The Kaunas Jewish Community plans to mark the 74th anniversary of the Great Action at the Ninth Fort in Kaunas at 12 noon on October 25, 2015.
Let’s remember and honor the memory of the victims.
The Large Action was the mass murder operation on October 28 and 29, 1941, during which about 10,000 people were murdered at the Ninth Fort in a single twenty-four hour period, including about 4,300 children.
VILNIUS, October 21, BNS–Litvaks, or Jews originating from Lithuania, played a key role in establishing both Lithuania and Israel, Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė said at the opening of the World Litvak Forum in Israel.
She said Litvaks are among the most active Israeli public, business, cultural and political figures who have worked effectively in all the parliaments of democratic Lithuania, both in the interwar period and after the country regained independence in 1990.
“Litvaks have always been among the most active Israeli public, business, cultural and political figures, they still are and will continue to be so,” the Lithuanian president said in a press release published by the presidential press service.
She applauded the Litvak contribution to the Lithuanian economy, culture and science.
President Grybauskaitė said Lithuania and Israel cherish democracy, human rights and a culture of tolerance, and that world-wide challenges including terrorism and aggression are problems the two countries share.
According to a census in 201ą, 3,000 Jews lived in Lithuania. In Israel the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry calculates there are about 200,000 Litvaks and their descendants, the world’s largest Litvak community.
BNS
VILNIUS, October 21, BNS–Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday and said the country could provide direct assistance to Lithuania in the field of security.
“Israel is willing to help Lithuania directly in the field of security by way of training our armed forces, in cyber-security and even by organizing a training course for our security,” Grybauskaitė said after the meeting in Israel.
She also emphasized that Europe should be more active in its efforts to help regulate the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“The developments in this region have a major effect upon Europe and the migration crisis, and if things are not made right here and peace in this region is not achieved, not only between Palestine and Israel but also between Syria and other countries, such as Egypt, it is clear that the migration from Africa and this region will hit Europe. Therefore, Europe should be more active,” Grybauskaitė said in a statement circulated by the Lithuanian presidential press service.
The Lithuanian president said she invited Netanyahu to come to Vilnius and he “kindly agreed to come some day.”
VILNIUS, October 20, BNS – Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaitė suggested to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas Lithuania could mediate in peace talks between Israel and Palestine.
“As a small country and a member of the Security Council, we can contribute to the peace process. This is what I suggested, that even Lithuania could participate, if this is something both parties want and if we have trust,” Grybauskaitė said after meeting with the Palestinian president Tuesday.
An audio recording of her words was published by the Lithuanian presidential press service.
During the visit, Grybauskaitė said she was assured that neither Israel nor Palestine wanted tensions to escalate. Nevertheless, in her words, both parties refuse to negotiate and hold direct talks, which is “the biggest problem.”
Grybauskaitė emphasized Lithuania understood Palestine’s struggle for independence.
“Lithuania understands both sides. It understands the pain, the anxiety and the tensions which arise between the two sides on a regular basis,” she added.
The Lithuanian president called Abbas a man of peace who has done much for peace between the two nations.
“He is now ready to talk, however, not everyone is likely entirely ready for the conversation,” Grybauskaitė added.
The Lithuanian president visits the region amid tensions over a new outbreak of violence which has claimed dozens of lives over the past weeks.
VILNIUS, October 20, BNS–Lithuania and Israel could cooperate in the areas of business, science, education, IT and renewable energy, Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė, currently on an official visit to Israel, says.
Opening the Global Lithuanian Economic Forum, held for the first time in Israel, the Lithuanian president stressed there was no better time to step up such cooperation between the two nations.
“The World Economic Forum has recently acknowledged that our country has moved up the ranks of global competitiveness. Today, Lithuania is the world’s thirty-sixth most competitive economy. Today, we can confidently say that Lithuania is part of the economic avant-garde of the European Union. Despite increased external risks, Lithuania is achieving solid growth. There is no better time to reap the benefits of the excellent Lithuania-Israel relationship. As our economies embrace globalization, we strive to find our unique ways of working together in business and science, information technologies and education institutions, innovations and public spaces,” the Lithuanian president said.
