Announcements

Summer Camp in Švenčionys

IMG_4003

This summer in August, a two-week international camp is being organised in Švenčionys. Our goal is to clean the old Jewish Švenčionys cemetery, remove trash, document gravestones and discover what we are able about Švenčionys Jewish history. We will be teaching our volunteers about Litvak culture, history and Jewish burial traditions in general.

The old Jewish Švenčionys cemetery is one of the oldest Jewish burial places in Lithuania, dating back to the 17th century. The cemetery covers approximately 39,670 sq. meters (47,445 square yards) with existing gravestones estimated to number in the thousands. The number was higher prior to the Holocaust when gravestones were stolen for use in local construction, including for the construction of a horse stable. Much of the remaining cemetery was desecrated. In 1993, the stables were taken apart and many stones returned to the cemetery, and a remembrance monument was built.

Many ornate gravestones survive from the period 1900- 1930, and their condition varies. Many, if not most, are in fragile condition and need urgent repair and restoration.
We do not have data defining dates for the cemetery, we hope to discover that during our work.

The camp is organised in partnership with Action Reconciliation Service for Peace

http://www.actionreconciliation.org/

and will be our second joint project in consecutive years. We expect between 10-15 youngsters will visit Lithuania from Germany and other countries, to volunteer in this effort. More information can be found at https://www.asf-ev.de/en/summer-camps/activities/lithuania.html

If you are interested in the project and/or have any questions, please contact us via info@litvak-cemetery.info or sandra@litvak-cemetery.info

From http://www.litvak-cemetery.info/events/summer-camp-in-svencionys

Note: although the camp started today, there are still free spaces for interested volunteers, with housing and three meals per day provided. Please contact the email addresses above for more information.

Unveiling of Apple Grove Sculpture Park Commemorating Jewish Rescuers at the Litvak Commemorative Garden

Gelbėtojų obelies atidengimas Litvakų atminimo sode (Medsėdžių kaime, Platelių seniūnijoje);

Congress of Residents of Šarnelė, 2016

August 13, Šarnelė Community Center, Plungė Region, Lithuania

Educational conference “They Lived in Šarnelė“

10:30 Unveiling of Apple Orchard of Rescuers at the Litvak Commemorative Garden (Medsėdžiai Village, Plateliai Aldermanship);

12:00 Catholic Mass for the Šarnelė village community, for those who perished and those Šarnelė residents who survived deportation, and their friends;

1:00 Agape. Presentation of book by Tomas Viluckas;

2:00 Conference opening;

Road map

Read more

Remembering the Murdered Jewish Community of Ukmergė

Commemorative ceremony to remember the Jewish community murdered during the Holocaust in Ukmergė

12:00 noon, Sunday, September 4, 2016
Pivonija forest, Ukmergė

Sponsored by the Lithuanian Jewish Community, the Goodwill Foundation and the Ukmergė Jewish Community

Lithuanian Citizenship for Litvaks

According to various reports in the Israeli media, there has been a sharp increase in South African Litvak applications for Lithuanian citizenship.

Some authors have even mentioned some sort of “Lithuanian Citizenship Programme,” whose existence is unknown to the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

Because of the seemingly increased interest, we are placing some of our earlier reporting back at the top of page one of the English version of the webpage.

We would like to take this opportunity to remind readers the amendment to the Lithuanian law on citizenship, the initiative of both the Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Lithuanian parliament, only removed and changed language which might have led to discrimination against Jews and Litvaks by individual public servants. There is no language about welcoming Litvaks with open arms, unfortunately. The amended law only levels the playing field to make sure Litvaks are treated equally with ethnic Lithuanians and others in the application process.

While the law doesn’t express welcoming Litvaks with open arms, the Lithuanian Jewish Community does welcome Litvaks from around the world, including South Africa, to become members, and does support Litvaks’ bids for Lithuanian citizenship. It has been our honor to have played a part in the amended legislation signed into law by the president of Lithuania last month.

Maya Pennington at the Lithuanian Jewish Community Thursday

mayapenn

Maya Pennington and the Hive!

Come… Hear… Fall in Love!

At 6:00 P.M. this Thursday, August 4, at the Lithuanian Jewish Community (Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius)

About Maya

Singer, actress, composer.

Born in Jerusalem, Maya began learning music when she was 5. She graduated from the Ruben Academy for music and dance High School (majoring in Baroque flute), later studyied jazz voice and multi-disciplinary composition at the Academy of Music and Rimon. In order to supplement her acting training, she took part in courses held by Sadna’ot Habama with teachers from the Royal Academy of Music and Guildford and with teachers specializing in various acting methods. She toured internationally with the a cappella group Voca People (2009-2013), and performed as a soloist with a wide variety of performances, ranging from several performances with the Be’er Sheva sinfonietta to the international Red Sea Jazz Festival 2008, the Jerusalem Jazz Festival 2006, etc. and as a recording artist on several albums, including Ittai Rosenbaum’s “Between Waters and Waters” (2009).

