Learning, History, Culture

Eightieth Anniversary of Liquidation and Uprising of Vilnius Ghetto: Ponar Escape Tunnel

Eightieth Anniversary of Liquidation and Uprising of Vilnius Ghetto: Ponar Escape Tunnel

This event is a tour featuring the escape tunnel dug by prisoners held underground at the Ponar mass murder site whose gruesome job was to exhume, burn and crush into dust the 70,000-150,000 corpses of Jews murdered there by Lithuanians and Nazis over the course of three years. After their task was completed, the enslaved members of the so-called burners team–Jews and Soviet POWs–would also be murdered and disposed of there. Some members of the team escaped on April 15, 1944, through the tunnel they excavated more than 30 meters long using spoons and sticks. The tour begins at 12:00 noon on September 16 at the Ponar Memorial Complex outside Vilnius.

#VilniusGhetto80

Let’s Celebrate Rosh Hashana Together

Let’s Celebrate Rosh Hashana Together

The Lithuanian Jewish Community greets you on the occasion of the upcoming Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, 5784, and invites you and your entire family to come celebrate with us starting at 4:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 16, at the newly renovated Hotel Conti located at Raugyklos no. 7 in Vilnius.

The program includes greetings, a performance by the Fayerlakh Jewish song and dance ensemble, holiday meal (you can choose a meat or fish dish during registration, another concert called Zingen Mir a Lidele in Yiddish with the sololists Rita Alterman, Mariya Dushkina, Michailas Jablonsky and Leonardas Zenkevičius, plus much more.

Tickets are 25 euros for adults and 10 euros for children aged 13 and under. To register or receive more information, send an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt or call (+370) 678 81514 between 10:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. on weekdays.

European Days of Jewish Culture in Palanga

European Days of Jewish Culture in Palanga

On Thursday last week the Palanga Jewish Community invited the public and visitors to Lithuania’s main seaside resort town to a tour of Jewish sites there and a discussion of memory. The streets of the quaint town hold many stories and the old town synagogue there was a popular place for couples to get married, with brides and grooms arriving from all over Europe.

The walking tour demonstrated material heritage, and afterwards participants were treated to the Litvak culinary heritage in the form of the dish floimen tzimmes.

Pictures tell the full story.

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Marija Krupoves: Vilna Ghetto Songs Became My Destiny

Marija Krupoves: Vilna Ghetto Songs Became My Destiny

by Olga Ugriumova, LRT.lt, September 6, 2023

What is the Puppet Theater in the Lithuanian capital today was the Vilnius ghetto theater during the Holocaust. It is hosting a concert to mark the 80th anniversary of the destruction of the ghetto. The concert is preceded by the opening of an exhibit dedicated to the memory of Leiba and Khael Rosenthal in the courtyard, which was the courtyard of the Vilnius ghetto Judenrat or Jewish council during Nazi rule.

The concert includes songs sung by Marija Krupoves, Arkadijus Gotesmanas doing percussion, Boris Kizner on violin, Artūras Anusauskas on piano and other well-known musicians. Krupoves ,besides earning renown for her musical performances, is also an academic who explores the folklore of many peoples and her song repertoire includes texts in Yiddish, Polish, Lithuanian, Belarussian, Ukrainian, Roma, Tartar and Karaïte, among other languages and dialects.

Marija says the songs of the Vilnius ghetto became her destiny.

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Historical Drama in Klaipėda

Historical Drama in Klaipėda

Klaipėda residents were treated to fictional historical plays in situ and Rosh Hashana treats as part of European Days of Jewish Culture events in the Lithuanian port city September 10. A series of skits were performed in the Old Town by the Šatil theater troupe depicting Jewish experience, daily life, triumphs and misfortunes in the interwar period. This was followed by a presentation of Jewish folklore at the Puppet Theater in Klaipėda, formerly known as Memel under East Prussian rule.

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Lithuania Needs a Separate De-Nazification Law

Lithuania Needs a Separate De-Nazification Law

by Arkadijus Vinokuras, LRT.lt, September 5, 2023

With great pomp the de-Sovietization law has been released into public circulation. Correction: the law bans the propagation of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes and ideology in any form. The law allows for the removal of symbols of both authoritarian ideological from public spaces.

Nonetheless, the Center for the Study of the Genocide and Resistance of Residents of Lithuania [hereinafter Genocide Center] and the worshipers of Nazi collaborators arrayed around that institution are standing shoulder to shoulder when it comes to the removal of symbols from the period of the Nazi occupation. When Genocide Center historian Alfredas Rukšėnas cynically called for respecting the feelings of those who honor the murderer Juozas Krikštaponis, the question arose of whether Lithuania isn’t being guided by a broken moral compass.

The worship of Nazi collaborators is a method by which Lithuania’s radical right-wingers push their pro-fascist and authoritarian ideas on society and put a stop to historical truth. At the same time, attempting to hide their obvious affiliation with the Nazis, they beat their chests crying out they are against anti-Semitism, respect victims of the Holocaust, condemn Nazis and fascists, but still they worship these “heroes” who called for a fascist revolution in Lithuania. Who called for getting rid of the Jews and murdering them.

