Announcements

Come Learn about Jewish Fall Holidays

Žydų rudens šventės – kviečiame į paskaitą

Sukkot, or Sukkos, is the feast of tabernacles, meaning tents.
Simchat Torah, or Simkhas Torah, is a celebration of the Torah.

Description:
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and educator Natalja Cheifec invite you to a lesson where you’ll learn:

Why Jews must dwell in these booths made especially for Sukkot
When sins become good deeds
What the requirement of the four species means
Why Simchat Torah is the holiday of rejoicing in the Torah
Why Jews are not only allowed but required to drink during Simchat Torah

and many additional interesting facts. Students will also receive a small gift.

Register here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oN-Nj3-EYpdg2xFAl82GJPeWLxqhzyomQ6e6JdEZ9OQ/edit

We meet at 2:00 P.M. on October 8 at the entrance to the Bagel Shop Café located at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius.

Sukkot at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius

SUKKOT šventės Vilniaus Choralinėje sinagogoje

October 4: Service at 6:30 P.M., followed by treats in Sukkot tent at Bokšto street no. 19.

October 5: Service at 9:30 A.M., followed by treats in the Sukkot tent at the synagogue.

October 6: Service at 9:30 A.M., followed by treats in the Sukkot tent at the synagogue.

October 7: Service at 9:00 A.M., followed by treats in the Sukkot tent at the synagogue.

October 8: Service at 8:30 A.M., followed by treats in the Sukkot tent at the synagogue.

October 9: Service at 8:30 A.M., followed by treats in the Sukkot tent at the synagogue.

October 10: Service at 8:30 A.M., followed by treats in the Sukkot tent at the synagogue.

October 11: Service at 8:30 A.M., followed by treats in the Sukkot tent at the synagogue.

Shmini Atzeres

October 12: Service at 9:30 A.M., followed by treats in the Sukkot tent at the synagogue.

Simchat Torah

October 12: Service at 7:21 P.M., dancing with Torah, followed by sushi at the synagogue.

October 13: Service at 9:30 A.M., followed by treats at synagogue

October 12 and 13 are non-working days.

Vilnius Jewish Religious Community

New LJC Calendar for 5778 Features Lithuanian Synagogues

The new calendar for the Jewish year 5778 published by the Lithuanian Jewish Community features graphic representations of the synagogues of Lithuania in the drawings by Gerardas Bagdonavičius.

Bagdonavičius (1901-1986) was an artist working in drawing and painting, an illustrator, a theater designer and teacher. His legacy, a corpus of more than 4,000 works, is preserved at 11 Lithuanian museums, with the majority at the Aušra Museum in Šiauliai, the collection to which the illustrations in the new calendar belong.

Of the hundreds of synagogues once gracing the Lithuanian landscape, only several dozen remain. There were more than one hundred synagogues in Vilnius alone before the Holocaust. Currently 44 synagogues and synagogue complexes are listed on the registry of Lithuanian cultural treasures. The majority have disappeared forever, in many cases leaving us no picture of how they looked. The Bagdonavičius drawings of synagogues featured in the calendar are a rich source of information, drawings he made during different ethnographic expeditions in the period between the two world wars.

Only two of the synagogues portrayed in the calendar are still standing: the synagogue of the Chaim Frankl leather factory in Šiauliai and the synagogue in Pakruojis. The latter belongs to the LJC with whom the Pakruojis regional administration has a use agreement. It was only reopened to the public in the spring of 2017 after extensive renovation over several years. It is the first wooden synagogue restored after the Holocaust in Lithuania.

Renovation work is being performed on three more synagogues which belong to the LJC: the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius, the Zavl kloyz on Gėlių street in Vilnius and the wooden synagogue in Žiežmariai.

Zavl Shul Design Concepts

You’re invited to a sneak-peak of the newly renovated Zavl synagogue located at Gėlių street no. 6, Vilnius. at 4:00 P.M. on Sunday, October 1, 2017.