Read more

Free Israeli Dance Lessons

13659165_1034921833240725_2583161013654413978_n
photo: Giedre Rozmanaite Photography

The Israeli embassy in Vilnius invites everyone to free Israeli dance lessons in Vilnius! An experienced instructor from Israel will conduct the lessons.

Come to the square in front of the Old Town Hall at 7:00 P.M. on July 28 and 29.

About dance instructor Orly Goldshtein:
Residence: Ramat Ha’Sharon, Israel

Read more

New Torah Study Library at Choral Synagogue

We invite all our friends to the inauguration of our new Torah library at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius.

Every synagogue is more than just a house of prayer–it’s also a house of learning. Even more so in Lithuania, where Torah study has always been of the highest priority. Now our synagogue will provide the opportunity to teach Torah in the classic way.

Thanks to the Šeduva Jewish Memorial Fund and their understanding of the importance of this library in Vilnius, the synagogue will now contain a classic Jewish library of more than a hundred books needed by everyone who wants to engage in serious learning.

The Torah (Pentateuch) and the Books of Prophets with all the classical commentaries, Mishnah, Talmud, Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch–if the latter are missing it is impossible to study Torah, to prepare for lessons and to teach those who are resolved to make progress in their knowledge and Torah study.

The Šeduva Jewish Memorial Fund and the Lithuanian Jewish Religious Community invite you to share in our joy and to make a small l’chaim at 7:00 P.M. on August 24 at the Choral Synagogue.

Commemoration of Holocaust Victims in Biržai and Molėtai in August*

Biržai: Commemorative ceremony to remember the Jewish community annihilated in the Holocaust, 11:00 A.M. on August 28.

Molėtai: Procession from the Molėtai synagogue to the mass murder site (~1.5 km) where 2,000 local Jews were murdered, marking the 75th anniversary of that event.

*There is a possibility the LJC might be able to provide transportation from Vilnius for those wishing to attend these events. Please contact info@lzb.lt or call 8 5 2613 003 before August 8 if you need transportation.

Preparations Under Way for Švenčionėliai Mass Murder Site Renovation

Ruošiamasi Švenčionėlių masinių žydų žudynių vietos tvarkymui

Work to renovate the Švenčionėliai mass murder site under the current plan is scheduled to begin in August and September, Švenčionys Jewish Community chairman Moisiejus Šapiro says. The period from June to November of 1941 was the most horrible and tragic period in the genocide, when about 80% of Jews in Lithuania were murdered. A ghetto was established in Švenčionys and mass murder operations were begun there. According to different sources, 7,000 to 8,000 Jews were shot across the Žeimena River in Švenčionėliai. A memorial marks the site.

Determining the exact identity of those murdered and buried near Švenčionėliai has been fraught with difficulty. After approaching numerous archives, only the names of seven Holocaust victims buried there were found. Chairman Moisiejus Šapiro is asking Holocaust survivors from the Švenčionys region and the small shtetls there and their children, grandchildren and relatives, wherever they might live now, to tell their stories and send him the names and surnames of those murdered at Švenčionėliai

He can be reached by email at moisa50@mail.ru

Read more

Jewish Cultural Event in Anykščiai

The A. Baranauskas and A. Vienuolis-Žukauskas Memorial Museum invites the public to come to the Old Town in Anykščiai, Lithuania, where a celebration of Jewish Culture will be held from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on July 23.

Synagogue Square music stage: At 11 the Rakija Klezmer Orkestar will perform. At 12:15 tenor Rafailas Karpis takes the stage, followed by Arkadiujus Gotesmanas’s mini-play Story of a Man of God at 1:15. At 2:15 Judita Leitaitė and Jurijus Suchanovas perform songs.

The kosher food restaurant Rishon operates on Sinagogos and S. Daukanto streets and offers Jewish treats, souvenirs and books.

An entire human life-span has passed since the summer of 1941, when Jewish song and prayer went silent in the Anykščiai Old Town, the wind carried off forever the smell of their baking bread and dust covered well-beaten tracks. Jewish names and faces now return to Anykščiai.

Ellen Cassedy to Speak in Vilnius

Ellen Cassedy to Speak in Vilnius

The Jewish cultural and information center in Vilnius Old Town is proud to continue its brand new summer series of mini seminars in English for the local and international communities, a series of one-hour free and open forums where harmonious exchange of views, traditions and information becomes a fun part of your week.

All are welcome, free coffee at first event; cafe onsite with choice of bagel snacks and drinks available for purchase.

