The Sabbath begins at 8:45 P.M. on Friday, August 9, and concludes at 10:06 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Commemoration of Sania Kerbelis
Members and friends of the Šiauliai Jewish Community gathered at the Community building Monday to commemorate the late Sania Kerbelis who served as chairman for many years.
Special guest Rabbi Kalev Krelin provided a simple and enlightened exegesis of Torah as the basis for his eulogy of Sania and reminded those assembled that the best commemoration and compensation of loss is prayer and good works.
Community member Ričardas Pikelis recited his poem in memory of Kerbelis.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 8:59 P.M. on Friday, August 2, and concludes at 10:24 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
A Tribute to Žilvinas Beliauskas
by Rabbi Moshe Martin Levin
Žilvinas Beliauskas WAS ALWAYS:
Tall and handsome;
Brilliant and articulate;
Talking in long sentences without taking a breath;
He always listened with both ears.
Always was an encyclopedia of so many subjects.
A true patriot who knew the shortcomings as well as the achievements of his homeland.
A husband in love with his wife Ieva.
Israeli President Planning to Visit Lithuania in Fall
According to diplomatic sources the Israeli leader’s visit to the three Baltic states had been planned for June.
“The dates of the visit have been adjusted due to the busy agenda of the Baltic leaders and the Israeli president,” press secretary for the president of Lithuania Ridas Jasulionis told BNS.
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky told BNS that she had canceled a trip several weeks ago after learning of the visit planned by the president of Israel. She added Herzog had planned to visit the Lost Shtetl Museum under construction in Šeduva, Lithuania. Herzog is the descendant of Litvaks with roots in Šeduva.
Natalja Cheifec Lecture “Justice and the Courts according to the Torah”
Natalja Cheifec continues her series of lectures on Jewish culture and religion this Tuesday, July 30 with a lecture/discussion called “Justice and the Courts according to the Torah” meeting that day at 5:30 P.M. on the zoom internet platform.
Her lecture will include:
• Criteria for selection of judges
• How theft is defined in Judaism and the 8 types of theft
• Punishment for murder
• What accidental homicide means
• Application of the death penalty in Judaic law
• Who is more at fault, the criminal or the instigator
• What a bribe is
• Compensation for physical and moral damages
• Sanctuary
• Laws of war
The lecture will likely be in Lithuanian, depending on the audience. To receive zoom credentials and attend the virtual lecture, click here: https://shorturl.at/gMbBJ
Condolences
Žilvinas Beliauskas suddenly died Friday. A teacher at the Mykolas Romeris University, he was a qualified psychologist and for a time, according to his friends, worked at the United Nations in New York. In the early 2000s a private donor attempted to donate a large collection of “Jewish books” in the broadest sense of the term to the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum, which eventually resulted in the Vilnius Jewish Public Library with sponsorship and funding from the Government chancellor. Žilvinas took the concept of the library and ran with it, acquiring many more important books on Jewish culture and religion and fictional works by Jewish authors. He created more than an open and friendly public library by hosting numerous speakers, panels, discussions and book launches in the humble space. Ever cheerful, friendly with all, always willing to lend a hand, Žilvinas will be sorely missed by all who knew him. We extend our deepest condolences to his many friends and family members.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:12 P.M. on Friday, July 26, and concludes at 10:41 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
New Discoveries from the Great Synagogue of Vilnius Revealed
The Israel Antiquities Authority, Kultūros paveldo Išsaugojimo pajėgos, the Good Will Foundation, and the Jewish Community of Lithuania are pleased to announce the results of the fifth season of excavation at the Great Synagogue of Vilna (Vilnius) & the Shulhoyf.
Vandal Defaces Talmudic Sage Mural in Vilnius
The Vilnius municipality’s webpage madeinvilnius.lt reports a mural depicting a Jewish scholar called “The Sage” was defaced by graffiti recently. The mural is located in the Vilnius Old Town adjacent to what was the city’s Jewish quarter for a time and the Jewish ghetto instituted by the Nazis.
Reporter Šarūnas Černiauskas wrote about the vandalism on facebook: “Something nasty happened. The most known work in the ‘The Walls Remember’ project dedicated to preserving the historical memory of Lithuanian Jews, the mural ‘The Sage,’ was intentionally damaged. The people who did this obviously wanted to ruin the painting. I think this smacks of anti-Semitism. I went there today, recorded it and filed a complaint with the police.”