Full text in Lithuanian here.

European Days of Jewish Culture in Ukmergė

European Days of Jewish Culture in Ukmergė

The Lithuanian Jewish Community was gratified to see so many young people attend European Days of Jewish Culture events held in Ukmergė (Vilkomir) last Tuesday. A large number of local residents and a delegation of 62 students from Israel attended events including a reading of the names of Holocaust victims from the area.

The Lithuanian town where about half of all households spoke Yiddish until World War II had multiple working synagogues, a Jewish hospital, Jewish schools and other Jewish institutions. Ukmergė Jewish Community chairman Artūras Taicas introduced local Holocaust survivor Elena Jakiševa, said to be the only Jew from Vilkomir to survive the Holocaust, to participants who were keen to hear everything she had to say. Chairman Taicas said it was important for the current generation of young people to learn from living witnesses without distortion and suppression.

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Commemorating Holocaust Victims in Švenčionys

Commemorating Holocaust Victims in Švenčionys

This year the Švenčionys Regional Jewish Community will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the largest mass murder operation in the Švenčionys district on October 1. Švenčionys Regional Jewish Community chairman Moshe Shapiro invites everyone to attend.

Program:

11:00 A.M. Remembrance ceremony at the Menorah statue in the Švenčionys city central park;

12:00 noon Opening of new exhibit at the Nalšia Museum;

1:00 P.M. Remembrance ceremony at the mass murder site in Platumai village in the Švenčionėliai rural district.

Last Israeli Dance Workshop for Now

Last Israeli Dance Workshop for Now

Julija Patašnik is planning to hold her final Israeli dance lesson of the summer season at the Israeli street food kiosk in Petras Cvirka Square this Friday with beginners at 5:00 P.M. and more advanced dancers at 6:00 P.M. The food kiosk is closing for fall this Sunday evening. Stay tuned for more classes and workshops with Julija at other locations.

Commemorating Victims of the Holocaust in Panevėžys

Commemorating Victims of the Holocaust in Panevėžys

The Panevėžys Jewish Community will hold a series of ceremonies on Friday, September 22, to remember the victims of the Holocaust in Lithuania. Participants will gather at the Sad Jewish Mother monument on Memory Square in Panevėžys located at Vasario 16-osios street next to the Vyturis pre-gymnasium.

Program:

2:00 P.M. Opening ceremony, wreath- and stone-laying at the monument, addresses;

2:40 P.M. Travel to the mass murder site in Kurganava Forest where approximately 8,000 Ponevezh Jews were murdered;

3:30 P.M. Travel to Žalioji Forest where approximately 5,000 Ponevezh Jews were murdered;

5:00 P.M. Conference and screening of Holocaust films from Yad Vashem at the Panevėžys Jewish Community located at Ramygalos street no. 18 followed by coffee and tea.

Everyone is invited to attend any and all of these events.

Panevėžys Jewish Community Invites You to Celebrate Rosh Hashana

Panevėžys Jewish Community Invites You to Celebrate Rosh Hashana

The Panevėžys Jewish Community is proposing a picnic in the Community’s courtyard as part of celebrations of the Jewish New Year, 5784, located at Ramygalos street no. 18 in Panevėžys. The plan is to meet at 4:00 P.M. on Sunday, September 17, at the Panevėžys Jewish Community. If the weather is good the picnic will take place outside with holiday treats, food, gifts for children and Jewish calendars for members. If the weather isn’t good events will move inside. The event is free and open to the general public.

Fall Scouting Camp

Fall Scouting Camp

A camping trip will be held from September 15 to 17 called “The Secrets of the Green Forest in Panevëžys at the Žalioji or Green Forest for scouts aged 6 to 18. The cost is 15 euros per scout, with a discount of 12 euros each for two or more scouts from the same household. Guides and volunteers are also being asked to contribute 10 euros each. The cost includes food, scouting equipment and the program of events. Transportation will be provided with details to be provided to participants and parents later. Registration should be made before or on September 9 with payment via bank transfer to be received not later than September 12.

Register here: https://forms.gle/FiGJv5kMc1D2nraD8

Payment should be made to Lietuvos skautijos padalinio Panevėžio kraštas via bank transfer to the account LT387044060002754214.

European Days of Jewish Culture in Klaipėda

European Days of Jewish Culture in Klaipėda

The Klaipėda Jewish Community will present a program of events to celebrate European Days of Jewish Culture beginning Sunday afternoon on September 10 at the Klaipėda Jewish Community located at Sinagogų street no. 13 in the port city.

The Shtatil theater troupe is to perform a play about Jewish stories and events in Klaipėda city and district, formerly known under East Prussian rule as Memel and Memelland (or Memelgebiet), respectively. The performance won’t be confined to the theater: players promise a tour through the city to illustrate the fictional stories about Jewish life which could have happened there.

