The Sabbath begins at 7:01 P.M. on Friday, September 22, and concludes at 8:09 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Yom Kippur at the Choral Synagogue
The Choral Synagogue in Vilnius will hold mincha at 7:00 P.M. and kol nidrei and maariv services at 8:00 P.M. on Sunday, September 24, to mark Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
On Monday, September 25, there will be morning prayer service at 10:00 A.M., followed by a yizkor service at 12:00 noon and mincha and neil at 7:00 P.M.
President Nausėda Unveils Plaque Commemorating Librarian, Bibliographer Antanas Ulpis at YIVO
Photo: YIVO executive board chairwoman Ruth Levine, Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda with wife Diana Nausėdienė and YIVO executive director Jonathan Brent, photograph by Robertas Dačkus
September 19, 2023
As part of his working visit to New York Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda attended the unveiling of a memorial plaque to the Lithuanian librarian and bibliographer Antanas Ulpis at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
Gitanas Nausėda said it is important to preserve the memory of the deeds of Lithuanian librarian, bibliographer and director of the Vilnius Book Chamber Antanas Ulpis and the Paper Brigade because thanks to them thousands of Jewish books and documents were safeguarded during the Nazi and Soviet occupations.
During the Nazi occupation around 20 Jews from the Vilnius Ghetto, the so-called Paper Brigade, hid Jewish books, Torahs and other documents, risking their lives. Later Antanas Ulpis, director of the Book Chamber, saved these unique documents and texts from destruction by the Soviets by hiding them in nooks and crannies at St. George’s Church in Vilnius.
“This is not only an important part of the history of Lithuanian Jews which has been preserved, but also an example of humanism, when evil is countered with good and darkness with light,” the Lithuanian president said.
Schedule of Commemorative Events for the 80th Anniversary of the Anti-Nazi Resistance and Liquidation of the Vilnius Ghetto
European Days of Jewish Culture
Time: Starts at 10:00 A.M. on September 3, 2023
Location: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius; Choral Synagogue, Pylimo street no. 39, Cvi Park (Petras Cvirka Square across the street from the Lithuanian Jewish Community).
Exhibit “Ghetto Children Tell Their Story to Contemporary Children”
Time: September 4 to September 30, 2023
Location: Adomas Mickevičius Public Library, Trakų street no. 10, Vilnius.
Special Concert to Remember Victims of the Holocaust
Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė, patroness
Time: September 6, 2023
Location: Lėlė Theater, Arklių street no. 5, Vilnius.
by invitation only
Kaunas Jewish Community Celebrates Rosh Hashana
The Kaunas Jewish Community ushered in the Jewish new year 5784 with greetings from chairman Gercas Žakas to a large number of members who assembled for the celebration, tables laden with holiday dishes, singing, games and lively conversation.
Snapshots from the party below.
Eightieth Anniversary of Liquidation and Uprising of Vilnius Ghetto: Play “Symphony of Dance from the Jerusalem of the North”
The dance troupe Lietuva and the Prabudimo orkestras present a song and dance spectacular called “Symphony of Dance from the Jerusalem of the North.” The performance is based on Jievaras Jasinskis’s work “Simfonija iš Šiaurės Jeruzalės” [Symphony from the Jerusalem of the North]. The story begins 4,000 years ago and extends till the present. The performance will take place on different dates around Lithuania. Tickets available here.
Schedule:
7:00 P.M. on September 23 at the State Youth Theater in Vilnius, by invitation only.
6:00 P.M. on September 24 at the State Youth Theater in Vilnius
7:00 P.M. on September 27 at the State Drama Theater in Kaunas
6:00 P.M. on October 7 at the Concert Hall in Palanga
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Panevėžys Jewish Community Celebrates New Year
Rosh Hashana is one of the most important Jewish holidays. The new year 5784 has begun. A small picnic took place in the courtyard of the Panevėžys Jewish Community on September 17 with apples and honey and challa bread, and warm wishes were expressed for Jews around the world.
This year for the first time this century Lithuanian Jewish scouts from Vilnius visited the Panevėžys Jewish Community. They were returning from the Žalioji Forest where they had camped for two days with scouts from Panevėžys. The Panevėžys Jewish Community treated them to a tour of the town including stories about the Jews of Panevėžys and the Holocaust.
After a brief rest at the Community, the scouts joined Community members for a holiday meal including the traditional dishes which according to custom should be sampled in greeting the Jewish New Year.
Rosh Hashana at the LJC
Last Friday the Lithuanian Jewish Community hosted a bnei maskilim–followers of Progressive Judaism–Kabalat Shabat ceremony and marked the Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashana, 5784, at the same time. Shana tova!
Thanks to Viljamas Žitkauskas for providing photos of the event below.
Eightieth Anniversary of Liquidation and Uprising of the Vilnius Ghetto: Conference at Parliament “Communism and Anti-Semitism”
The Lithuanian parliament will host an international conference called “Communism and Anti-Semitism” beginning at 10:00 A.M. on November 28. The organizers of the conference include the Lithuanian Jewish Community, YIVO, the POLIN institute and the Goodwill Foundation. It will be broadcasted on the parliament’s website www.lrs.lt and via the parliament’s youtube channel. Stay tuned for more details.
