Greetings

Happy Birthday to Levas Jagniatinskis on His 90th!

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May he live in health to 120!

Levas Jagniatinskis and his family were active participants in the reestablishment of the Lithuanian and Vilnius Jewish Communities around the time of Lithuanian independence from the Soviet Union. In 1992 he was elected to the Community’s Council of World War II Veterans and worked with recompense, putting finances in order and organizing events with the veteran’s council and the executive board of the Lithuanian Jewish Community. Those first years were financially hard for the Community, and so he donated his car three times per week winter and summer, parking it in the courtyard of the LJC for use by the Community. He was very active in preparing documents for the Claims Conference and tried to find greater funding for the Community. His son was one of the organizers of the Community’s union of scholars, Vilnor, and later became its director. When he left, the union stopped operating. The family’s third generation, his granddaughters, began attending children’s events put on by the Community, and now, in adulthood, continue their activities, trying to mitigate the losses from the Holocaust.

President of Israel Greets Holocaust Survivor, Partisan Fania Brancovskaja on Birthday

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Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon delivered a birthday greeting to Holocaust survivor, Vilnius ghetto prisoner and Jewish partisan Fania Brancovskaja at a small ceremony Friday, May 23, calling her an enduring miracle of hope and passion for everyone. He said her life was spoken of proudly and she serves as an inspiration and reminder to the younger generation.

Full story in Lithuanian

Makabi Athletics Club Tennis Tournament 2016

Iš kairės :varžybų organizatorius Michailas Duškesas, Anatolijus Faktorovičius, Alisa Gavronskytė, Grigorij Khiterer

The Makabi Lithuanian Athletics Club held a tennis tournament at the SEB Arena in Vilnius May 21 with seven contestants, 5 male and 2 female. All contestants received a participation medal and the women also received flowers.

A dinner party for the contestants followed. Young professional tennis player Alisa Gavronskytė took first place and Grigorij Khiterer and Kęstas Faktorovičius took second and third.

Results here.

Photo gallery here.

A School Bar/Bat Mitzvah

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The ORT Vilnius Sholem Aleichem Gymnasium held a Jewish rite of passage Monday as a small group of Jewish boys and girls were ushered into adulthood at a public Bar and Bat Mitzvah on the third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

School principal Miša Jakobas greeted an overflow audience of parents, pupils, friends and Community members, and singled out the children undergoing the ritual, saying if he could wish them one thing, it would be patience.

Lithuanian Jewish Community deputy chairwoman Maša Grodnikienė congratulated the youngsters and spoke with evident joy about a new generation of Lithuanian Jews reaching maturity. She noted it was the 100th anniversary of the birth of the famous Yiddish writer Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich whose pseudonym was Sholem Aleichem, and wished everyone peace and health.

Lithuanian Jewish Community Celebrates Israeli Independence Day

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The Lithuanian Jewish Community celebrated Israeli Independence Day Monday. Happy 68th birthday, Israel! In 1948 David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of Israel from the British Mandated Palestine and became the country’s first prime minister. On November 29, 1947, the United Nations partitioned Mandate Palestine between its Arab and Jewish inhabitants with heavy lobbying in favor of the move from the United States. Fighting ensued in Palestine. The British were resolved to pull out by May 15, 1948, the day their League of Nations mandate ended, no matter what happened, and most diplomats though a direct UN trusteeship was the only solution. At 4:00 P.M. on the afternoon of Friday, May 14, Ben-Gurion as leader of the Jewish Agency proclaimed Israeli independence at the Tel Aviv Museum and the event was broadcast live on Kol Yisrael radio. Those present broke into singing Hatikvah, which was to become the national anthem. President Harry S. Truman in Washington, D. C., recognized the state of Israel at 6:11 P.M., just after midnight in Israel.

Israelis often spend the holiday with family outdoors at scenic locations around the country.

Our celebration featured holiday greetings from Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon and Lithuanian Jewish Community deputy chairwoman Maša Grodnikienė, and a concert by the Rakija Klezmer Orkestar. Guests also got to sample traditional Israeli treats and snacks. A big thank you goes to Žana Skudovičienė who not only organized the entire event, but also served as MC.

Congratulations to the Newlyweds!

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The Lithuanian Jewish Student Union congratulate Karina Segal and Aleksandr Segal on tying the knot after a long and beautiful friendship! May you spend many happy years together, may you be an example for others to follow, and may you keep Jewish traditions! Mazl tov! Hurrah!

