Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Yossi Avni-Levy’s diplomatic posting came to an end today. We are grateful to him for these several years of friendship and wish him the greatest success in his future postings.
Lithuanian Makabi Athletes Earn Medals at World Maccabiah
Congratulations to Rafael Gimelstein who took silver in tennis competitions at the World Maccabiah Games taking place in Israel, and to his proud mother Faina Kukliansky. Congratulations also to Alan Rinkevič who won silver in fencing on the international team along with athletes from France and Sweden, and a hearty congratulations to all our other Lithuanian Makabi athletes and trainers who are making such an excellent showing in so many sports.
Happy Birthday to Gennady Kofman
The entire Lithuanian Jewish Community wishes Panevėžys Jewish Community chairman Gennady Kofman a terrific milestone birthday. He has done so much to collect and share information about the city’s once numerous Jewish community, and always finds the time and energy to meet and help travellers looking for their roots and to teach school children and the wider community about the Holocaust. Mazl tov. Bis 120!
Happy Birthday, Emanuelis
We wish Emanuelis Zingeris a very happy milestone birthday this July 16. Mazl tov. Bis 120!
Presidential Palace Reception on Coronation of Mindaugas Day
Photo: Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky and son Rafaelis attended the reception. Photo by J. Stasevičius courtesy Lithuanian State Radio and Television.
The Lithuanian president invited special guests to attend a reception at the presidential palace compound Wednesday to mark Coronation of Mindaugas Day, the day chosen by historians and others to celebrate the coronation Lithuania’s first and only king, Mindaugas, in A.D. 1253 with a crown sent by Pope Innocent IV.
Full story in Lithuanian here.
Story of King Mindaugas in brief here.
Happy Birthday to Mina Frišman
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Union of Former Ghetto and Concentration Camp Prisoners wish Mina Frišman a very happy birthday. Our heartfelt wishes for her endless health and many happy days ahead with her children and grandchildren.
Fayerlakh Jewish Song and Dance Ensemble Celebrates 50th Birthday
The Jewish song and dance ensemble Fayerlakh celebrated their 50th birthday on Sunday, June 19, at the Polish House of Culture in Vilnius with performances by musicians, singers and dancers.
The group formed back in the early 70s within the general milieu of Jewish, Lithuanian, Russian and Polish volunteer collectives, including the Yiddish-language People’s Theater. Many of the Jewish volunteer cultural groups–a choir, vocalists, a dance troupe, actors and personnel from the People’s Theater and a popular stage band–later immigrated to Israel and formed the Anakhnu Kan ensemble there. 1971 was also the year Jewish musician Yasha Magid founded a vocal and instrumental group. By 1972 this group had formed its core of enthusiastic musicians and the dance troupe, and held their first concert. That’s the story of how Fayerlakh, at the time the only Jewish song and dance ensemble throughout the Soviet Union, formed in Vilnius.
Congratulations to Faina Kukliansky’s Grandson Simonas on Graduation
Congratulations to Faina Kukliansky’s grandson Simonas on his graduation from the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom. All of Faina’s family and the entire Lithuanian Jewish Community are proud of you. We wish you the greatest success in life.
Fania Brantskovskaya on Film
In 2014 a group of German filmmakers travelled to Lithuania to document the amazing life story of our resident Jewish partisan soldier and long-standing member of the Community who recently celebrated a milestone birthday. The film was released in 2015 and is available on DVD and may be booked by cinemas anywhere in the world (see contact information at the bottom of this post). Here are the liner notes from the DVD released in 2015:
Fania Yocheles-Barntsovskaya was about to begin her studies when on June 22, 1941, the Germans invaded her hometown of Vilnius, known at that time as the Jerusalem of the North.
Happy Birthday to Fania Brantsovskaya
We wish a very happy milestone birthday next week to Vilnius ghetto survivor and Jewish partisan Fania Brantsovskaya.
You were about to begin university when the Germans invaded on June 22, 1941. When they ordered your family into the Vilnius ghetto, you crossed the street, Pylimo, to the Jewish Hospital section of the ghetto between Pylimo and Ligoninės streets. You joined the FPO, carried out sabotage missions against the Lithuanian Nazis, fought in the forests and marched into Vilnius with the Red Army when the Soviets liberated the Lithuanian capital. Although the fascists murdered your entire family, you stayed in the country and continued fight for a better future. After your husband passed away, you devoted yourself to telling the truth to the younger generations about the Holocaust and how Jews didn’t go like lambs to the slaughter, but fought tooth and nail, and prevailed against their oppressors.
We salute your bravery, your decision to fight and the life you devoted to telling the truth and serving humanity in your native land.
Mazl tov. Bis 120!
Victory Day
Members of our Community met on sunny May 8 to mark the end of World War II, an end without which none of us would likely be alive.
Lithuanian President Sends haAtzmaut Greetings to Israeli President
Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda sent greetings to Israeli president Isaac Herzog on Yom haAtzmaut, Israeli independence day, on April 5 this year as Israel celebrates its 74th year as a modern state. He used the occasion to talk about the Ukraine.
“Today a war is happening in Europe. Ukraine. The Ukraine is experiencing Russia’s military aggression. Every day many innocent people of the Ukraine die, are wounded and lose their homes,” he said, adding: “I very much appreciate Israel has joined the countries condemning Russia’s actions.”
Abi Men Zet Zich Club Celebrates 24th Birthday
The club for senior citizens was set up by Lithuanian Jewish Community chairman Simonas Alperavičius and deputy chairwoman Maša Grodnikienė on April 26, 1998, and was later named Abi Men Zet Zich, Yiddish for “just to see you again.” The name was the idea of the late Milan Cheronski. We wish club coordinator and social services director Žana Skudovičienė and all our seniors a very happy anniversary.
Happy Birthday to Gercas Žakas
We wish Kaunas Jewish Community chairman Gercas Žakas a very happy 70th birthday. Mazl tov. Bis 120!
Happy Birthday to Jakovas Mendelevskis
We wish a very happy birthday to Jakov who turned 90 April 26. He is an active member of the minyan at the Choral Synagogue. It’s said a man’s life isn’t measured in years, but in deeds. In that case, given his experience and wisdom, wishing him “bis 120” might not be nearly enough. Mazl tov!
Happy Birthday to Leonidas Melnikas
Happy 65th birthday to our friend Leonidas Melnikas. Leonidas recently won the Ona Narbutienė prize for his two-volume biography “Maestro Saulius Sondeckis” (Vilnius 2020, 2021), among his many other achievements and recognitions.
Happy birthday, Leonidas. Mazl tov. Bis 120!
Happy Birthday to Polina Zingerienė
Dearest Polina,
The Union of Former Ghetto and Concentration Camp Prisoners and the entire Lithuanian Jewish Community wish you a happy birthday this milestone year.
We don’t count the years in life, they fall to the ground like white petals. They fly on the wind and never stop. But sometimes we are allowed to look back. Forget the difficult days. Only remember the joyous ones and may this milestone birthday be woven of dreams.
We wish you happiness and good health. Many more, and may that refrain echo many more years. Mazl tov! Bis 120!