The GLEF is being attended by more than 100 businessmen and politicians from Lithuania and Israel. Lithuania’s economic situation and investment opportunities will be presented during the event.
Supported by the Lithuanian president, the GLEF is being held for the seventh time and is taking place in Israel for the first time. Previously it was held in Chicago, London and Vilnius.
During her visit to Israel, the Lithuanian president is also scheduled to meet the heads of big Israeli companies.
BNS
VILNIUS, October 19, BNS–Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė met her Israeli counterpart on Monday and underlined the importance of Jews in Lithuania’s history and pledged Lithuanian support for Israel at international organizations.
“We know that many ethnicities made up our country through centuries. Jews were the most prominent. Now we need … to create a future together,” Grybauskaitė said at a press conference with Israeli president Reuven Rivlin.
She said Lithuania “tried to be as supportive as possible” of Israel at the United Nations Security Council. Reuvlin responded: “We appreciate it very much.”
VILNIUS, October 19, BNS–Israeli president Reuven Rivlin met with Lithuanian counterpart Dalia Grybauskaite in Jerusalem on Monday and praised Lithuanian basketball player Šarūnas Jasikevičius, the star player on the Maccabi Tel Aviv team a decade ago.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Rivlin said he was happy that “one of the best players, champion of Europe, Šaras” had played for Tel Aviv. He called it an example of the close ties between the two countries.
Jasikevičius, 39, currently the coach of Žalgiris Kaunas, played for Maccabi from 2003 to 2005 and won the Euroleague and the Israeli championship with the team.
Percussionist and composer Arkadijus Gotesmanas won the 12th Annual Vilnius Jazz Festival Prize for contributions to Lithuanian jazz and was awarded Saturday at the Russian Drama Theater in Vilnius.
Gotesmanas has been performing jazz for more than three decades. He has long partnered with Vyacheslav Ganelin, Petras Vyšniauskas, Vladimir Tarasov, Liudas Mockūnas, Dainius Pulauskas and Tomas Kutavičius, and also performs with the Vilnius Jazz Orchestra, the ACCOsax Freeminded trio, with Juozas Kuraitis, with Eugenijus Kanevičius and many other jazz masters.
Gotesmanas’s newest project is a duet with Dmitri Golovanov on keyboard featuring spontaneous improvisation using acoustic percussion beats, keyboard melodies and live electronic sounds. The poet Rolandas Rastauskas often makes the duet a trio.
This weekend we will host the following programs :
KNAFAIM – Friday 18:30 P.M. We are taking teens for a special event to Labirinthus (see https://www.facebook.com/labyrinthusgame) and we will celebrate Sabbath there.
ILAN – Sunday at 3.00 P.M. Kids will have a peula on the topic of Jewish values. At about 4:30 P.M. there will be a quiz. Havdala ceremony and story at around 5.30 P.M.
Training for camp and club counselors – Sunday 12 noon. Around 20 young leaders will gather
to acquire more knowledge on Jewish topics.
The Lithuanian Jewish Community is grateful to Junona Berznitski for her
alomst 14 years of work at the community. We were used to having Junona
organize the Limmud conferences, an event of great importance to the LJC
whose organization took months and which was anticipated as almost a
holiday, attracting families and children to interesting lessons and
treats and a weekend of making friends and seeing old friends.
We hope this important work will be taken over by a good team. Junona with
a group of friends also set up the Gesher Club for adults. Now Junona
Berznitski has chosen to return to serious academic work, to the
discipline of psychology, and will not be available for organizational
work at the community. We wish her the highest success and thank her for
her great work.
VILNIUS, October 19, BNS–Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė makes her first visit to Israel Monday, determined to give new momentum to bilateral relations with Israel, which she calls “the best ever in history.”
