Lithuanian Jewish Community

Plaque Commemorating Litvak Designer Victor David Brenner

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A ceremony to unveil a plaque commemorating Litvak and Šiauliai native Victor David Brenner will take place at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, December 14, at the Šiauliai Bank building at Tilžės street no. 149 in Šiauliai.

Victor David Brenner is best known as the designer of the Lincoln one-cent piece in the United States. which replaced the former one-cent piece featuring an Indian in 1909. He also designed the obverse of the new penny, replacing the former wreath and coat of arms with two sheaves of wheat surrounding the words “United States of America” and “ONE CENT.” The “wheat-back” reverse of the penny has since been replaced with one featuring the Lincoln memorial in the center with the same inscription around the edge in 1959. In 1982 the United States began to mint one-cent pieces with reduced copper content, replacing the earlier copper and tin denomination with a copper-plated zinc fac-simile.

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Canadian Celebrity Chef Chuck Hughes Visits Bagel Shop Café

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Chuck Hughes, the Canadian celebrity chief who has an entire collection of series on Canada’s Food Network cable channel and the owner of two renowned restaurants in Montréal, visited the Bagel Shop Café last week.

Best known for his show Chuck’s Day Off, now carried by the Cooking Network on cable networks in the United States as well, Hughes has a special place in his heart and his kitchen for seafood.

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The LJC’s Ilona Rūkienė caught up with Chuck last week and asked him a few questions.

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Condolences

Nadežda Mirskaja, a member of the Vilnius Jewish Community, passed away December 10. She was born January 21, 1941. Our sincere condolences to her loved ones during this time of sadness.

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Holocaust Survivor: It Had Nothing to Do with War, a Madman Committed the Violence

Finally a book has been published telling the story of how Moriz Scheyer successfully hid from the Nazis. The decades have not lessened the hatred he feels for those who aided the fuhrer.

Scheyer was the art director of one of the main newspapers in Vienna. He knew many of the city’s artists at the time and was an important figure in journalism covering literature in his own right. When the Nazis came to power, he had to quit his job and home. Hiding in France in 1943, he began writing what eventually became the book “Asylum: A Survivor’s Flight from Nazi-Occupied Vienna through Wartime France.”

The Holocaust was carried out without the civilized world having the courage to say it should stop, or even expressing its disgust. Only later, much later, when it was much too late, we began to receive nice expressions of solidarity in the context of general war propaganda. And at that time, when that was being done, the states which had all the power and could have done so without greater expenses, were unable to do their duty to open the door to the persecuted.

Full story in Lithuanian here.

2016-12-12

New Book by Lithuanian Writer about State of Israel

Accomplished author, lecturer and media personality Giedrius Drukteinis has a new book out called “Izraelis – žydų valstybė” [Israel: The Jewish State] and as with his comprehensive treatment of the United States-Viet Nam war, it’s a long one, 832 pages. It was published by Sofoklis publishing house in Vilnius in 2016.

Drukteinis goes through the main events in Jewish history in chronological order, from exile to Babylon, the Middle Ages, modern emancipation, roots of anti-Semitism, aliyah, Zionism, relations with Arabs, the Jewish experience during both world wars, the foundation of the state and modern development in the current period. The chronological layout is intended to help Lithuanian readers orient themselves to the creation and history of the Jewish state, according to the publisher.

The book devotes much space to the concept of aliyah leading up to the founding of the unique State of Israel. One reviewer said most of the book is about warfare.

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The Kaunas of Chiune Sugihara as Casablanca del Norte

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Japan is a market of 125 million tourists. Kaunas is attractive as a destination for them because of the memory of Righteous Gentile Chiune Sugihara. Much has been done, but much more needs to be done, including presenting Kaunas as a kind of Casablanca of the North. Šiauliai University lecturer and historian Dr. Simonas Strelcovas recently returned from the land of the rising sun. There he researched Japanese attitudes towards Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul who issues thousands of visas to Jews in Kaunas in 1940, thus saving them. In Japan he is greatly honored. The historian says this respect should be exploited to attract tourists. Dr. Strelcovas is certain the nature of Lithuania then when the rescuer operated needs to be told. That Lithuania was not Nazi, and that, unlike other European states, accepted tens of thousands of refugees. He’s planning to reveal all this in an academic book in Japanese to be published next year.

Full story in Lithuanian here.

2016-12-12

Plaques to Famous Litvaks Unveiled in Ukmergė

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Two commemorative plaques honoring the famous Litvaks Solomon Levit (1894-1938) and Chackelis Lemchenas (1904-2001) have been unveiled in Ukmergė (Vilkomir), Lithuania. Levit and Lemchenas were from the area. Levit is noted for his work in biology and medicine, and as the founder of the Genetic Medicine Institute in Moscow. He attended school in the city of Ukmergė. Lemchenas was a talented and respected Lithuanian philologist, lexicographer, linguistic reformer and cultural figure in his own right, and taught at the Jewish Real-Gymnasium in Ukmergė.

The ceremony on December 6 was attended by Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon, Ukmergė Regional Jewish Community chairman Artūras Taicas, Ukmergė regional administrator Rolandas Janickas and vicar Šarūnas Petrauskas, among others.

