Lithuanian Jewish Community

Jewish Charity Helps 83 Righteous Gentile Holocaust Heroes Celebrate Holidays

by Michelle Rosenberg

In its largest one-time seasonal award, Jewish Foundation for the Righteous sends £250k to rescuers in 10 countries including Australia, Hungary, Romania and Sweden

The Jewish Foundation for the Righteous is sending more than £254k to 83 Righteous Gentile rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust living in 10 different countries–the largest one-time seasonal award in the foundation’s history.

The JFR provides financial stipends for aged and needy Righteous Gentiles, helping to repay a debt of gratitude on behalf of the Jewish people for their heroism.

Since its founding, the foundation has provided more than £35 million to an estimated 3,600 rescuers in more than 34 countries.

As the years pass since the Holocaust the number of living rescuers has dwindled. The remaining Righteous Gentiles receiving this year’s holiday awards live in Australia, Belarus, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Ukraine.

Full story here.

2024-12-23

Jewish School in Toronto Shot Up Third Time

School was target of previous overnight shootings in October and May. Hate crime unit investigating shots fired at Jewish elementary school, 3rd this year.

Toronto police are investigating another incident of gunshots fired outside a Jewish girls elementary school in North York. Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School was the target of two previous overnight shootings in October and May.

Toronto police are investigating after a Jewish girls elementary school in North York was shot at for the third time this year.

The most recent shooting at the Bais Chaya Mushka Girls Elementary School happened shortly after 2:30 A.M. Friday, according to superintendent Paul MacIntyre.

2024-12-23

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 3:36 P.M. on Friday, December 20, and concludes at 4:59 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.

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Celebrated Litvak Architect Visits Lithuanian Jewish Community

By invitation of the Goodwill Foundation and the Lithuanian Jewish Community, world-renowned Litvak architect Massimiliano Fuksas paid a visit to Vilnius this week.

The author of extraordinary projects around the world, Italian Litvak Fuksas and Studio Fuksas director Giovanni Podesta met with the co-chairpeople of the Goodwill Foundation–Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky and American Jewish Committee International Jewish Affairs Department director Rabbi Andrew Baker–as well as GWF director Indrė Rutkauskaitė and toured Jewish Vilna, met members of the GWF board of directors, spoke with Israeli Antiquities Authority architect Jon Seligman, met the architects Daina and James Ferguson and also met with Lithuanian ambassador to Italy Dalia Kreivienė and Italian embassy to Lithuania chargé d’affaires Alice Barberis.

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Israeli ForMin Calls Bluff of Supposed Anglosphere Allies

by Geoff Vasil

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar announced last Sunday Israel was closing its embassy to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin due to extreme anti-Israeli policies by the Irish Government.

On Tuesday in a heated phone call with Australia’s hard-left pro-Palestinian foreign minister Penny Wong, she berated Sa’ar for Israel not doing more to advance humanitarian aid to Gaza, even while Hamas there continues to hold between 50 and 100 hostages, mostly Israeli citizens but also including American passport holders. Sa’ar responded by demanding immediate action following the fire bombing of the Adass Shul synagogue in Melbourne.

Since October 7, 2023, hard-left Australian PM Anthony Albanese and foreign minister Wong have refused to address growing anti-Semitism in the island nation, and have made it their job to tell Israel how to make peace with Hamas and Hezbollah. In addition, police have consistently allowed public demonstrations openly supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, both recognized by Australia as terrorist organizations. Further, Wong and Albanese cooked up a scheme to evacuate Palestinians from Gaza by offering them Australian tourist visas with easy conditions. More recently Australia barred entry to a former Israeli education minister scheduled to address a Jewish audience there. In the past two weeks Australia has increased restrictions on visa applications by Israelis and now demands to know whether the applicant has served in the Israeli military, whether they have been party to war crimes, and so on.

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Condolences

Mina Levina passed away Wednesday, December 18. She was born in 1937 and was a member of the Lithuanian Jewish Community and a client of the Saul Kagan Welfare Center. We extend our deepest condolences to her family members and friends.

2024-12-19

Condolences

Tamara Adrinovskaya has died. She was born in 1934 and was a member of the Lithuanian Jewish Community and a client served by the Saul Kagan Welfare Center. We extend our deepest condolences to her daughter Liudmila, her grandchildren and many loved ones.

2024-12-19

Goodwill Foundation Board Members Meet Speaker of Parliament

The co-chairpeople of the Goodwill Foundation–Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky and American Jewish Committee International Jewish Affairs Department director Rabbi Andrew Baker–have met with the new speaker of the Lithuanian parliament and former prime minister Saulius Skvernelis.

They discussed the Middle East and the rising tide of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe. Speaker Skvernelis affirmed Lithuania is a safe country for Jews.