The synagogue on Gėlių street is one of only eight such buildings which survive in Vilnius. It is currently undergoing extensive restoration work.

We have brought together a team of young designers to address some important issues concerning the re-emergence of the building into the life of 21st-century Vilnius. It likely will play a role in the continuity of Jewish life in the city, but so far its future function hasn’t been determined.
The designers come from different backgrounds and have different ideas about “what design can do.” Most are alumni from the Vilnius Academy of Arts and six studied at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, one of the world’s leading institutions for critically examining the role of design in society. Two Eindhoven graduates previously studied in Israel.

The presentation on Sunday will consist of ideas, associations and suggestions, not definite projects. They are all connected to the long history of the building and the Jewish presence in Lithuania but they are not intended as memorials. Instead, the presentations are intended to serve as a jumping-off point for future projects dealing with issues facing many communities in a globalized world: how to weave strands of culture, tradition, heritage, religion, identity and history into the fabric of contemporary life.

The presentation starts at 4:00 P.M. at Gėlių street no. 6, Vilnius.

We would very much appreciate your presence.

Koen Kleijn, Design Academy Eindhoven
Vytautas Gečas, Performance Design Association, Vilnius
Martynas Užpelkis, Lithuanian Jewish Community

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Yom Kippur at the Choral Synagogue

Yom Kippur at the Choral Synagogue

During Yom Kippur we must ask ourselves: have we really asked forgiveness from all whom we have hurt? Have we resolved all misunderstandings? Have we made amends for all the problems we have created? It is important to remember that during Yom Kippur we strive to put our relationships with other people and with our community in order.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year, a day of good will and of atonement for sins before the Creator.

Yom Kippur at the Choral Synagogue:

September 28 (Thursday): 7:00 P.M. Preparations for Yom Kippur:
Kappores
Discussion about Yom Kippur

September 29 (Friday): At 2:00 P.M. the gabbai will begin writing down names to be read during the yizkor prayer and charity donations will be accepted (purely on a voluntary basis).
5:00 P.M.: Mincha
5:30 P.M.: Seudah haMafseket (last supper) before Yom Kippur
6:30 P.M.: Kol nidrei service

September 30 (Saturday):
9:00 A.M.: Prayer service
11:30 A.M.: Yizkor prayer
~6:30 P.M.: Ne’ilah service
~7:50 P.M.: Havdalah and snacks

Tsom kal v’gmar hasima tova!

Vilnius Jewish Religious Community

Rabbi Burshtein Presents Menachem Mendel Lefin Book

Rabbi Chaim Burshtein will present Menachem Mendel Lefin of Satanov’s work Cheshbon HaNefesh (Accounting of the Soul) at 6:00 P.M. on September 28 on the third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community. Lefin was a great rabbi and Musar teacher. The book examines the depths and treasures of the soul and the individual’s great service to the Creator, bringing the sons of Israel closer to the spiritual state which the Most High intended when He created them.

Screening of Molėtai Film at LJC

There will be a free public screening of a film about the march in Molėtai at 5:00 P.M. at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius.

The documentary film “Paskutinis rugpjūčio sekmadienis” [Last Sunday in August] has received much praise following its premiere August 29, the date the Jewish population was murdered in Molėtai during World War II. The audience for the first screening included the Lithuanian ambassador to Israel and the Israeli ambassador to Lithuania.

Week of Names Events to Commemorate Holocaust This Year

In the run-up to the Day of Remembrance of the Lithuanian Jewish Victims of Genocide, organizers of the civic initiative NAMES invite you to remember and honor the victims of the Holocaust. Now for the seventh year, the reading of the names of those murdered will include different groups and occupy an entire week.

The series of events will begin in Merkinė. On September 17 residents will read out loud the names of members of the community murdered more than 70 years ago, commemorating the tragedy which took place in the town.

On September 20 the reading of the names will take place at two locations in Vilnius: outside the former ghetto library (Žemaitijos street no. 4) and at the “memory stone” commemorating Fania and Lazar Lewando, founders and owners of a vegetarian restaurant (Vokiečių street no. 14).

