The Sabbath begins at 5:56 P.M. on Friday, March 11, and concludes at 7:10 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Kabbalat Shabat
A Kabbalat Shabat ceremony will be held to usher in the Sabbath under the tenets of Progressive Judaism at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius at 6:30 P.M. on March 11. To register, write Viljamas at viljamas@lzb.lt.
Indoor Rock Climbing March 13
The Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club invites everyone interested to an indoor rock-climbing exercise at noon on March 13. The event will take place at Kalvarijų street no. 143 in Vilnius. You need to dress in clothing which won’t restrict your movement, and we’ll provide the rest of the equipment. More information is available at vertical.lt and to register write an email to dubrovinas@yahoo.com or call 8 687 83 005. Students will be admitted free of charge, adults pay 4 euros.
Daniel Dubrovin, director,
Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club
Concerning Matzo Ordered from Ukraine
The Lithuanian Jewish Community has always maintained special ties with the Ukrainian Jewish community. In December last year we ordered matzo from the Ukrainian Jewish community which was supposed to be baked and certified kosher under the authority of chief Ukrainian rabbi Dov Yaakov Bleich and then packed and shipped in our original-style package.
We have received a query from Ukrainian Jewish community leaders in recent days asking whether they could return 9,000 euros already paid for this. While we appreciate their honesty and conscientiousness, our reply was that this constitutes a portion of our aid to the Ukrainian Jewish community and this money should be used for the needs of members of the Ukrainian Jewish community.
We reminded the Ukrainian Jewish community every Lithuanian Jewish family stands ready to help all Ukrainian Jews who need help.
We have a special telephone help hotline,+370 665 064 60, and may also be reached at ukraina@lzb.lt
What You Always Wanted to Know about Jewish Traditions*
*But Were Afraid to Ask
The #NataljosCheifecKlubas invites lecture attendees to the #KlubasŠalom on zoom from 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. on March 10 to answer their questions submitted prior to the conference. Register here.
Historical Prayer Service
Rabbi Nathan Alfred will deliver lectures via internet before an historic and historical Saturday prayer service and Torah reading at 10:00 A.M. on March 19 to mark the 100th anniversary of the bat mitzvah when Judith Kaplan read the Torah portion on March 18, 1922. To register contact Viljamas at viljamas@lzb.lt or call+37067250699.
Classes for Making Challa and Other Jewish Foods
The Lithuanian Jewish Community’s Bagel Shop Café is offering students and teachers the opportunity to learn Jewish cooking secrets in classes held every Thursday. The classes are intended for students in grades 5 to 10 and the cost is 12 euros per 60-minute class. For more information see the details in Lithuanian here.
Purim Celebrations
Purim is coming up and as usual the Lithuanian Jewish Community is sponsoring multiple celebrations for all age-groups, including but not limited to the following three:
Purim celebration for seniors from the LJC Social Department starting at 1:00 P.M. on March 17. Register by sending an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt or call +37067881514;
Family Purim celebration at 6:30 P.M. on March 18 at the Bagel Shop Café with Rabbi Nathan Alfred, including reading the Book of Esther, Sabbath ceremony and food. Cost is 15 euros. Register by contacting Viljamas at viljamas@lzb.lt or +3067250699;
Purim carnival for children at 12 noon on March 20 with a traditional Purim shpil with the Fayerlakh musical ensemble and our favorite madrichs. Purim foods including Hamen tashn and special guests. Children expected to wear costumes. Register by contacting Margarita at margarita.kozevatova@gmail.com or +37061800577. The event is free.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 5:28 P.M. on Friday, February 25, and concludes at 6:43 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
LJC and Partners Begin S4Change Project
The Lithuanian Jewish Community in concert with the Lithuanian Human Rights Institute and the Padėk Pritapti organization are carrying out a project called S4Change which will assess anti-discrimination policies in Lithuania, present comprehensive recommendations and increase resistance among teachers and young people to anti-Semitic, anti-Roma and xenophobic narratives. Besides assessing the state of anti-Semitism and Romophobia and providing recommendations to legislators and national institutions to encourage a strategic response the discrimination and xenophobia, the project will work to increase Roma resilience to hate narratives in society and will hold workshops for Roma children, young people and women. The project will work with teachers and students in the majority population to encourage critical thinking regarding anti-Semitism, Romophobia and xenophobia with teaching workshops and an additional “inconvenient cinema” class for educators to acquire teaching methods and aides. The project will hold an international conference intended to strengthening the state’s strategic response to anti-Semitism, Romophobia and xenophobia and will include a public education campaign.
The full name of the project is “S4Change: Strategy for a Change in Anti-Discrimination Policies in Lithuania” and is financed jointly by the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Program. The project will run from February of 2022 to January of 2024.
Table Tennis
The Lithuanian Jewish Community is sponsoring ping-pong classes for beginners and skilled players. Classes/matches for adults will take place Sundays from 2:00 to 4:00 P.M. at the Community, and from Monday to Friday from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. at the Simonas Daukantas pre-gymnasium in Vilnius. Classes for primary school students will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00 P.M. at the Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium, as will classes for students from higher classes, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 P.M. For more information contact Rafael Gimelštein by telephone at 866283856 or Neta Alon at 862957005.
Kabbalat Shabat
The next Kabbalat Shabat ceremony will be via internet on the zoom platform at 6:30 on Friday, February 25. To register contact viljamas@lzb.lt.
Acting Classes for Children
The Lithuanian Jewish Community invites your children to attend acting classes taught by the actresses Emilija and Elžbieta Latėnaite. Topics include improvisation, stage acting and performing entire plays before an audience. The first class is at 3:30 P.M. on March 1 at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius. For more information and to register, contact Žana by email at zanas@sc.lzb.lt or call +370 67881514.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 5:14 P.M. on Friday, February 18, and concludes at 6:30 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Chess Classes for Children
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Rositsan and Maccabi Elite Chess and Checkers Club will hold classes to teach children chess from 5:30 to 6:30 P.M. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Virginijus Dumbrauskas will be the instructor. Registration is required by calling +370 676 07907. The classes will take place at the Lithuanian Jewish Community at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius and by internet.
Israeli Dance Club Rekudim
The Israeli dance club Rekudim will meet on Sundays from 11:00 A.M. to 12 noon for beginners and from noon to 1:30 P.M. for more advanced dancers. Julija Patašnik will teach the classes. For more information call +370 569 60512.
Seasonal Jewish Dishes for Spring
Take Part in the “I Love Lithuania” Campaign
The Šiauliai District Jewish Community invites all the Jewish communities to take part in the “I Love Lithuania” public campaign by taking photographs with the Lithuanian flag on February 16, the pre-World War II Lithuanian Independence Day.
Kabbalat Shabat with Rabbi Nathan Alfred
The Choral Synagogue in Vilnius will host a Kabbalat Shabat ceremony with Rabbi Nathan Alfred from Israel at 6:30 on February 18, followed by a Sabbath meal. To register contact Viljamas by telephone at 867250699 or write viljamas@lzb.lt
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 4:59 P.M. on Friday, February 11, and concludes at 6:16 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.