Chairman Taicas said at the ceremony he was encouraged to see so many people turn out for the event. He invited the Israel ambassador and the regional administrator to unveil the commemorative plaques.

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Makabi Soccer Team Fighting to Win

The mini soccer team of the Makabi Lithuanian Athletics Club is competing successfully in the Vilnius district tournament Select II in the Sunday League, which includes 10 teams. After foru matches Makabi are now in fourth place. The tournament continues and let’s hope after some injured players return our team makes it to the top. Good luck!

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2016-12-12

Lesson by Rabbi Kalev Krelin at Choral Synagogue

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Dear Community members,

This is to inform you that the series of teachings about Jacob, the patriarch of Israel, is continuing. You are invited to Rabbi Kalev Krelin’s lesson called “The Metamorphosis of Jacob” where you will learn what changed after Jacob wrestled the angel, to be held at 6:30 P.M. on Thursday, December 15, 2016, at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius located at Pylimo street no. 39.

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Death of Daniel Dolski Marked in Kaunas

The Kaunas Jewish Community marked the 85th anniversary of the death of Daniel Dolski (stage name of Daniel or Donil Broides), one of the founders of the genre known as “estrada music” in Eastern Europe, popular and sometimes humorous schlager-style songs performed on stage. Iser Shreiberg, the chairman of the Kaunas Hassidic Synagogue Religious Community and a member of the Kaunas Jewish Community, said a prayer for the dead at Dolski’s grave in the Jewish cemetery in the Žaliakalnis neighborhood of Kaunas. Those who turned out for the commemoration recalled the Kaunas Jewish Community had tended the grave of the performer.

2016-12-07

Four Musical Views on a Jewish Theme

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You are invited to attend the launch of the compact disc called Four Musical Views on a Jewish Theme at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius at 6:00 P.M. on December 12. The compact disc is a project by the Lithuanian Union of Musicians, Muzikos Barai magazine and the Goodwill Foundation. Participants are to include composer and president of the Lithuanian Union of Musicians Audronė Žigaitytė-Nekrošienė, pianist and music professor Leonidas Melnikas, violinist Borisas Traubas and cellist Valentinas Kaplūnas.

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The Four Musical Views on a Jewish Theme CD is a unique musical excursion into the tragic 20th-century history of the Jews. Never before had anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews reached such proportions, never before had epiphanies of evil been accompanied by such violence and suffering. Artists were unable to remain silent and their work testifies to, and sometimes screams about these shameful pages of history, condemning evil and exalting good. Four great 20th-century musicians– Maurice Ravel, Darius Milhaud, Aaron Copland and Dmitri Shostakovich—have immortalized this in their work. The tragic passages of Jewish history retold by these artistic geniuses are performed by Lithuanian artists on the compact disc, including singer Liora Grodnikaitė, violinist Boris Traub, cellist Valentinas Kaplūnas and pianist Leonid Melnik. It is an appeal to every individual and to everyone.

Muzikos Barai magazine has made this disc available to readers as a free gift. In their October issue they published an article about those who rescued Jews from the Holocaust in Lithuania.

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Antanas Makštutis Concert

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You’re invited to attend a concert by Kaunas Jewish Community member Antanas Makštutis, an accomplished clarinet player. The concert is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. on December 8 at the Gariūniai Business Park’s concert hall.

The event is free but registration is required, please send an email to info@nmgeneration.com

For more information in Lithuanian, see here.

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Birthdays in December

LŽB 2016m. gruodžio mėnesio jubiliatai

Vilnius Jewish Community

Etia Suvorova (December 2)

German Levin (1 December 9)

Ale Šimulynienė (December 10)

Dora Mesengiser (December 17)

Anastazija Votrinienė (December 18)

Saida Mazuro (December 22)

Olga Orlovskaja (December 26)

Palina Pailis (December 26)

Kaunas Jewish Community

Ženė Živulinskienė (December 1)

Borisas Jocheles (December 3)

Rema Lorman (December 5)

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If Jews Celebrated Christmas

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What if Jews celebrated the ritual of the Christmas tree? Would the halakhic demands be any more restrictive than the standard American Christmas rituals, including purchase, selection and decoration requirements? See this video to find out.

2016-12-06

Six Ridiculous New United Nations Resolutions against Israel

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by Ant Katz, December 2, 2016

Blatant hypocrisy shows anti-Semitic agenda – SEE SHORT VIDEO of the world body’s absurd new resolutions this week.

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South Africa: Union of Jewish Women Performs Mitzvot in 6 Cities

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November 30, 2016–The Union of Jewish Women gave tangible substance to Mitzvah Day this year by performing mitzvot [good deeds] in six cities in South Africa.

Johannesburg held a blood drive at the Norwood Mall, where 82 pints of blood were collected, a record for such an event, according to the South African National Blood Services. This amount of blood is expected to save 246 lives.

