..

Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights and the Jewish community as we light the candles sends out light and community to all the ethnic minority communities in Lithuania and to Jewish communities around the world. Light and music will accompany the ceremonial lighting of the first candle, with a laser-generated light show on the LJC building at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius, hopefully adding a new perspective on the building which housed the Tarbut Jewish gymnasium before the Holocaust. Because of virus fears, the lighting ceremony can also be observed via our website www.lzb.lt and on our facebook profile.

“Hanukkah is the holiday of light. The Lithuanian Jewish Community hopes for as much light, fellowship and shared welfare around us as possible. Lithuanian Jews are part of Lithuania, we want to build the country together with all the country’s communities. So when we light the Hanukkah candles, the knowledge of light might shine not just on Jewish communities around the world, but also on the ethnic communities in Lithuania. We invite everyone to become part of the light of Hanukkah, and when our holiday ends we will greet our fellow citizens as their Christmas celebration approaches,” LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said.

Kukliansky said it’s common for people to come together on this holiday, have a good time together and eat the customary Hanukkah foods traditionally fried in oil, including doughnuts and latkes, but this year Hanukkah will be a bit different.

“We are trying to avoid large gatherings, but Hanukkah is one of our most important holidays, so we are inviting all Jews to celebrate joyfully at home, while the Community will, in the spirit of the holiday, share traditional foods by sending them out to other ethnic communities in Lithuania and to Lithuanian institutions,” she said.

The children won’t be forgotten, either. The LJC is planning to send out the traditional chocolate money, but also books about Jewish wisdom and history to children within the Community.

For more information and to watch the livestream of the Hanukkah celebration, watch www.facebook.com/zydubendruomene, or call or write Michail Segal, telephone 8 650 75939, email michails@sc.lzb.lt