On September 23 the names will be read out in Kaunas.

On September 24 residents of Lithuania are invited to visit Jewish mass murder sites located nearest to them.

“The Holocaust is one of the most painful topics in the history of Lithuania. Only by remembering and talking about the unpleasant past can we open up to the world. I think these readings are a strong and personal expression of this kind of remembrance and freedom,” NAMES coordinator Milda Jakulytė-Vasil says.

The list of initiatives isn’t final: all who want to may contribute by selecting an important location for Holocaust commemoration. The names and surnames of those murdered can be found in museums, libraries and institutions concerned with the preservation of Jewish heritage. More information about the readings and how to organize them yourself can be found here.

The period of one week isn’t coincidental; over this week several important Jewish religious and cultural holidays take place. Rosh Hashanah takes place on September 21 and 22 this year. This is, the Jewish New Year, a time for reflection. The Lithuanian Day for the Remembrance of Lithuanian Jewish Victims of Genocide falls on the Sabbath this year; according to Jewish custom it is forbidden to visit graves on this day.

Lithuanian Day for the Remembrance of Lithuanian Jewish Victims of Genocide is marked on September 23. This was the day in 1943 when the Vilnius ghetto was liquidated.

NAMES on facebook

Educational Rosh Hashana Evening

This evening we will not only have fun, try food and look at the new Jewish calendar for 5778, we’ll also renew our knowledge of this sweetest of Jewish holidays. Be there, 6:00 P.M., Tuesday, September 19, on the third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

AICE Update: Rosh HaShanah Fundraiser

The Jewish Virtual Library is the go-to source my students use for fact-based research pertaining to Judaism, Israel and the Holocaust.

We hear this all the time from teachers because the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE) is at the forefront of online Jewish/Israel education. We have worked hard to build the Jewish Virtual Library to include nearly 25,000 entries covering everything from anti-Semitism to Zionism. We are also proud to have reached more than 30 million visitors from more than 200 countries in the last three years.

In January, we gave the JVL a new look. We’ve made it easier to navigate and to find the information you need. We’ve also optimized the library so it is compatible with your smartphone and tablet. We have much more planned, including an App and material packaged for high school educators.

We need your help!

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LJC EVENTS CALENDAR SEPTEMBER 19-27, 2017

September 19, 6:00 P.M., Jascha Heifetz Hall, LJC, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius. Educational Rosh Hashanah evening. Besides having a good time, sampling foods and seeing the new calendar for 5778, we’ll also renew our knowledge of this sweetest of Jewish holidays.

September 20, 5:00 P.M. Traditional Rosh Hashanah celebration at the Choral Synagogue. Service begins at 6:30 P.M., with services on September 21 and 22 at 9:30 A.M.

September 22, 5:00 P.M. Art & Weisen concert in Heifetz Hall, LJC. The German quartet will perform subtle and enchanting interpretations of Eastern European and klezmer tunes.

Important note to members and visitors: on September 21 and 22 the Community administration and Social Programs Department will be on holiday.

September 24, 12 noon, Choral Synagogue. St. Christopher chamber orchestra concert “From a Forgotten Book.” For an invitation, call (8 5) 2613 003 or 867881514

September 24, 2:00 P.M. Rosh Hashanah for kids and young people at the Community.

September 25, 8:30 A.M. International conference “Diaspora and Heritage: The Shtetl,” building III, Lithuanian parliament. Registration required and identification required for entry. Registration open till September 21. Conference program here.

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“Diaspora and Heritage: The Shtetl,” an International Conference at the Lithuanian Parliament September 25

An international conference called Diaspora and Heritage: The Shtetl will be held at the Lithuanian parliament September 25 dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Genocide of the Jews of Lithuania and the European Day of Jewish Culture.

