Learning – Page 45 – Lithuanian Jewish Community

Vilnius Ghetto Diary Donated to Schools More than a Book

The Lithuanian Jewish Community has donated a thousand copies of Yitzhak Rudashevski’s Vilnius Ghetto Diary. [Several days ago] the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Athletics hosted a ceremony for the symbolic hand-over with education and athletics minister Jurgita Šiugždinienė, Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky, former culture minister Kindaugas Kvietkauskas, who translated the book from Yiddish to Lithuanian, and book designer Sigutė Chlebinskaitė participating.

It’s symbolic this is happening in the run-up to Rudashevski’s birthday on December 10, which will be a good opportunity for teachers and students to talk about him and his diary. The book has been included in the Lithuanian language and literature curriculum and Rudashevski is also mentioned in the history curriculum now undergoing revision.

“The simplest matter in embarking upon the path of Holocaust education is literature. It often facilitates better understanding of some of the matters involved than history textbooks can. Anne Frank’s diary is read around the world and is popular, and here in Lithuania we have a similar diary written by an adolescent. My assignment is to donate this book to schools, and it is the job of the education system to say, and there a million Yitzhak Rudashevskis,” Faina Kukliansky said.

2021-11-17

LJC Donates 1,000 Rudashevski Diaries to Lithuanian Schools

The Lithuanian Jewish Community has delivered 1,000 copies of Yitzhak Rudashevski’s “Vilnius Ghetto Diary” in Lithuanian translation to the Lithuanian National Education Agency for distribution to almost all primary school libraries across the country.

At the hand-over ceremony several days ago, LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said the gift will contribute to Holocaust education in Lithuania and that Rudashevski’s diary provides a personal perspective which children are able to grasp more easily. Rudashevski wrote the diary as a teenager from Vilnius. She presented one copy of the book personally as a symbolic gift to Lithuania’s education and athletics minister Jurgita Šiugždinienė on the occasion.

“While we provide the book to the schools, it’s important to remember there were thousands of Rudashevskis,” chairwoman Kukliansky said.

2021-11-16

Children’s Cooking Workshop at Community

It was quite a Sunday afternoon at the Lithuanian Jewish Community. We were not able to count the number of children in attendance nor the abundance of food made. We cooked, we baked, we sampled and we did it all over again numerous times. This was the fourth round of the Kinder Tish Sunday school activities. The chicken bullion–Jewish penicillin–was cooking in the pot since 8 in the morning. We’ll be meeting again in two weeks for the Miracle of Hanukkah. #BalabostaRiva

2021-11-15

Alanta Synagogue Renovated

The synagogue in the town of Alanta in the Molėtai region stands on slight hill side a little bit away from Ukmergės street on the right-hand side of the Alanta-Molėtai road. It is unique in Lithuania and Europe. It is one of only seventeen surviving wooden synagogues spread across Lithuania. Judging from its shape, it is thought it was built in the late 19th century. The Alanta synagogue is the only surviving synagogue from the Romantic period with an intact interior and interior stairs left in Lithuania.

The renovated synagogue will be handed over to the Molėtai regional administration for managing public use of the state-protected heritage site for cultural, educational and tourism activities including exhibits and tours teaching local Jewish history.

2021-11-152022-01-11

European Jewish Congress Holds First Sit-Down since Pandemic in Vienna

The European Jewish Congress held their firs in-person meeting since the outbreak of the corona virus in Vienna on November 10. Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky attended.

The meeting touched on current problems of concern to European Jewish communities.

On November 9 members of the executive board attended a commemoration of the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht at the Holocaust memorial Judenplatz in Vienna. The same day EJC president Moshe Kantor presented a comprehensive plan to defeat anti-Semitism.

2021-11-122021-11-12

Kristallnacht in Königsberg and Lithuania Minor

The following was sent from the Lithuanian consulate in Tilsit, aka Tilžė in Lithuanian, in East Prussia to the Political Department of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry on November 10, 1938. The second page is a telegram from Königsberg to the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry dated November 12, 1938.

2021-11-11

Austria Commemorates Kristallnacht

In the night between November 9 and 10, 1938, Nazi paramilitary brownshirts and German citizens went on a staged rampage destroying Jewish stores, homes and synagogues and killing Jews. At that time Austria had been annexed by the Third Reich. Today, on November 9, 2021, the president of Austria, members of the European Commission and EJC representatives gathered to commemorate the dead in Vienna.

