The Judaica Center at the Lithuanian National Library is to host a lecture by Vilnius YIddish Institute summer program academic director professor Dov-Ber Kerler at 4:00 P.M. on August 9. More information will be posted as it is made available.
Annual Israeli Embassy Fun Run
The Israeli embassy to Lithuania invites the public to attend the third annual Vilnius Bike Ride fun run sponsored by the embassy, meeting at 11:00 A.M. noon on Sunday, August 27, 2017. This year the route will be 10 kilometers from the Vilnius Old Town Hall Square to the white bridge. Those who want to participate but are unable to ride are invited to join the cyclists at the white bridge in Vilnius at 12 noon.
The Israeli embassy strongly recommends wearing protective helmets and promises event t-shirts to teams who register before August 1, although supplies are limited. Teams are invited to send in the number of shirts and sizes required. For more information contact the embassy at +370-5-2502500 or info@vilnius.mfa.gov.il
The embassy team will assemble at Old Town Hall at 10:00 A.M. and the embassy suggests others come early as well, with the start set for 11:00 A.M. sharp.
Litvaks in Love, a Lecture by David Roskies
David Roskies, professor of Hebrew University and the New York Jewish Theological Seminary, will deliver a lecture called Litvaks in Love at the Judaica Center of the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library in Vilnius at 4:00 P.M. on July 27.
For more information, visit the Judaica Center’s webpage here.
Panevėžys Jewish Community Youth Meet
Children of members of the Panevėžys Jewish Community and their parents gathered July 12 to consider the formation of a Panevėžys Jewish Community youth organization. They discussed how to stimulate organizational, cultural and athletic activities among youth. The goal of the meeting was to encourage more Community youth to learn Jewish traditions. The Community building includes a room with religious regalia, literature, albums, magazines and multimedia equipment for screening films and holding lectures. The proposal was made to use the room for youth activities, specifically for personal study of Judaism.
The meeting made plans to travel to Ventspils in Latvia on August 5 and 6 and learn about the former Jewish community there. The trip would include an excursion into Joniškis, Lithuania, to view the newly restored Red and White Synagogues there. The trip to Ventspils is to include meetings with the surviving Jewish community there and the conclusion of a cooperation agreement between the two communities. The trip is supported by the Goodwill Foundation and members of the Panevėžys Jewish Community. Members are invited to participate.
Introduction to Israeli Cinema with Giedrius Jokubauskis, July 26-August 30
What do you know about Israeli cinema? The question might make some embarrassed. General knowledge would tend to answer that by saying Israeli cinema is films about Israeli history, Christianity and Jewish-Arab relations. Few could name films, directors or actors. Is Israel too distant culturally, historically and geographically? Well, it’s time to learn about the country. We invite you to Israeli film evenings beginning at the close of July and taking place every Wednesday until the end of August. International relations specialist Giedrius Jokubauskis will be master of ceremonies. Films will be screened in their original language with English subtitles.
Full announcement in Lithuanian on the National Library site here.
International Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day
The Roma Community Center, the Polish Institute and the Vilnius Old Town Hall invite you to come commemorate together the International Day of Commemorating Roma Victims of the Holocaust on August 2.
Planned events:
12:00 noon laying of wreaths at Ponar Memorial Complex
3:00 P.M. Preview of exhibits for International Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Grey Hall of the Vilnius Old Town Hall, Didžioji street no. 31:
Traditions, Customs and History of the Roma of Poland exhibition
Nomads of the Future exhibit of photography by Prashant Rana from Sweden
For more information, contact the organizers at +370 682 41218
International Chess Day Chess Tournament
Date: from 11:00 A.M. on, Sunday, July 30, 2017
Location: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Vilnius
Director: FIDE master Boris Rositsan
To register and for more information, contact:
info@metbor.lt
+370 6 55 43 556
Israeli Choirs to Perform July 24
The embassy of the State of Israel to Lithuania presents three choirs from Israel in concert at the Old Town Hall in Vilnius at 7:00 P.M., July 24:
Ramot-Musikal Choir
Shiran Choir
Neve Shir Women’s Choir
The program is to include traditional and pop songs. Everyone is welcome and entry is free of charge.
People and Books of the Strashun Library Exhibit to Close July 28
For those who haven’t seen the exhibition at the Lithuanian National Martynas Mažvydas Library, People and Books of the Strashun Library will close July 28. Judaica Center director Dr. Lara Lempertienė is planning to lead a tour July 28 for those interesting in learning why the Strashun Library looms so large on the Litvak cultural horizon, to be followed by a discussion. She is inviting interested parties to gather in the exhibition hall on the third floor at the library at 3:00 P.M., July 28.
Yiddish Summer Program Opening Ceremony
The summer program of the Vilnius Yiddish Institute at Vilnius University opened with the usual ceremony at a restaurant in Vilnius July 17. This year over 30 students from the USA, Israel, France, Sweden, Poland and Lithuania are attending the intensive language and literature course. The teachers this year include professor Anna Vershik, Abraham Lichtenbaum, Dov Ber Kehler and Vera Shabo.