Cape Town’s UJW joined forces with Temple Israel and the Rotary Club and not only provided lunch for the residents of Includid, a state-run institution for adults with mental and physical disabilities, but some of the volunteers also assisted with gardening at the facility, while others painted the interior of one of the houses. All the residents were provided with gifts sponsored by UJW.

Durban’s Mitzvah Day project was a combined party for the residents of Beth Shalom Retirement Home and the residents of Issy Geshen Home.

East London donated food parcels to indigent families and in addition distributed beautiful knitted beanies and teddies to children in the oncology ward at Frere Hospital. A joint mitzvah between two branches was performed when the Port Elizabeth branch advised East London that a man, going only going by the name of Velapi and whom they had previously assisted with medical help, had moved to East London and was in desperate need of a wheelchair. And so a wheelchair was promptly handed over to the delighted Velapi.

Port Elizabeth held a “Sunshine for Seniors” Mitzvah Day party for the residents of Glenvandale Frail Care Centre, an extremely under-resourced home in an impoverished area. Each resident received lunch as well as a gift.

Pretoria enlisted help from the residents of Jaffa Retirement Home to assist in making sandwiches for the outpatients at the Steve Biko Hospital.

Full story here.

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Israeli Booth at Annual Charity Fair in Vilnius

Labdaringos mugės metu Izraelio ambasados stende

The Israeli booth at the annual International Christmas Fair on December 4 at Old Town Hall Square in Vilnius, set up jointly with the Bagel Shop of the Lithuanian Jewish Community, offered passer-by kosher snacks and kosher wine and all types of souvenirs. Young female volunteers from the Bagel Shop Café “manned” the booth and cheerfully explained every item on offer to visitors. The embassy of the State of Israel and the Lithuanian Jewish Community were both very happy with the success of the joint venture and with having the opportunity to contribute to the noble goal of the fair. The Israeli embassy booth took in 1,310.80 euros during the event.

Our deepest gratitude goes out to the volunteers:
Eglė Rimkevičiūtė, Unė Kormilcevaitė, Agota Laurinavičiūtė and Naomi Alon

This fair brings together for charity work annually representatives of the different embassies in Vilnius who present hand-made items for sale to city residents and guests. Thirty-four different countries and a number of communities as well as five international schools in Vilnius are represented traditionally at the winter holiday fair. Income from the Christmas charity fair goes to the coffers of a charity fund which currently supports 10 organizations: The Raseiniai Special-Needs School, the Way of Hope Raseiniai day center, the Vilijampolė social welfare home, the Visaginas social services center, the Overcoming Crises Center, a home for the elderly in Alanta in the Molėtai region, the hospital of the Lithuanian Health Sciences University, the Tautmilės Globa animal shelter, the Family Home of Mother Teresa and the Vilties Namai charity and welfare fund. The International Women’s Association of Vilnius of women from Lithuania and foreign countries who are temporarily living and working in Vilnius stages the International Christmas Charity Fair annually.

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Mark Harold: Arguments, Counter-Arguments and Facts on Škirpa Alley

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by Mark Harold, Vilnius City Council member
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Let us begin with my argument, which is very simple and against which my opponents have counter-arguments. One short paragraph:

Kazys Škirpa led the LAF. Current competent institutions of the Republic of Lithuania recognize the LAF was an anti-Semitic organization. Therefore, naming a street after the leader of this sort of organization in Vilnius, where the Holocaust was especially brutal, within the European Union in 2016 is inappropriate. Now more laconically I will analyze each attempt to argue against this, which I have encountered over recent days, and will explain why these counter-arguments are invalid.

Full story in Lithuanian here.

2016-12-06

Thank You for the Wonderful Organization of Events

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Recently events held by the Lithuanian Jewish Community have surpassed one another in the quality of organization and the positive emotional interest and participation by Community members have been a source of joy. LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky would like to thank organizers and participants:

“All of your contributions have made the life of Community members more interesting and diverse. We will remember the warm and moving moments we spent together when we all kneaded dough together with our daughters and grand-daughters, with our friends and guests during Sabbath challa-making events at all the communities in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys, Ukmergė and Šiauliai, all of us joining together for the first time in the global Jewish Shabbos Project. I thank project coordinator Dovilė Rūkaitė, all the heads of the regional Lithuanian Jewish communities and the Bagel Shop cooks who participated together. I also thank the Lithuanian Cultural Council who supported the project.

I would also like to thank the organizers of the Mini-Limmud conference and its main supporters, the European Jewish Fund and the Goodwill Foundation, who supported the preparation of the program and the organization of interesting meetings. The traditional Limmud conference never fails to attract a group of concerned and engaged members of the LJC and their families to its ceremonial Sabbath dinner. It is important for us to come together and talk, to spend time in a pleasant environment, so we always strive to gather on weekends, in a beautiful natural setting at a good hotel, and to invite interesting guests to take part in a meaningful program, see famliar faces and discuss current events. Mini-Limud coordinator Žana Skudovičienė, who fields all preferences and ideas for the conference and balances different interests, insured that this year’s Limmud was memorable and event which provided good emotions and rest and recreation.

Thank you, all of you!

Faina Kukliansky, chairwoman
Lithuanian Jewish Community

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