Černiauskas called on members of the public to come forward to police concerning the act of vandalism. He also called for any video footage from adjacent cameras to be sent to him and police.
The mural was heavily damaged. The mural “Street Musicians” in the same series was defaced with the name “Ivan,” presumably a pejorative for “Russian” rather than a tagger’s name.
Full story in Lithuanian with photographs here.
Government Approves Proposal for Jewish Memorial at Palace of Sports
by Augustė Lyberytė, ELTA, July 17, 2024
The cabinet ministers Wednesday approved a proposal by a working group who has been operating for over a year now on setting up a memorial to the old Jewish cemetery at the site of the Palace of Sports in the Vilnius neighborhood of Šnipiškės.
Government deputy chancellor Rolandas Kriščiūnas said proposals from the working group should be seen as a guidepost.
The plan is for a memorial to be set up inside the Palace of Sports and in the territory of the old Jewish cemetery surrounding that building.
“The site would be open to the public with special focus placed on synergy between the outside territory and the interior space,” Kriščiūnas said.
Full story in Lithuanian here.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:23 P.M. on Friday, July 19, and concludes at 10:57 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Saturday is also World Chess Day.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:32 P.M. on Friday, July 12, and concludes at 11:11 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Condolences
We report with deep sadness the death of Sania Kerbelis on July 11. He was born in 1963. His death followed his struggle with a chronic illness. Sania Kerbelis was the chairman of the Šiauliai District Jewish Community and the Šiauliai Jewish Religious Community. Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky and the entire Lithuanian Jewish Community extend our deepest condolences to his sons Doyvdas and Simonas and his many friends and family members. Baruch Dayan ha’Emet.
Events in Kaunas Considered by Researchers: “Think about History, Understand Memory”
by Jurgita Šakienė, kauno.diena.lt
An international academic conference to mark the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Kaunas ghetto has begun at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. Called “Think about History, Understand Memory,” the conference includes researchers from Lithuania and abroad who will present Jewish life before and during the Holocaust through the lens of history, politics, social sciences, the theater and the arts.
“This anniversary is a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to understand memory and to insure the lessons of the past inform our present and future,” Israel’s ambassador to Lithuania Hadas Wittenberg Silverstein said during her speech opening the conference. Also giving welcome speeches were US ambassador Kara McDonald and Kaunas Jewish Community chairman Gercas Žakas.
Germany’s ambassador Cornelius Zimmerman in his speech said, among other things, “It’s difficult to understand how these unspeakably brutal things could have happened. But they happened. I feel sadness, remorse and shame. It’s crucial to remember everything in order to prevent this from happening again.”
Full story in Lithuanian here.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:38 P.M. on Friday, July 5, and concludes at 11:22 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Natalja Cheifec Discussion Club Zoom Meeting
Natalja Cheifec’s Shalom discussion club is planning a meeting on the zoom internet platform at 5:30 P.M. on Tuesday, July 2. The discussion will focus on “forbidden topics” such as why Jewish women aren’t allowed to wear the tallis and tefellin, on the less controversial topic of women serving in the Israeli military, but also any topic participants wish to discuss. Participants are urged to send in their topics of interest prior to the internet meeting.
To obtain zoom credentials to participate and to propose topics for discussion, see here: https://mailchi.mp/a60b2d1747ba/alom-12683479
Everyone is welcome.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:41 P.M. on Friday, June 28, and concludes at 11:30 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:42 P.M. on Friday, June 21, and concludes at 11:32 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Note: St. John’s Eve or Midsummer’s Eve, aka Joninės in Lithuanian and Litha in Celtic lore, is an official holiday in Lithuania observed this year from Saturday through Monday with government offices and some businesses closed.
Learning about Jewish Life and Culture at the TOLI Seminar
All last week the LJC hosted the TOLI seminar where experts on Jewish life and culture from different Lithuanian institutions of learning come together to teach teachers about Litvak life before the Holocaust and about the Holocaust.
The TOLI institute founded by Olga Lengvel in New York and Lithuania’s International Commission to Assess the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regime in Lithuania jointly held the seminar which this year was called “Learning from the Past, Action for the Future: Teaching the Holocaust and Human Rights.”
The seminar was attended by over 30 teachers and educators from throughout Lithuania. They included ethics, Lithuanian language and literature, English, geography, information theory and history teachers, as well as librarians and social workers who sacrificed their summer vacations to learn and improve their knowledge.
Full story in Lithuanian here.