Israeli Embassy Marks Israeli Independence Day with Save the Children Centers

Vilnius (May 11, 2016)–On the 68th anniversary of the Independence of the State of Israel (this year it is on May 12) the Embassy of Israel in Lithuania will mark the day in a different way: together with Save the Children day centers in a number of towns of Lithuania. The funds assigned for the traditional National Day reception will be used to present the children and the centers with a variety of equipment, furniture, games and other supplies that are required for the daily operations of these centers.

“We are honored to join forces with Save the Children organization and to contribute our modest support to improve the children’s surroundings and environment, which we hope they will successfully use not only for doing their homework, but also for having more fun together, which is no less important” Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon said.

On May 12 and 13 Embassy of Israel teams will visit Save the Children day centers in Alytus and the Alytus district and in the Utena, Pasvalis, Druskininkai, Širvintos and Kaišiadorys municipalities, to meet altogether about 300 children. The wish list is quite varied and includes furniture, computers, kitchenware and cutlery, home appliances, stationary supplies, art supplies, television sets and many more. In addition, every child will be presented with a blue and white schoolbag with a light reflector.

Panevėžys Jewish Community Marks Victory Day

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The Panevėžys Jewish Community marked Victory Day on May 8 and 9. On May 8 members laid wreaths at a monument to Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Candles were lit and honor was paid to the dead, both in the city and in Europe at large, to those who were murdered during World War II at mass murder sites in Panevėžys and more than 200 other mass murder sites around Lithuania. Almost no Jewish eyewitnesses survived in Panevėžys.

Israel at 68

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by David Harris
May 9, 2016

Israel celebrates its 68th Day of Independence this week. Let me put my cards on the table. I’m not dispassionate when it comes to Israel. Quite the contrary.

The establishment of the state in 1948; the fulfillment of its envisioned role as home and haven for Jews from around the world; its wholehearted embrace of democracy and the rule of law; and its impressive scientific, cultural, and economic achievements are accomplishments beyond my wildest imagination.

For centuries, Jews around the world prayed for a return to Zion. We are the lucky ones who have seen those prayers answered. I am grateful to witness this most extraordinary period in Jewish history and Jewish sovereignty–in the words of Israel’s national anthem, “to be a free
people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.”

Vilnius Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium Tops Ratings Again

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The Lithuanian magazine Reitingai [Ratings] has published data from the 2014-2015 period. Around 410 Lithuanian schools were rated, both those who select their own students and those which don’t. There are just 9 gymnasia in Lithuania who do have an entrance selection process so they were rated separately. Ratings took into account final exam scores, the number of students going on to enter Lithuanian universities and higher education abroad, scores from tests of separate subjects and student grades.

Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium is among those gymnasia which don’t have a selection process and has placed as the number 3 school throughout Lithuania, and number 1 in Vilnius. It is in the top ten list of the schools in Lithuania, only following behind the Lyceum, Kaunas Technological University, Žirmūnai and the Jesuit Gymnasium. Among the gymnasia in Vilnius in all categories, Sholem Aleichem is fifth behind the Lyceum, the Jesuit, the Biržiška and the Žirmūnai Gymnasium.

The Lithuanian Jewish Community congratulates school director Miša Jakobas, the teachers and all the students with their great achievement!

Kaunas Jewish Community Honors World War II Veterans

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The Kaunas Jewish Community includes two World War II veterans among its members, Liubov Jablonovič and Petras Zakroiskis. Age and infirmity doesn’t allow them to leave the house and they were unable to attend the celebration luncheon the Kaunas Jewish Community hosted for its members, including widows, children and grandchildren of veterans. A moment of silence was held to honor the memory of the dead.

Participants shared stories about experiences by their family members during and after the war. The stories included painful as well as funny incidents. Kaunas Jewish Community member Leonidas Levinas warmed the audience’s hearts with songs from the war era by Vladimir Vysotsky. The audience joined in and sang along.

Come Celebrate Israeli Independence Day

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Dear members,

You are cordially invited to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel. The celebration is to take place at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius at 6:30 P.M. on Monday, May 16, 2016. A small klezmer concert is planned and Israeli snacks will be provided.