“The fight against anti-Semitism must be a constant on the political agenda. Everyone knows my views of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism from the time when I was prime minister, and my views haven’t changed even a little. We will not tolerate expressions of anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial or disrespect towards Holocaust victims. I believe we as a country under the rule of law will judge anti-Semitic expressions as a legal matter, and our newly-formed ruling coalition will be a reliable and trustworthy partner in that,” Skvernelis said during their meeting.

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Hanukkah Kabalat Shabat

The Progressive Judaism association Bnei Maskilim invites you to attend the lighting of the third Hanukkah light while greeting the Sabbath with psalms and blessings, followed by holiday foods and kiddush. The ceremony will take place on third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community followed by kiddush and treats at the Bagel Shop Café at street level.

The cost is 20 euros for adults and 10 euros for children from 3 years of age. Registration is required by sending an email to viljamas@lzb.lt.

Time: 4:00 P.M., Friday, December 27
Place: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Bagel Shop Café, Vilnius

2024-12-18

Ghost of Facebook Past Comes to Haunt Rookie MP

On Wednesday, December 11, the Lithuanian parliament’s Ethics and Procedures Commission met to discuss facebook posts made in the past by newly-elected MP Petras Dargis, who belongs to the controversial Nemuno Aušra party led by Remigijus Žemaitaitis.

In the posts in question, Dargis published an indecent picture of a prostitute leaning into the driver’s side window of an automobile, saying, “I’ll do everything your wife doesn’t.” The speech balloon of the driver says, “Can you make me a tasty goulash?”

More troubling are older posts dating back to September of 2011 where Dargis repeats anti-Semitic jokes. In one, a father asks his sons how the good Santa Claus differs from the evil Jew. Santa is good and the Jew is bad, one says. Another chimes in: Santa gives gifts from out of his bag, but the Jew takes them and puts them in the bag. That’s all true, the father says, but more importantly, Santa enters by coming down the chimney, and the Jews exits by going up the chimney.

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Natalja Cheifec’s Discussion Club: Holiday Edition

Natalja Cheifec continues her series of discussions with “The Miracle of Hanukkah” which will address:

• The holiday of Hanukkah as a conservator of tradition;
• What the Most High does during Hanukkah;
• Why Jews observe the burning of candles during Hanukkah;
• What the doughnuts are about and what Hanukkah geld means.

It’s happening this Thursday, December 19, at 5:30 P.M. via zoom.

To register and receive zoom credentials, click here. Remember to includes which topics interest you for possible future discussion while registering.

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Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights

Everyone is invited to come view a 3-D light show, accompanied by traditional Hanukkah treats and warm tea.

Time: 6:30 P.M., Monday, December 30
Place: Outside the Lithuanian Jewish Community, Vilnius

2024-12-16

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 3:34 P.M. on Friday, December 13, and concludes at 4:58 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Saturday is also International Shareware Day.

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Condolences

Boris Spevak has died. He was born in 1932 and was a long-standing member of the Klaipėda Jewish Community and more recently a client of the Saul Kagan Welfare Center. He passed away on December 10. Our deepest condolences to his children, relatives and many friends.

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Condolences

Nina Baitlerytė passed away December 10. She was born in 1937. She was a member of the Šiauliai Jewish Community for many years and was beloved by all. The entire Lithuanian Jewish Community mourns her loss and extends our deepest condolences to her sister Frida and her many loved ones.

2024-12-12

Jazz Diva Karmen Moxie to Perform at LJC

American jazz singer Karmen Moxie will perform for the first time ever in Lithuania at the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

It’s happening at 6:00 P.M. on Sunday, December 15, in the Jascha Heifetz Hall on the third floor, a performance space with perhaps seats for 100 people maximum.

Tickets can be purchased at all Bilietai.lt ticket outlets and via internet at bilietai.lt.

For more information, try the following telephone numbers: +370 677 00699, +370 645 36403, +370 618 01331, +370 671 76502.

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IHRA Member-State Reps Meet in London

Delegations and representatives of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance met in congress in London from December 2 to 5 to discuss current events in Holocaust and Roma genocide commemoration, education and combating anti-Semitism. Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky was part of Lithuania’s legation.

The plenary session discussed rising anti-Semitism in Europe and conflicts in the Middle East.

Eric Pickles who serves as chairman of IHRA said Jews are more afraid now than ever before, making fighting hatred and preserving memory more important than ever as well.

Lithuanian ambassador for special assignments Arvydas Daunoravičius led the Lithuanian legation. Other members of Lithuania’s team were chosen by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, Education Ministry, Ethnic Minorities Department, the International Commission for the Assessment of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regimes in Lithuania and the Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum. Kukliansky represented the Lithuanian Jewish Community among the Lithuanian delegates.

2024-12-12

EJC and UNESCO Reps Meet in Paris to Discuss Combating Anti-Semitism

Representatives from the EJC and UNESCO have been meeting for several days in Paris to discuss better ways of fighting anti-Semitism through public education. Faina Kukliansky represented the Lithuanian Jewish Community at those talks.

2024-12-12