On Thursday the Austrian capital will present two projects to mark the 80th anniversary of the violent attacks against Jewish homes, companies and houses of prayer. Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, is considered a milestone on Hitler’s path towards the total extermination of European Jewry. The names of 68 Jews murdered during the bloodletting will be projected every evening of the week at 7:38 P.M. local time till dawn every twelve minutes on the front of the building housing the Uniqa insurance agency in the center of Vienna.

“We want to preserve the memory of every person murdered by the Nazis,” Austrian Resistance Archive (DOW) director Gerhard Baugmartner said. The Tower of Names will likely be seen by tens of thousands of people.

2021-11-092021-11-15

Joe Slovo Remembered

by Alistair Boddy-Evans

Joe Slovo, the anti-Apartheid activist, was one of the founders of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the ANC, and was general secretary of the South African Communist Party during the 1980s.

Early Life

Joe Slovo was born in a small Lithuanian village, Obelai, on May 23, 1926, to parents Woolf and Ann. When Slovo was nine years old the family moved to Johannesburg in South Africa, primarily to escape the increasing threat of anti-Semitism which gripped the Baltic states. He attended various schools until 1940, including the Jewish Government School, when he achieved Standard 6 (equivalent to American grade 8).

2021-11-082021-11-12

The Unknown Connection between Zambia and Ukmergė

by Rytas Sakavičius

One average day doing my usual thing, scrolling through facebook, an entry caught my eye about a European who is a national hero of Zambia. The most interesting part was his surname, Zukas.

It sounded familiar, but I didn’t really believe it: is it possible we wouldn’t know about this person? We so love stories about people whose ancestors came from Lithuania and it hardly matters whether they identified themselves with Lithuania. Not expecting much, I put “Simon Zukas” into a search engine. The results were suprising. Born July 31, 1925, in Ukmergė [Vilkomir], Lithuania. That’s when I got interested, thinking it strange such an important and exceptional African political figure might be completely unknown in his native land.

2021-11-032021-11-19

Silvia Foti at the Tolerance Center

Silvia Foti presented her book “The Nazi’s Granddaughter: How I Discovered My Grandfather Was a War Criminal” at the Tolerance Center of the Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum October 29.

She spoke about her painful experience confronting and coming to terms with the fact her grandfather Jonas Noreika collaborated with the Nazis in Lithuania and committed Holocaust crimes. She said she regretted he is still revered in Lithuania as a hero and an example to follow.

The book will be published in Lithuanian translation by Kitos Knygos publishing house in 2022 under the title “Vėtra lietaus šalyje” [Storm in the Country of Rain].

Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky took part in the discussion as well, saying: “I have no doubt at all that, despite the fact the media are ignoring this discussion, after this event we will hear heavy criticism from people who were not here and did not participate. But as I have said many times, Lithuania’s reputation is being tarnished not by those who speak the truth, but by those who hide it.” She said she understood how hard it was for Foti and how much courage and sincerity she had shown in telling the truth about a close family member.

2021-11-032021-12-05

European Days of Jewish Culture Lead to Regular Discussions

The #ŽydiškiPašnekesiai web discussion started as part of the European Days of Jewish Culture this fall, whose motto this year was “Dialogue,” has turned into real-life meetings and discussions. Starting now every second Wednesday of the month will be devoted to discussions of Jewish history and heritage, subtle aspects of history and the issues which came up last fall with political, educational and public figures, held at 5:00 P.M. at the Bagel Shop Café at the Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius. There will also be relevant passages of music performed at these events.

The first such discussion is scheduled for November 10 under the title “Reflections of the Holocaust in Political Rhetoric and the Media.” The discussions will likely be held in Lithuanian. Founder of this new discussion club Arkadijus Vinokuras says: “Today only a small portion of Lithuanian society and especially politicians are able to speak at least respectfully about the tragedy which befell us all in the mid-20th century. Yes, all of us, all of Lithuanian society, without regard to ethnicity. It’s important to realize that ‘speaking respectfully’ about the Holocaust is one thing, and understanding the connections between the Holocaust and institutionalized anti-Semitism is another thing altogether. This kind of dualism arises often in speeches by politicians and is reflected in their actions. There are cases in the media (not just in Lithuania) where there is a lack of reflection and ‘innocent’ opinions are expressed, under the alleged right to ‘an alternative view of the holocaust.’ And no, writing the Holocaust uncapitalized is not an unintentional mistake here.”

2021-11-03

Pumpkins and Bagels: Halloween at the Community

Fun is tricks, costumes, ghosts, pumpkins and screaming children.

Last Friday evening the third Kinder Tish event was held at the Bagel Shop Café. The children made bagels with maple syrup and pumpkin-seed toppings. Friends from the US embassy in Vilnius also attended. We learned all about Halloween, received many horrible gifts and had fun ushering in the Sabbath. Cultural attaché Caitlin Nettleton from the US embassy in Vilnius and colleagues explained Halloween traditions, costumes, tricks and jack-o’-lanterns.