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Eightieth Anniversary of Liquidation and Uprising of the Vilnius Ghetto: Film “Jerzy Orda: Anarchista w duchu św. Augustyna”
“Jerzy Orda: Anarchistas pagal šv. Augustiną” aka “Jerzy Orda: Anarchista w duchu św. Augustyna” [Jerzy Orda: The Anarchist Who Followed St. Augustine] (2022, Lithuania) is a flim about the man Jerzy Orda who said he was a Vilniusite by choice and whom others called an “integral humanist” and “a man of paradoxes.” During the period between the two world wars, he called himself “an anarchist inspired by St. Augustine.” He also rescued people from the Holocaust and was posthumously awarded Lithuania’s Order of the Life Saver’s Cross. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion at the Tolerance Center of the Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum at Naugarduko street no. 10 in Vilnius starting at 6:00 P.M. on September 26. The film consists of recollections and interviews in Polish and Lithuanian and there will be Lithuanian subtitles for the Polish segments.
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Eightieth Anniversary of the Liquidation of and Uprising in the Vilnius Ghetto: Loïc Salfati’s Documentary Secrets of the Great Synagogue
Loïc Salfati’s documentary film “Secrets of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius” will be screened at 6:00 P.M. on September 20 at the Tolerance Center of the Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum at Naugarduko street no. 10 in Vilnius. The film uses archival documents, testimonies and interviews with archaeologists from Israel, Lithuania and the USA to reveal hitherto little-known facts about the Great Synagogue which stood more or less intact for centuries, was heavily bombed during World War II and razed by the Soviet government in 1950. The director will talk about his film before the screening. The film is in Lithuanian and English with Lithuanian subtitles for the English-language segments.
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Lithuanian PM Offers Rosh Hashana Greetings
Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė presented the following greeting on the occasion of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year:
“Today when the Jewish communities in Lithuania, Israel and the whole world celebrate the birth of the world, in the name of our entire Government I greet you with the New Year, on the occasion of Rosh Hashana. The New Year with the call of the Shofar horn and the sweetness of apples dipped in honey begins a sacred time of reflection, repentance and renewal. It is a time to stop and look inward. It is a time to ask what sort of people we want to be and how we achieved that over the foregoing year, what we can still do for tranquility and peace in our countries and the world. I wish everyone a happy and peaceful year. May Rosh Hashana bring happiness, health and success to your families and peace to your homes. Shanah tovah u’metuka! A good and sweet year!”
LJC Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky on Meaning of Rosh Hashana
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky spoke about the significance of the New Year holiday Rosh Hashana and wished everyone health and a good and meaningful coming year surrounded by those who love you in a video address in Lithuanian.
Shana tova!
European Days of Jewish Culture in Prienai
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and Bagel Shop Café were invited to participate at the European Days of Jewish Culture in Prienai, Lithuania, on the eve of Rosh Hashana, where around 40% of the population was Jewish before the Holocaust. The local organizers of the event there demonstrated a keen interest in the Jewish past of their town and in what was until now exotic Jewish cuisine.
The event kicked off at the synagogue, one of two and the only one left standing, in the early afternoon with a planting of crocus bulbs outside the synagogue. Participants walked from there to the Vėlyvė café which used to house a famous restaurant belonging to the Milstein family. Litvak snacks, challa bread and humous were served with fresh bagels. Local genealogist Janina Paplauskaitė-Leonavičienė then told the story of the synagogue and the restaurant which belonged to the Milstein family.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 7:18 P.M. on Friday, September 15, and concludes at 8:28 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Rosh Hashana Fast Approaching
The Jewish New Year 5784, Rosh Hashana, is coming up quickly this Friday, September 15 on the Gregorian calendar, at sundown at 7:18 P.M. According to Jewish tradition, the first man Adam was created on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, and, according to tradition, he was exiled from the Garden of Eden on the same day for disobeying God. Since then God has held court on humans every year on this day. The Creator makes decisions on this day about who is included in the Book of Life and who is not, and how the coming year will bring success for every person, so religious Jews spend the day praying for God’s favor and mercy.
The Vilnius Jewish Religious Community and the Lithuanian Jewish Community invite you to celebrate Rosh Hashana at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius with us.
Program:
Friday, September 15
7:00 P.M. Rosh Hashana at the Choral Synagogue
Saturday, September 16
10:00 A.M. Shacharit
7:00 P.M. Mincha
8:30 P.M. Evening prayer service
Sunday, September 17
10:00 A.M. Shacharit
7:00 P.M. Mincha.
Invitation to Kabalat Shabat
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and Bnei Maskilim followers of Progresive Judaism invite you to a Kabalat Shabat ceremony and celebration of the eve of the Jewish New Year, 5784.
This warm, comfortable and moving gathering is a great entree to Rosh Hashana.
We will meet at 8:00 P.M. on Friday, September 15, in the hall on third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius.
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.