The Lithuanian Jewish Community is making available Hagada for the first night of Passover in Hebrew, Lithuanian and Russian. To order, call +370 678 81 514 from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. and pick up your order at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius before 2:00 P.M. on March 26.
Happy March 11
Purim Greetings from the Panevėžys Jewish Community
The entire Jewish people celebrate the happy spring Purim holiday. Although the times are not amenable to personal meetings and celebrations together, Jews do not give up to despair. As Esther revealed evil schemes and save the Jewish people from destruction and slavery, so will the Purim holiday lighten the mood and bring joy to every home.
The Panevėžys Jewish Community has prepared holiday Purim food parcels for our members and gifts for the children which will be distributed as will the holiday spirit.
Lithuanian Jewish Community Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky’s Purim Greetings
Klaipėda Jewish Community Ready for Purim
The hamentaschen are done and gifts have been prepared for every community member.
Traditional Purim Costume Contest Continues
Dear members of the Lithuanian Jewish Community,
Although this year we will celebrate Purim at home, we invite you to share moments from the holiday and to take part in the traditional Purim costume contest.
Don your carnival attire, take a snapshot and send it to zanas@sc.lzb.lt by February 28.
Your photos will be considered for awards in the following categories:
Most original costume
Best family costume
Best mask
Winners to receive valuable prizes!
Happy February 16, Lithuanian Independence Day
Minsk and Vilnius Jewish Communities Celebrate Sabbath Together via Internet
Belarussian progressive Jewish Community Beit Simha’s Rabbi Grigoriy Abromovich created an international project to link up cities in Lithuania, Belarus and Israel and Lithuanian Jewish Community social programs director Žana Skudovičienė was an important part of the project on the evening of Friday, February 6, when more than 40 families celebrated Sabbath together via internet.
“We know and love the Jerusalem of Lithuania Jewish Community and we love visiting there [Vilnius]. New technology allows us to be closer together despite distance in time and space,” Rabbi Abromovich said.
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said we all miss communication and support because of the difficult period of the viral pandemic, and the Sabbath has the unique ability to bring us all together.
Michailis Segalis, LJC executive director, said: “During Passover we say to one another: next year in Jerusalem. Today I’d like to rephrase that wish and say to all our virtual Sabbath participants: next year in Minsk, Vilnius and, perhaps, we will all celebrate Sabbath in Jerusalem.”
A big thank you to all who made the virtual Sabbath possible and participated. Thank you for your kind words and smiles.
Happy Birthday to Maja Burštein
Maja celebrated a milestone birthday February 4. She is a chemist and teacher, a wonderful housewife and an active member of the Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community. It is our pleasure to wish her a very happy birthday and much health, a happy family and many wonderful moments with her grandchildren.
Thank You to All Participants in #MesPrisimename/#WeRemember Campaign
Tu b’Shvat
Today is the Jewish holiday of Tu b’Shvat, the 15th day of the month of Shvat, the New Year for trees also known as Israeli Arbor Day. It is traditional to eat of the shvat ha’minim (seven species endemic to the Land of Israel): wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. Hag sameakh!
Happy Birthday, Vilnius
We are celebrating the official birthday of Vilnius with great enthusiasm and devotion, and on this occasion we would like to share with you an extraordinary work; Rafailas Karpis and Darius Mažintas accompanied by Dalia Dedinskaite on violin and Gleb Pyšniak on cello present the music video “A Tour of Jewish Vilnius” using the musical composition of Anatolijus Šenderovas.
#AtmintisGyvaNesLiudija
The Lithuanian Jewish Community placed a candle in the window of our headquarters on the morning of January 13 to remember the defenders of freedom. #AtmintisGyvaNesLiudija
New Year’s Greeting from the Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community
Happy Birthday to Righteous Gentile Leona Levinska
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community join in greeting a member of the family, Righteous Gentile Leona Levinska, on her latest birthday. Much health and a long life, Leona!
Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė Greets Lithuanian Jewish Community
Sharing Memories of First Hanukkah Light
Today Hanukkah ends and the period in the run-up to the next holidays begins. We wanted to share some memories of the first light lit eight days ago and the light display at LJC headquarters at the former Tarbut Gymnasium in Vilnius.
Sabbath on Last Day of Hanukkah on Zoom
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Ilan Club invite all children to log on and keep the tradition of celebrating the Sabbath together this Friday, December 18, at 4:00 P.M. on the last day of Hanukkah. We will wish one another well and real Jewish nakhes! Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium Jewish traditions teacher Algirdas Davidavičius will lead the Sabbath celebration. The virtual meeting will take place on Zoom. Please register by sending an email to sofja@lzb.lt or by calling +370 601 46656
Hanukkah Greetings from Israeli President Reuven Rivlin
Happy Chanukah to all of you in Israel and around the world.
At Chanukah, we celebrate the victory of the Maccabees.
We remember the miracles of that time. We come together as a family and we light together the Menorah. We sing together Maoz Tzur (מַעוֹז צוּר). Each verse reminds us of the enemies our people has faced, over our long history, and our strength as a community as a people. I have celebrated many Chanukhas and I remember nearly all of them; I love all of them; but this Chanukah is for sure a little different.
This has been a year with all kinds of challenges we have all been dealing with the corona virus pandemic. We have lost loved ones; our schools, synagogues, and community centers have been closed; and we still face great uncertainty about the future. The virus has forced us to stay apart, although in our hearts we feel closer than ever.
Chanukah shows us that united we stand together, we are strong.
May the lights of Chanuka give us all strength and bring light to all Jewish people, wherever they are.
Happy Chanukah and Shalom from Jerusalem.
Binyamin Netanyahu Likes the Vilna Gaon Commemorative Coin
Note: Triangular coins with Hebrew inscriptions are known from the ancient Jewish kingdom of Khazaria on the edge of Europe.