Meeting: Thursday night, July 28, 2016, from 6 to 7 P.M at the Jewish Cultural and Information Center, Mesiniu 3, Vilnius

website http://www.jewishcenter.lt/

facebook https://www.facebook.com/%c5%bdyd%c5%b3-kult%c5%abros-ir-informacijos-centras-136849083044494/

Topic: Jewish Vilne

a lecture, question and answer session with Ellen Cassedy, author of We Are Here, has explored Lithuania’s encounter with its Jewish heritage for ten years. Her book is the winner
of numerous awards. She is a frequent speaker about the Holocaust, Lithuania and Jewish culture.

www.ellencassedy.com

Road to Eden Exhibit in Kaunas

road to eden

The exhibit space on the fourth floor of the Kaunas Castle section of the Kaunas City Museum (Pilies street no. 17) is hosting an exhibit of paintings by Anatolijus Michailovas-Klošaras called “Road to Eden.” The exhibition opened July 7.

The theme of the paintings revolves around World War II in Europe. The paintings fall into three time-periods: pre-war peace, horrors of war and complicated post-war years.

The painter said if we don’t learn from the past the horrors of war could be repeated.

Anatolijus Michailovas-Klošaras was born and raised in Kaunas. His first showing of works was in Kaunas in 1996. He began showing abroad in 2002.

Full story in Lithuanian here.

Opening Ceremony for Yiddish Summer Course

Vilniaus Jidiš institute, esančiame Vilniaus universitete, liepos 17 prasidėjo vasaros programa 2016

Students, teachers and staff and other interested parties gathered at an opening ceremony for the summer course of the Vilnius Yiddish Institute at Vilnius University Sunday. Director Dr. Šarūnas Liekis welcomed the new students and thanked supporters and teachers from around the world. The courses are arranged in four levels and will end August 12.

Read more

Yiddish Summer Course

The Vilnius Yiddish Institute at Vilnius University proudly announces

The 2016 Summer Program in Yiddish Language and Literature17 July — 12 August 2016

offering four levels of intensive language instruction:

YIDDISH I: for beginners    YIDDISH II: intermediate
YIDDISH III: higher intermediate    YIDDISH IV: advanced

more information from Indre Joffyte, info@judaicvilnius.com
(Coordinator of Programs at the Vilnius Yiddish Institute)

Read more

Documentary Film: “An Open Door: Jewish Rescue in the Philippines”

od

You are invited to attend a screening of An Open Door (2015) at the Lithuanian Jewish Community at 5:00 P.M. on July 13, 2016.

While Europe was under the thrall of the Nazis, Filipino president Manuel Quezon and US high commissioner to the Philippines Paul McNutt opened the door to 1,300 persecuted European Jews in the Philippines.

Jack Simke, assistant to the director and award-winning filmmaker Noel Izon, will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards. The event will take place in English.

For more information about the film, see here and here.

For more about the Jewish community in the Philippines, see here.

Concerning Statements Made by Daniel Lupshitz in the Name of the Lithuanian Jewish Community

July 5, 2016, No. 282

To: Remigijus Šimašius,
mayor, Vilnius

cc:
Government of the Republic of Lithuania

The honorable Amir Maimon,
ambassador of the State of Israel

Concerning Statements Made by Daniel Lupshitz in the Name of the Lithuanian Jewish Community

July 5, 2016
Vilnius

Recently many people have been inquiring of the Lithuanian Jewish Community (LJC), by whose authority does Daniel Lupshitz speak for the LJC on different Lithuanian television programs?

Through this letter we wish to assure you that there is no such authority granted to Daniel Lupshitz, nor will there be in the near future. We would like to inform all media this person speaks only for himself, and does not represent the LJC or the regional Jewish communities.

If he has been given the authority to speak for the municipality of the city of Vilnius, that needs to be clearly stated.

[signed]
Faina Kukliansky,
chairwoman

Read more

White Rose Exhibit to Open in Kaunas

Kaunas Balt.roze

The White Rose was the only organized youth resistance group at universities in Nazi Germany (the Edelweiss Pirates and the Swingjugend weren’t specifically university groups and weren’t as organized), established by students and a professor in Munich in June of 1942. Gradually the White Rose movement has come to symbolize all German resistance to Naziism, although it is still not widely known outside Germany.

In their final leaflet distributed in February of 1943, the White Rose society wrote:

“Der deutsche Name bleibt für immer geschändet, wenn nicht die deutsche Jugend endlich aufsteht, rächt und sühnt zugleich, ihre Peiniger zerschmettert und ein neues geistiges Europa aufrichtet. Studentinnen! Studenten! Auf uns sieht das deutsche Volk!”

Read more