Religion

German Chancellor Hails LJC’s Efforts to Insure Safety and Security

German Chancellor Hails LJC’s Efforts to Insure Safety and Security

German chancellor Olaf Scholz has sent a letter to Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky in which he expresses sorrow over recent events in Lithuania and the growing tide of anti-Semitism and reiterating the German government’s condemnation of all forms of hatred and intolerance towards ethnic minority communities.

He said Germany has a special responsibility because of the past. Germany has learned from the past to insure those crimes are never repeated, he said. He went on to state combating anti-Semitism is an on-going process requiring taking responsibility and cooperation to minimalize prejudicial views and encourage diversity.

He added the chancellor’s team supports the LJC’s efforts to create a safe and secure environment for everyone regardless of ethnic origin or religious beliefs.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 3:57 P.M. on Friday, November 15 and concludes at 5:16 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Saturday is also International Tolerance Day. 頑張って ください!

Sabbath Project/World Challa-Making Day is Here

Sabbath Project/World Challa-Making Day is Here

Today Jews around the world will celebrate the Sabbath together under the auspices of the Global Sabbath Project, which includes World Challa-Making Day. The Lithuanian Jewish Community invites everyone to come and make challa bread together beginning at 3:00 P.M. today, Friday, November 15. Besides making bread, we will also learn about the Sabbath, enjoy some live music and share Jewish cooking traditions. The best loaf will be chosen as the winner.

Time: 3:00 P.M., Friday, November 15
Place: Bagel Shop Café, Lithuanian Jewish Community, Vilnius

Rabbi Warren Goldstein sends special Sabbath Project greetings to LJC:

You’re Invited to an End of Sabbath Ceremony Saturday

You’re Invited to an End of Sabbath Ceremony Saturday

Dear members and friends,

You’re invited to a Havdalah ceremony to usher out the Sabbath Saturday evening.

This is a multisensory experience involving scents, the lighting of candles, wine and prayers sung together with cantor Shmuel Yaatom to make the coming week blessed.

Time: 5:30 P.M., Saturday, November 16
Place: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius

Shavua tov!

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 4:10 P.M. on Friday, November 8 and concludes at 5:24 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.

Is Yiddish Experiencing a Renaissance?

Is Yiddish Experiencing a Renaissance?

by Daiva Gabrilavičiūtė, LRT.lt, October 26, 2024

“The Yiddish language has become a symbol of Jewish cultural resistance and survival. In spite of waves of historical oppression, the Holocaust and assimilation, Yiddish reflects the resolution, resilience and continuity of the Jewish people,” Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium principal Ruth Reches told Lithuanian state radio and teleivision.

Yiddish appeared about a millennium ago in what is now Germany. Large Jewish communities settled in Eastern Europe. Over time Yiddish became more than the everyday language of communication and was used in Jewish intellectual and cultural life. Books and newspapers were published, songs were written and plays performed in Yiddish.

Before World War II more than 10 million people spoke Yiddish. Most were murdered during the Holocaust. The handful who survived faced Soviet oppression. Others found safe haven on the other side of the Atlantic.

Full article in Lithuanian here.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 5:39 P.M. on Friday, October 25, and concludes at 6:49 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Friday is also Simchat Torah.

Jewish Scouting Season Opens

Jewish Scouting Season Opens

Weekly meetings of Jewish scouts are taking place again starting at 3:00 P.M. this Sunday at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius. The gathering should last around one hour. Jewish scouting teaches scouts Jewish culture, civic-mindedness, responsibility, independence and a number of other skills and values, and includes a lot of fun and games as well. This group is intended for scouts and potential scouts aged 6 to 18. FOr more information contact Michail Kofman by telephone at 860645o94 or send an email to skautai@lzb.lt.

Sukkot in Šiauliai

Sukkot in Šiauliai

The Šiauliai Jewish Community gathered Friday to celebrate the Sabbath and Sukkot. Everyone had the opportunity to spend time in the Community’s sukka. On Wednesday the Community plans to mark the final day of Sukkot and on Thursday Simchat Torah, with guests expected from Vilnius.

Hag Sukot sameakh!

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 5:54 P.M. on Friday, October 18, and concludes at 7:09 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Friday and Saturday are also days two and three of Sukkot and special Sabbath rules apply.

Sukkot Begins Today

Sukkot Begins Today

Sukkot or Sukkos beings today, Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at sunset, or 5:59 P.M.

The festival of Sukkot–literally meaning booths, tents, tabernacles–is celebrated for seven days in Israel and eight days in the Diaspora, starting on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. It is one of the three festivals during which Jewish men were required to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the times of the Holy Temple.

Simchat Torah Event at the Bagel Shop Café

Simchat Torah Event at the Bagel Shop Café

The weekly portions of Torah readings ends and begins again. To mark the end of the cycle and the beginning of the new, you’re invited to a Simchat Torah celebration with the musical duet of Borisas Kizneris and Michailas Bolshunas, and a performance by Michailas Javichius on saxophone, at the Bagel Shop Café.

The cost is 15 euros. Registration required. Send an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt or call (+370) 678 81514 before noon Thursday.

Time: 7:00 P.M., Friday, October 25
Place: Bagel Shop Café

Women’s Club Meeting Friday

Women’s Club Meeting Friday

Dear reader,

The Women’s Club will be expecting you again this Friday, and this meeting will be especially fun and delicious as we make quiches and pastries.

This time of year is special, the High Holy Days, and we cannot avoid the holiday spirit. THis Friday we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, when we sit down at the table together with our families and also treat those who come by. So, dear homemakers, we will learn to make the Israeli dish pashtida, sometimes called a kugel, which resembles a quiche, and layered apple pastries.

A good time is guaranteed.

Please register before noon on Thursday by sending an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt or by calling (+370) 678 81514. Space is limited.

Time: 6:30 P.M., Friday, October 18
Place: Bagel Shop Café, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius

Šiauliai Jewish Community Celebrates Rosh Hashanah

Šiauliai Jewish Community Celebrates Rosh Hashanah

Members of the Šiauliai District Jewish Community gathered to celebrate the Jewish new year on October 4 at the Žemaitis restaurant in Šiauliai. The evening began with a blowing of the shofar horn. Chairman Naumas Gleizeris welcomed everyone and wished them a good, healthy and sweet new year. Community member Vadimas Kamrazeris provided music throughout the evening which included dancing. The youngest members of the Community, Sofija Kamrazerytė and Karina Šer, also sang.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 6:11 P.M. on Friday, October 11, and concludes at 7:20 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Yom Kippur begins at sundown at 6:11 P.M. on Friday. Fasting begins then and extends until sundown on Saturday at 7:20 P.M. Saturday, October 12, is also Columbus Day in the United States and Monday, October 13, is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.

Greetings from Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky

Greetings from Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky

Dear reader,

This year we mark Yom Kippur in difficult times when many of our brothers and sisters are suffering from the ongoing, awful war and hatred. Today, on the eve of Yom Kippur, when we will all stand and reflect on the past, I wish everyone, first of all, to find peace, tranquility and courage within.

G’mar chatima tova.

May Your Name Be Entered in the Book of Life

May Your Name Be Entered in the Book of Life

Dear friends,

On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and Repentance, we put aside mundane concerns and reflect on what has happened in our lives.

May our thoughts be heard this day, may our thoughts become pure and our hearts kinder. Good health and strength to everyone, may our mistakes be corrected and our weaknesses overcome. May all continue life’s journey with dignity, sincerity and integrity. Peace and love.

G’mar chatima tova.