In Tel Aviv the Lithuanian president is scheduled to open the Global Lithuanian Economic Forum and the Global Litvak Forum. She is also to meet with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.
The Lithuanian president’s visit to Israel takes place during a recent outbreak of violence in the region which has claimed dozens of lives.
Alexander Macht Chess Tournament Final Results
Rank Name Rtg. FED points
1 Bieliauskas Marius 2165 LTU 8
2 Sutkevicius Juozas 2043 LTU 7½
3 Šimonis Karolis 2073 LTU 7
4 Dubrovin Daniel 1929 LTU 6
5 Cirtautas Saulius 1931 LTU 5½
6 Jasiunas Raimundas 1680 LTU 5½
7 Beinorius Antanas 1782 LTU 5½
8 Paliušis Rimantas 1452 LTU 5
9 Matulaitis Vidmantas 1621 LTU 5
10 Kraujunas Vladas 1888 LTU 5
Friday, October 16, 2015 6:07 P.M.
Useful information regarding current situation in Israel prepared by the Israeli-Jewish Congress
Please find below an email circulated by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the current terror situation in Israel. It contains some very useful information, which can assist you in your community during these difficult times.
A copy of the PowerPoint presentation made by prime minister Netanyahu at a press conference for the foreign press yesterday which contains further useful information about the situation, in particular Palestinian incitement, which is at the root cause of this wave of terror:
http://gpo.gov.il/English/PressRoom/Documents/PRESS%20CONFERENCE%20-%20FINAL.pdf
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October 14, 2015
Incitement and Terrorism
Over the past two weeks, numerous terrorist attacks have been perpetrated against citizens across the country. Eight Israelis have been murdered and 15 of the wounded are still hospitalized.
Most of the terrorists are Palestinian youth under the age of 25 (the youngest attacker is 13 years old), incited to violence by a widespread Palestinian culture of hate.
For years, Palestinian youth has been indoctrinated in schools and on television to follow in the footsteps of arch-terrorists and to engage in indiscriminate violence against Jews. In recent years, this poisoning of children’s minds has been exacerbated by hate speech and calls for murder on the Palestinian social media, which are playing a critical role in the latest wave of terror.
The Palestinian Authority, as well as radical Islamist elements, are using inflammatory Islamic rhetoric to spread malicious lies against Israel:
The Truth: Israel guarantees freedom of worship in Jerusalem for members of all faiths and is fully committed to maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount, which protects the right of Muslims to pray on the Mount, as well as the freedom of all people to visit the Mount.
The Palestinian Lie: A false claim blaming Israel for seeking to alter the status quo on the Temple Mount. Given the high sensitivity of the issue, the fact that the Palestinian Authority propagates such lies amounts to official incitement to violence.
The Truth: A 13-year-old Palestinian teenager viciously attacked two Israelis on October 12, one of them a 13-year-old boy riding his bicycle. The Israeli boy was stabbed 15 times by the Palestinian boy and his cousin, and is hospitalized in critical condition. Police shot the attackers, wounding the Palestinian teenager, who is currently hospitalized in Hadassah University Hospital, and is stable and conscious. His cousin was killed.
The Palestinian Lie: According to Palestinian media, the Palestinian teenager was killed arbitrarily by Israeli security forces. This propaganda deliberately ignores the fact that the teenagers were filmed on a local security camera waving knives and running through the streets in a murderous killing spree. Moreover, the teenager is very much alive, receiving treatment in an Israeli hospital.
Israel is calling on Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders to stop incitement to violence and to call for calm. Palestinian youths deserve to receive an education that will lay the basis for a better future of peaceful coexistence and cooperation with their Israeli neighbors.
Israel is making every effort to restore calm. To this end, as well as in order to lower tensions on the Temple Mount, the prime minister instructed political leaders to refrain from visiting the Temple Mount, including Government ministers and members of the Knesset.
