“Cvi in the Park” is once again welcoming the citizens of Vilnius and city’s guests! The project was set up during the corona virus pandemic in order to continue the operation of the famous Bagel Shop Café under strict government-imposed restrictions. This is how the new open-air café “Cvi in the Park” was born, which is now reopening for the summer season.
The word “cvi” or “tzvi” itself means “doe” in Hebrew and given the divisive history of the square and the surrounding atmosphere of the park, it was decided to accommodate this “doe” in Cvirka Square, for the sake of dialogue and tolerance. We hope that this revived summer tradition will give a fresh face to this old square in front of the Lithuanian Jewish Community. We are ready to be a reliable partner to the Vilnius city municipality in the creation and development of a distinctive, sustainable identity for Cvirka Square.
At “Cvi in the Park” we offer healthy Israeli street food such as falafels, hummus, pita, etc., together with fresh vegetables grown locally and a unique blend of Middle Eastern spices and chickpeas. The menu is vegan-friendly and all organic ingredients are carefully selected based on seasonality. We hope our visitors will also enjoy the new and unique flavors of plant-based food. We are very happy to be cooperating with the craft beer experts Genys Brewing and true wine lovers New Skanu.
One of the authors of the idea, Rafael Gimelstein, was born in Lithuania, although Rafael grew up in Israel where he graduated from high school and completed his compulsory three-year military service. After that he moved to Australia where he studied at SAE, in the Audio Engineering program before becoming a full-time event organizer, music producer and successful DJ. With over twenty years of experience organizing events around the world, some attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors, and working with many communities and musical legends, Rafael conceived the idea of “Cvi in the Park” to support the Lithuanian Jewish Community in creating a multicultural and inclusive space which promotes dialogue and understanding between different peoples. Our team is multi-ethnic and was recently joined by war refugees from Ukraine; social inclusion in a crucial part of our identity.
Culture is an integral part of the “Cvi in the Park” brand. We bring the sounds of world-beat music to Vilnius residents and visitors on Wednesdays, with jazz nights on Thursdays and electronic DJ rhythms on Friday nights, and a variety of live bands on Saturdays, with classical music afternoons on Sundays. We are confident the musical traditions of Tel Aviv and Berlin which we aim to reflect will peak interest and connect audiences of different ages, contributing to the creation of a harmonious and fun space.
This summer we plan to surprise our guests with fire-dance performances, QiGong classes, poetry evenings and other meaningful cultural activities.
The team at “Cvi in the Park” is committed to a healthy society and sustainable consumption. We have partnered with CupCup to help serve customers with reusable cups and compostable plates, and are open to other green initiatives and partnerships.
“Cvi in the Park” is now officially open and we are looking forward to welcoming you from Tuesday to Sunday from 6:00 P.M. to 12 midnight.