Representatives of the Lithuanian and foreign Jewish community, scholars and heritage protection experts will give presentations and discuss Litvak history, memory and heritage. Conference participants and guests will have the opportunity to view a new exhibit financed by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry called “One Century from Seven: Lithuania, Lite, Lita,” which will later travel to Lithuanian embassies. The new Lithuanian Jewish Community calendar for the year 5778 will also be presented. This year’s calendar features the wooden synagogues of Lithuania.

The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Cultural Heritage Department under the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture are organizing the conference. The event is jointly financed by the Goodwill Foundation and the Cultural Heritage Department.

You are invited to attend. Please find the program for the conference and register at the following internet address:

https://www.lzb.lt/registracija-i-zydu-paveldo-konferencija/

Program in English also available here.

Knesset Speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein to Visit Ponar and Lithuanian Jewish Community

Kneseto pirmininko Yuli-Yoel Edelstein apsilankymas Panerių memoriale ir susitikimas Lietuvos žydų (litvakų) bendruomenėje

Dear members and friends,

You are invited to join Knesset speaker Yuli-Yoel Edelstein in commemorating Holocaust victims at the Ponar Memorial Complex on Wednesday, September 13. A bus will provide transportation from the Lithuanian Jewish Community building at Pylimo street no. 4 and will depart at 2:20 P.M. sharp, so please don’t be late, and of course the number of seats is limited.

At 5:45 P.M. speaker Edelstein will visit the Community and you’re welcome to join us on the third floor. Opera soloist Rafailas Karpis and pianist Darius Mažintas will perform a short concert there as well.

EJC Calls on French Authorities to Root Out “Societal Anti-Semitism”

Dear Friends,

Please find below EJC’s statement following the anti-Semitic attack on a French Jewish leader and his family near Paris.

Kind regards,
The EJC team
European Jewish Congress (EJC)
Tel : +3225408159
Fax : +3225408169
Web : www.eurojewcong.org

*******

EJC Calls on French Authorities to Root Out “Societal Anti-Semitism”
after Jewish family assaulted near Paris

Brussels, Monday, September 11, 2017–The European Jewish Congress (EJC) has called for stronger measures to be taken by French authorities in the wake of an attack on a French Jewish leader and his family who were assaulted in their home near Paris in an anti-Semitic attack. The attack took place just days after it was reported that a former principal at a preparatory school for teenagers in Marseille said that he regularly advised Jews not to attend his institution for fear of harassment by other students.

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Presentation of New Book “Aleksandras Livontas ir Olga Šteinberg”

The Lithuanian Jewish Community invites you to a presentation of a book about the famous 20th century Lithuanian performers and teachers Aleksandras Livontas and Olga Šteinberg. The author of the book is cultural expert and professor Dr. Rita Aleknaitė-Bieliauskienė.

Participants are to include students of Aleksandras Livontas and Olga Šteinberg, including musicians, teachers, national figures and professors: violinist, teacher and doctor of the humanities Dr. Algis Gricius; pianist and teacher Veronika Vitaitė, pianist Aleksandra Žvirblytė, violinist Kristina Domarkienė, violinist Gediminas Dalinkevičius, pianist Povilas Jaraminas and music scholar Vaclovas Juodpusis.

Time: 6:00 P.M., Thursday, September 14
Location: Third floor, Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius

The evening will be moderated by Maša Grodnikienė, the initiator and organizer of the Destinies series of discussions, concerts and meetings with remarkable people.

Panevėžys Jewish Community Invites Public to Attend Events to Commemorate Olkin Family

The Rokiškio teatras association is carrying out a project to commemorate the Olkin family from Panemunėlis, Lithuania. The family was murdered in the Holocaust. The Panevėžys Jewish Community is a partner in the project. The play Nutildytos Mūzos [Silenced Muses] based on real events will be performed at 4:30 P.M. at the Rokiškis Regional History Museum on September 8 as part of the project. At 6:30 P.M. a statue commemorating the poetess Matilda Olkin will be unveiled at the Panemunėlis railroad station. A monument to commemorate the murdered Olkin and Yoffe families will be unveiled at Šeduikiškės village at 7:30 P.M. All events are open to the public.