Israel expects the international community to condemn the recent terror attacks and to call for an end to the Palestinian incitement to violence.
Israel remains committed to dialogue with the Palestinian leadership and would like to see the renewal of direct peace talks as soon as possible.
Joël Lion
Director
Public & Academic Affairs Dept.,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem
The ‘breathing closure’ of East Jerusalem hasn’t stopped the attackers, and IDF reinforcements are negligible, but for panic-stricken Israelis, every little bit helps.
The IDF will provide an additional 300 soldiers to assist police in Jerusalem next week, the Army said on Thursday. Six companies of cadets amounting to several hundred soldiers in officer training have already been sent to reinforce police in cities around the country.
Some of the soldiers already in place, and additional forces joining them next week, come from non-infantry units, predominantly the Military Police and the Homefront Command, an outfit which provides search-and-rescue and emergency response services in war-time, the police and IDF said.
It is the latest in a number of measures paraded by the security cabinet in response to the stabbing attacks which have rocked Israel in recent weeks and sent the population into a panic. Another notable and even more dramatic move by the cabinet earlier this week was to put in place a so-called breathing closure around East Jerusalem neighborhoods, setting up checkpoints at entrances and exits but leaving to the resident population a level of mobility.
Vilnius, October 15, BNS–Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė says Lithuania and Israel are enjoying their best relations ever as she prepares for her upcoming trip to Israel.
“I think we are able to say we are enjoying the best relations with Israel now compared to the entire post-war history,” Grybauskaitė said in an interview on Lithuanian National Radio Thursday.
The Lithuanian president leaves for Israel Sunday and plans to stay there until Thursday, October 22. Lithuanian foreign minister Linas Linkevičius, economics minister Evaldas Gustas and energy minister Rokas Masiulis will accompany her.
Dalia Grybauskaitė said Lithuania and Israel share concerns and interests in the fields of defense, internet security and trade, and added her visit to Israel could cause controversy “because of the great tension and conflict we see in the region at the current time.”
The head of Lithuanian state plans to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during her trip.
“The region is now a major hot-spot globally, and both sides should seek a peaceful resolution. We are here during this tense and difficult time to make a contribution and show our concern, and to show that even Lithuania, tiny Lithuania, can contribute to peace,” Grybauskaitė said.
A new wave of violence has broken out over the last few weeks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, raising fears of a third Palestinian intifada.
Lithuania has supported Israel in the EU and the UN. In 2011 Lithuania was one of fourteen countries to vote against Palestinian membership in UNESCO, the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. In September of 2015 Lithuania voted against a resolution to allow the Palestinian flag to be flown at the organization’s headquarters, although the measure was adopted with 119 votes in favor, eight against and forty-five abstentions.
BNS
This past month saw both the start and the completion of several Jewish heritage restoration projects. Among them, restoration work has begun in Jewish cemeteries in Kaunas and Vilnius, Lithuania. In Kazan, Russia, the century-old synagogue was rededicated with a festive ceremony. And the synagogue in Nowy Sącz, Poland, which long housed a museum, is being used again for services and is slated for renovation.
New book entitled Price of Concord/Memoirs;Portraits of Artists; Interactions of Cultures by prof. Markas Petuchauskas („Versus aureus“ Publishers, 2015; www.versus.lt; info@versus.lt) is available to the readers.
Please find the extracts about prominent Litvak artists from the book.
Samuel Bak, with whom I keep corresponding, told me that he had seen a mono-performance by Chaje Rozental’s daughter Naava Piatka dedicated to her mother. He liked the performance. I thought then that the transference of the performance to the stage in Vilnius might be a good idea. I started corresponding with Naava Piatka. We discussed the questions pertaining to her arrival to the land of her parents as well as those concerning the preparation of the performance. Both in the States and in London, Naava performed in English. It took me a long time to talk her into rehearsing the performance in Yiddish, a language posing difficulties for the actress. Eventually I managed to convince her that on the stage of the Vilnius Ghetto Theatre one must use Yiddish. On the 24th of September 2003, I organized the first night of the play dedicated to Chaje Rozental entitled Better Don’t Talk. By extending the Art Days dedicated to the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Vilnius Ghetto theatre, we also marked the 60th anniversary of this phenomenon of Lithuanian Jerusalem and the destruction of the Vilnius ghetto.