2021-11-03

LJC Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky Speaks at Commemoration of Grosse Aktion in Kaunas

Your excellency, the president of the Republic of Lithuania,
Honorable mayor of Kaunas,
Ladies and gentlemen,

The Passion, the path of suffering leads us to this place from Democrat Square, which eighty years ago was witness to a disgusting and horrific crime committed against ten thousand Jewish residents of Kaunas.

Earlier that same year the kommandant and the burgermeister of Kaunas issued order no. 15, point 4 of which evicted all Jews of Kaunas from their homes and lives: “All people of Jewish ethnicity living within the borders of the city of Kaunas without regard to sex or age must remove to the Kaunas suburb Vilijampolė between July 15 and August 15 of this year.”

2021-10-292021-11-25

Lithuanian President Speaks at Grosse Aktion Commemoration in Kaunas

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda Thursday attended a procession and ceremony to commemorate the victims of the Grosse Aktion, the 24-hour period during which almost 10,000 people taken from the Kaunas ghetto were murdered. The commemoration included a “Road of Memory” march which the Lithuanian president said symbolically linked hundreds of locations all over Lithuania.

He and other marchers walked in silence along the route by which almost 10,000 victims were marched from the Kaunas ghetto to their deaths at the Ninth Fort exactly 80 years ago.

“Standing here, we understand better the catastrophe whose true dimensions we will never fathom, and which wiped out Jewish lives in many towns and cities in Lithuania and other countries,” Nausėda said at the Ninth Fort Memorial Complex.

2021-10-282021-11-03

WJC Thanks Lithuanian PM for Boycotting Durban Process

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2021-10-28

Holocaust Seminars for Teachers

The Lithuanian Jewish Community, the Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights and the secretariat of the International Commission to Assess the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regimes in Lithuania are currently implementing a project to educate Lithuanian teachers about the Holocaust and human rights.

The goal of the project is to improve quality of education by examining different aspects of the Holocaust and human rights and social justice in light of the main historical events of the 20th century. The project is aimed at teaching new teaching methods and talking about opportunities for including them in the education process.

The lessons and seminars are intended to provide a deeper understanding of the effect stereotypes, superstitions and discrimination have on people, different groups and society as a whole. There is also broad discussion with teachers about Jewish life before the Holocaust and after. The sessions include painful and uncomfortable topics and histories which need to be told to the younger generation.

2021-10-272021-11-25

Silvia Foti to Speak at Vilna Gaon Museum

Silvia Foti will present her book “The Nazi’s Granddaughter: How I Discovered My Grandfather Was a War Criminal” at the Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum located at Naugarduko street no. 10 in Vilnius at 3:00 P.M. on Friday, October 29. She is the granddaughter of Jonas Noreika, the Lithuanian Nazi war criminal whom some in Lithuania consider a hero and an example to follow. Also participating in the discussion will be Lithuanian Restoration of Independence Act signatory and chairman of the International Commission to Assess the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regimes Emanuelis Zingeris, International Commission director Ronaldas Račinskas, Jewish Public Library founder and director Žilvinas Bieliauskas, Lithuanian ambassador Marius Janukonis, Vilnius University professor Jurgita Verbickienė and Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky.

2021-10-272021-10-28

Vilnius Library Commemorates 80th Anniversary of Holocaust

The Adomas Mickevičius Vilnius District Public Library located at Trakų street no. 10, Vilnius, is hosting a commemoration to mark the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Holocaust in Lithuania at 6:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 28. Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky; her daughter Ruth Reches, PhD, principal of the Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium in Vilnius; Righteous Gentile and Jewish rescuer researcher Danutė Selčinskaja and director of the Andrena publishing house Nijolė Petrošienė will speak about the Jewish experience in Lithuania and discuss the books “Samuelis Kuklianskis: Attorney” and “The Experience of Identity by Holocaust Survivors” by Ruth Reches. The Lithuanian film “Gyvybės ir kančių duobė” [Pit of Life and Suffering] will be shown (duration: 60 minutes). The event will be filmed and photographed.

2021-10-26

Chaim Frenkl Memorial Soccer Tournament

A soccer tournament was held by the Šiauliai district soccer federation and the Šiauliai Jewish Community on September 23. Four teams competed in three matches each. The Šiauliai Soccer Chain team came in first, followed by the Šiauliai “Police” team, then Šiauliai Makabi, and in fourth the ShAFF team. Thanks to everyone for participating. We hope it becomes a regular thing.

2021-10-26