Vilnius Yiddish Institute director professor Šarūnas Liekis said the summer program is unique for its professionalism, high academic level and because it offers its students the opportunity to communicate with fellow students in Yiddish. It also has an interesting cultural program for students, he noted.
The intensive course with four levels of proficiency will continue until August 11.
Lithuanian Makabi Athletes Return Home with Gold, Silver, Bronze Medals
Members of the Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club delegation to the 20th Maccabiah Games in Israel returned home on the evening of July 18 and Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon met them at Vilnius International. The athletes come home with six medals, including two gold. Congratulations to the entire team!
Social Programs Client-Family Needs Computer
Dear Community member,
One family with children who are clients of the LJC Social Department need your help.
Recently the family lost their computer and television. Thanks to members who have already responded, the family now has a television, but the children still need a computer for school and are unable to afford one.
If you can help or know someone who can, please contact the LJC Social Programs Department Family Program coordinator by telephone at 865213146 or by email at rasheles@sc.lzb.lt
Thank you for caring!
Educational Plein Air Outdoor Painting Workshop, July 31-August 4
Dear Community member,
If you have a yearning to paint, like art, enjoy nature and good company, you won’t want to miss this year’s educational plein air outdoor painting workshop, our third in as many years.
The plein air painting workshop will last 5 days and 4 nights at an inspiring rural location under the direction of the famous painters Raimondas Savickas from Lithuania and Alexander Ganelin and Anna Khodorkovski, both from Israel.
The workshop will be held at the Įlanka farm on Bebrusas Lake in the Molėtai region where participants will spend four nights. Three meals per day will be provided (with vegetarian options). Daily work includes practical activities and one-on-one consultation with teachers, painting and other media, and an education/free-time program including a ride on the Švyturys recreational ferry across the lake, a sauna, cultural events and a Sabbath ceremony.
The cost for Community members is 150 euros. Please register by noon, July 18, because space is limited.
After sending the sum by bank transfer please send a copy of the payment form to zanas@sc.lzb.l
For more information and registration, contact:
Žana Skudovičienė by email at zanas@sc.lzb.lt or by telephone at + 370 67881514.
Details for payment:
to: Lietuvos žydų (litvakų) bendruomenė [Lithuanian Jewish Community]
company code 190722117
tax code: LT100010504214
bank account number: LT09 7044 0600 0090 7953
bank: AB SEB bankas
Please indicate the payment is for “Edukacinis pleneras 2017” [Educational Plein Air 2017] (and indicate the name of the person for whom payment is made).
The Educational Plein Air Outdoor Painting Worskhop 2017 is made possible by the Lithuanian Jewish Community, the Goodwill Foundation and the Joint Distribution Committee
Screening of NOVA Documentary about Ponar
Dear all,
The Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum and the embassy of the United States of America in Vilnius kindly invite you to a screening of the documentary film “Holocaust Escape Tunnel” at the museum’s Tolerance Center (Naugarduko St. 10/2, Vilnius) on Tuesday, July 18, at 5:30 P.M. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the archaeologists featured in the film.
Neta Alon Takes Two Gold Medals at Maccabiah Games
Neta Alon won a gold medal in singles youth table tennis competition and another gold medal in mixed doubles youth play with Israeli Janin Karmazin. Congratulations!
Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club Leaves for 20th Maccabiah Games in Israel
Lithuanian Makabi team at 13th Maccabiah Games opening ceremony, Israel, 1989
The Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club delegation is leaving for the 20th Maccabiah Games, held once every four years, in Israel, where more than 10,000 athletes from 80 countries will compete.
This will be the 8th Maccabiah Games attended by the Lithuanian team. In 1989 the team was the first to carry the Lithuanian national flag at the opening ceremonies as the country sought independence from the Soviet Union. Club president Semionas Finkelšteinas and club athletes remember well the event.
Semionas Finkelšteinas:
“The Lithuanian Makabi delegation will have 28 athletes in 8 sports: badminton, swimming, mini-soccer, judo, table tennis, tennis, chess and riding. A Canadian rider who has Litvak roots was accepted on the Lithuanian team since Canada didn’t send a team of riders this year. The Lithuanian team includes three former Maccabiah medal-winners: chess player Eduardas Rozentalis who took bronze in 1989, badminton player Alanas Plavinas who won silver in 2013 and Aleksas Molodeckis who took bronze in judo in 2013.
“It’s important to us to participate in the Maccabiah and we never miss a single Jewish Olympics. Whether our team is stronger or weaker, we have always participated and won medals. This time we have five young people, three of whom expect to win medals. We have three badminton players, and the swimmer and strong table tennis player Neta Alon who could be a medal winner. Markas Šamesas and Vitalija Movšovič are our badminton players who could come home with medals. Among the adult athletes the chess player E. Rozentalis, badminton player A. Plavinas, and judo martial artist A. Molodeckij have a good chance of winning medals. Salomėja Zaksaitė, an accomplished chess player, will be competing at the Maccabiah for the first time. Our soccer team is traveling there with their new trainer Arūnas Šteinas. Three of our strong soccer players are unable to attend for various reasons. Artūras Sobolis couldn’t take time off work, Danielius Gunevičius’s trainer won’t allow him to go and Romanas Buršteinas has to attend to family matters.