New book entitled Price of Concord/Memoirs;Portraits of Artists; Interactions of Cultures by prof. Markas Petuchauskas („Versus aureus“ Publishers, 2015; www.versus.lt; info@versus.lt) is available to the readers.
Please find the extracts about prominent Litvak artists from the book.
I had already written a review about the play Dress Rehearsal by Kazys Binkis. It was stage director Henrikas Vancevičius who for the first time dared to save that play from complete forgetfulness by staging it. By publishing my article in the newspaper Tiesa, run by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, I wanted to support Binkis’ European level play, which was a new word in our dramaturgy. That was the play which, unused, had been lying in the drawer for a very long time, and which had given lots of doubts to our men in power.
When I proof-read the text, prepared by the publishing house, I felt sick. The main emphases of the review had been changed for another text, underlining the professional limitations of the play and of its production as well. The emphasis was laid on Binkis’ inability to differentiate between the right kind of wars and the wrong ones. All of that had been flavoured with usual Soviet phraseology. I was enraged, and I told them I was retrieving my article, because the present text was reversing my review and was putting it from head to foot.
The Alexander Macht Chess Tournament will be held at the Lithuanian Jewish Community at Pylimo street No. 4 at 6:00 P.M. on Sunday, October 18. The tournament was organized by the LJC and the elite chess and checkers clubs Rositsan and Maccabi.
Boris Rositsan gave the LJC website a small interview in the run-up to the tournament where, he said, at least 30 people are planning to play. Special medals have been ordered for this competition.
What does the name Alexander Macht signify?
Boris Rositsan: Alexander Macht is an historical figure and a very important person in the history of Lithuanian chess as well as Jewish. We cannot forget this sort of person, so we are continuing the tradition of tournaments. In interwar Lithuania he was Lithuanian champion seven times over. Macht lived in Kaunas and was director of the Jewish People’s Bank. He went to Israel in 1935 and directed the famous Bank Leumi there. No one wrote, said or remembered anything at all about this great chess player during the Soviet period. We have prepared a program dedicated to Litvak chess players. After we presented our book “Žydai Lietuvos šachmatų istorijoje” [“Jews in Lithuanian Chess History”] at the beginning of this year, LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky asked us why weren’t continuing that history. I would like to say that we are preparing to do just that in cooperation with the community. We are holding two tournaments, this is for adults, but if strong young chess players come forward, we will include them. On October 31st there will be a tournament dedicated to the memory of Itzhak Vistinietzki [Isakas Vistaneckis] and children will play in that. We are inviting children aged five and over to come and learn to play chess. We have student groups at the community for the ages of 5, 6, 7… and 13 years old. Also, elderly and retired LJC members are coming to us. Fishman is helping me with the training. Serious work is taking place, non-commercial, I really love chess and I want to revive the LJC chess movement.
Thirty-six MEPs signed the letter supporting Holocaust survivors, stressing that European parliamentarians “bear a particular moral responsibility to promote the restitution of property unjustly taken during the Holocaust and its aftermath, as well as to advocate for the social welfare of aging survivors and the enduring remembrance of the Holocaust.”
The newly formed coalition of members of the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union, is known as the European Alliance for Holocaust Survivors.
“We appreciate the wide-ranging European support for an increased focus on unresolved Holocaust-era issues,” said Gideon Taylor, World Jewish Restitution Organization chair of operations. “We look forward to seeing an ongoing leadership role and meaningful outcomes by the MEPs comprising the European Alliance for Holocaust Survivors.”