For more information call +370 67881514 or send an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt

Kaunas Jewish Community Celebrate Last Day of Passover

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Kaunas Jewish Community members gathered at the Punto Jazz café to celebrate the last day of Passover. They were treated to a surprise concert by the family klezmer group Klezmer Klangen, reportedly performing their first concert in Kaunas ever. The crowd seemed to love them and there was much dancing. The band performed tight songs in Yiddish with good choreography down to their smallest member, four-year-old Ramunė. While the klezmer musicians took breaks, celebrants took to the stage to compete in now-traditional Passover skits. The last day of Passover coincided with the birthday celebration of Veronika Pečkienė who wasn’t forgotten amid the general party-going and was plied with flowers and birthday greetings.

Mimuna in Israel: A Holiday to Unite All

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Mimuna, when Passover is over, when all the doors to the house are open.

When Passover ends, Jews from North Africa celebrate Mimuna. This is a holiday when sweets are made of flour, when post-Passover chametz dishes return. In Morocco, on the afternoon of the last day of Passover, Muslim neighbors bring to the homes of their Jewish neighbors gifts of flour, honey, milk, butter and green beans.

The pictures below portray a Mimuna family holiday spread, including pancakes with butter, margarine and honey, a favorite. The green pastries with almonds contain rings. Everyone wishes one another a successful marriage and much happiness on this day.

Shavua tov! שָׁבוּעַ טוֹב

LJC Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky with Passover Greetings and a Message about Anti-Semitism

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Recently US State Department special envoy for Holocaust affairs Nicholas Dean visited the Lithuanian Jewish Community. This was not just a coincidence. The rise of Holocaust denial in Lithuania was the reason for his visit. Jews from Lithuania and their offspring living in Israel and South Africa have been receiving negative answers regarding their applications for Lithuanian citizenship for some time.

As the questions mount over why one set of people have received Lithuanian passports while others haven’t, despite similar circumstances, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, the Interior Affairs Ministry, Migration Department officials and members of parliament have begun to investigate. While the law on citizenship says one thing, officials are saying other things, and one wonders why it is left to each individual bureaucrat to interpret history. Yet another revision of history is being carried out in Lithuania, which is an essential element in denials of the Holocaust. The vitality of anti-Semitism in Lithuania is shown by the way citizenship is restored, attempting to foist upon Jews who fled persecution that they left Lithuania for other reasons, not for political reasons, not for opposing the occupational regime, not because of persecution by that regime. Another example of the upturn in anti-Semitism is provided by Laisvas Laikraštis, a newspaper which prints openly anti-Semitic articles without commentary. The Community has lodged a complaint against the newspaper with the prosecutor, but no action has been taken.

Deputy Speaker Sends Passover Greetings

Former Lithuanian prime minister and current deputy speaker of parliament Gediminas Kirkilas has sent Passover greetings to chairwoman Faina Kukliansky and the Lithuanian Jewish Community. Kirkilas is also the chairman of the Lithuanian parliament’s European Affairs Committee.

“Please accept my sincere greetings to the Lithuanian Jewish Community and to you personally as the significant holiday of Passover draws near. Recently I visited Israel where I had the opportunity again to remember the miracle of the Jewish People’s liberation from slavery in Egypt,” the former Lithuanian prime minister wrote.

“On this occasion I wish success in your and your honored community’s further work, the wonderful fulfillment of your plans for the future and harmonious living as we face the challenges of the present. Let concord not lack in your families, nor human happiness in your hearts,” Kirkilas concluded in his Passover greetings.

Israeli Ambassador Hails Lithuanian Makabi and Maccabiah Games Medal Winners

Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon and the Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club held a reception April 14 to celebrate victories by Lithuanian Makabi athletes at the World Maccabiah Games held in Israel and the European Maccabi Games.

Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky attended along with Lithuanian Olympic Committee leaders and Sholem Aleichem Gymnasium principal Miša Jakobas, members of the board of the Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club, 25 Maccabiah medal winners, reporters and others.

The Israeli ambassador greeted the assembly and a film was shown about the first Maccabiada in Israel in 1932 and the last European Maccabi Games in 2015.

Chairwoman Kukliansky in her speech noted the major role the Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club has played in Lithuanian Jewish life and the contributions made by long-time Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club president Semionas Finkelšteinas.

Lithuanian Jewish Student Union Congratulates Viktorija Pajarskė ir Tautrimas Pajarskas on Their Recent Marriage

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The Lithuanian Jewish Student Union would like to congratulate charismatic communications specialist Viktorija Pajarskė on her becoming the wife of Tautrimas Pajarskas. The young couple chose Israel as the location for their marriage. We wish you a beautiful and happy life together, filled with love and mutual respect, and we hope you achieve all your shared dreams. You were a great pair and we hope you will be an exemplary married couple!