“All the young people will stay at the best hotel in Haifa. They will compete in the games after which they have a separate program of activities. The swimmers will compete at the Wingate sports complex. Athletes from 80 countries will attend Maccabiah opening ceremonies July 6 and global media always give large coverage to the event, the opening ceremony is covered outside Israel by CNN, BBC and other global televisions channels. The Jewish Olympics takes place once every four years and there is a broad cultural program arranged for all participants. This event is about more than just about sports.
Joniškis White Synagogue Re-Opens
Re-Opening of White Synagogue in Joniškis
During celebrations of Joniškis’s own city day next week the restored White Synagogue there is to host a re-opening ceremony. The synagogue was built in 1823 and its external face combines features of the late classicism and romantic styles.
Restoration of the synagogue was financed by European Economic Area grants allocated by the Republic of Lithuania, the state budget and the Joniškis regional administration for a total of 389,358.35 euros.
Larger Lithuanian cities but even smaller towns often featured two synagogues, built at different periods. Few double-synagogue complexes are still standing in Lithuania, only in Joniškis, Kalvarija and Kėdainiai.
The Joniškis synagogue complex is located on the eastern side of the town square. Two adjacent brick buildings, the White and the Red Synagogues, form the complex. They were built at different periods and have different architecture and interiors. Their location by the central town square but set back among other buildings is fairly typical. They are very visible from side streets but looking from the main street they are blocked by other buildings. Both synagogues have smaller one-storey and two-storey buildings surrounding them.
Jews settled in Joniškis around the middle of the 18th century when charter rights were granted the cities of Joniškis and Šiauliai. Jewish communal life was intimately connected with religion and the synagogues. In 1797 the Jews of Joniškis received permission to build a synagogue and acquire a piece of land for a Jewish cemetery. A synagogue is first mentioned in 1823. According to the inventory of the Šiauliai economy conducted in 1825 and 1826, there were 49 Jewish families in Joniškis. In the mid-1800s there were 1,042 Jews living there. A second synagogue is first mentioned in 1865, and in 1866 there are records of a third synagogue and a Jewish inn. By 1897 the Jewish population had grown to 2,277. The third synagogue located at Vilniaus street no. 8 was turned into a store and residential building in 1965 and 1966.
Lithuanian Jewish Community Now Member of the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage
As of now, the Lithuanian Jewish Community is a member of the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage, better known by the French acronym AEPJ. The AEPJ supports the preservation, appreciation and promotion of Jewish culture and heritage in Europe. The association is especially devoted to making Jewish cultural and heritage buildings and locations accessible to the public. To achieve that goal, the AEPJ conducts two main programs: the European Day of Jewish Culture and the European Jewish heritage tourism routes.
For more information, see here.
Catholic Priest Who Saved Jews Beatified
Vilnius, June 25, BNS—Archbishop Teofilius Matulionis, persecuted by the Soviets, was beatified and a ceremony was held to commemorate the event at Vilnius Cathedral Square Sunday.
The first-ever beatification ceremony held in Lithuania drew over 15,000 people where the Pope’s Franciscan envoy cardinal Angelo Amato made the announcement.
Matulionis was imprisoned for 16 years under the Soviets and he received his longest sentence in 1946 after refusing to collaborate with the Soviet regime in their demand he help squash the partisan movement in Lithuania and after criticizing the Communists for persecuting religious people. He was allowed to return to Soviet-occupied Lithuania after ten years of imprisonment. Although he was constantly followed, he was able to receive secret permission from the Vatican to consecrate bishop Vincentas Sladkevičius. Matulionis passed away in 1962 at the age of 89. Some believed he was poisoned by the KGB, although that hasn’t been demonstrated conclusively.
Matulionis becames the second person from Lithuania beatified. Bishop Jurgis Matulaitis’s beatification was announced in Rome in 1987. In order for Matulionis to be canonized, i.e., made a saint, evidence of a miracle must be presented, including those that occur posthumously, such as any which occur in invoking his name in a prayer to God.
Lithuania has a patron saint, Casimir, the grand duke of Poland and Lithuania who was canonized in 1602.
Teofilius Matulionis helped rescue a Jewish girl from the Holocaust. Dalia Epšteinaitė speaks about her childhood friend Estera Elinaitė whom he helped rescue.
Full story in Lithuanian here.
Commemoration of Lietūkis Garage Victims June 26 in Kaunas
The Kaunas Jewish Community invites the public to commemorate the victims of the Lietūkis Garage massacre at 5:00 P.M., Monday, June 26 in Kaunas. The commemoration will be held at the statue to commemorate the mass murder at Miško street no. 3 in Kaunas.