The play concludes at the Klaipėda Puppet Theater at Turgaus street no. 9, followed there by a presentation of more Jewish stories, namely fairy tales, for the whole family, narrated by Klaipėda Jewish Theater director Nerijus Gedminas and actors.

#EDJC2023 #Atmintis #Memory #AEPJ #UNESCO #Lietuvos žydų bendruomenė ##KlaiėdosŽydųBendromenė #OurCommunities

Open House at the Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community

Open House at the Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community

The Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community invites the public to an open house this Friday as part of the Šiauliai Days currently being celebrated. This is an opportunity to learn more about what the Community does and Šiauliai (Shavl) Jewish traditions, and to tour the interior as well as the museum, to get to know members and to view the exhibition “Wooden Synagogues of Lithuania.”

Time: 11:00 P.M., Friday, August 8
Location: Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community, Višinskio street no. 24, Šiauliai

European Days of Jewish Culture in Vilkomir

European Days of Jewish Culture in Vilkomir

After a great start in Vilnius, the European Days of Jewish Culture move on to Vilkomir (Ukmergė) with a series of interesting and perhaps moving events. The two-day program promises to enrich the public’s knowledge of Jewish culture and hopefully to teach them about the rich Jewish heritage inherent in their local area.

At 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 7, there will be a reading of the names of Holocaust victims at the location where the Great Synagogue once stood in Vilkomir (Vienuolyno street no. 2).

At 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 7, the Ukmergė Tolerance Center (Vasario 16-osios street no. 11) will open an exhibit of photography by Jurga Jackevičiūtė called “Įmelsta žemė” [Pierced Land] including a presentation by the photographer of her trips to Jerusalem.

At 5:00 P.M. on Friday, September 8, the Ukmergė Tolerance Center will screen a documentary film by Loic Salfati called “Secrets of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius” which includes documented historical facts, a large number of interviews and findings from archaeological digs at the site of the former Grand Synagogue in 2019 and 2021 to tell the hitherto little-known true history of the synagogue which mostly survived the Holocaust and World War II only to be razed in the 1950s. There will be a discussion with the French filmmaker following the screening.

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Commemoration of Holocaust Victims in Vilkomir

Commemoration of Holocaust Victims in Vilkomir

The first Sunday in September is the traditional time to commemorate the Jewish victims murdered in the Holocaust in the Pivonija Forest outside Vilkomir (Ukmergė) and this year marked the 82nd anniversary of the mass murder. As usual, the commemoration began at 12 noon.

Members of the Ukmergė Jewish Community and fellow Jews from the Vilnius and Kaunas communities gathered at the mass murder site for the ceremony.

Also attending the ceremony were Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Hadas Wittenberg Silverstein, American embassy chargé d’affaires Tamir Wasser, UK ambassador Brian Olley, Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky, Kaunas Jewish Community chairman Gercas Žakas, Ukmergė regional administration mayor Darius Varnas and others.

Ukmergė Jewish Community chairman Artūras Taicas initiated the ceremony, saying: “Every year we remember this tragedy, we gather here not only to honor the dead, but also in order to ensure this tragedy never happens again, and with the aim of telling the truth about the tragic events of 1941.”

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Live Music at Cvirka Park with Erica Jennings and Petras Geniušas

Live Music at Cvirka Park with Erica Jennings and Petras Geniušas

The Israeli street food kiosk at Petras Cvirka Park in Vilnius is opening the fall season with the start of a new series of Blue Mondays live music events. Tonight, Monday, September 4, vocalist Erica Jennings and piano virtuoso Petras Geniušas will share the stage. After the duet, guitarist Kopcevas will delight the audience with his enchanting airs. Entry is free and open to the public. It all starts at 7:30 P.M. at Petras Cvirka Park across the street from the Lithuanian Jewish Community located at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius.

Lithuania’s Genocide Center: A Bullhorn for the National Unification Party?

Lithuania’s Genocide Center: A Bullhorn for the National Unification Party?

by Arkadijus Vinokuras, Times of Israel, September 2, 2023

Director of the Center for the Study of the Genocide and Resistance of Residents of Lithuania [hereinafter Genocide Center] Arūnas Bubnys in refusing to carry out the decision from the so-called De-Sovietization Commission to remove a monument commemorating murderer of Jews Juozas Krikštaponis, under pressure from public anger, has ordered the municipal administration of Ukmergės [Vilkomir] to remove the bas-relief image and name of Juozas Krikštaponis and to rededicate the monument to local Lithuanian partisans.

Finally, some initiative has been shown, although the law was grossly violated. Nonetheless, the issue of what influence the National Unification Party [Nacionalinis susivienijimas] and other interest groups have over Genocide Center commemorative policies remains unanswered.

The situation is absurd: Genocide Center director Arūnas Bubnys acting as sovereign has come up with his own pseudo-rules and has refused for months to follow the order from the De-Sovietization Commission, an order which, according to Lithuanian law, must be carried out within 5 days.

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