Wooden Synagogue in Alanta Renovated
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LJC, International Comminission and Olga Lengyel Institute Holding Holocaust Seminars for Teachers
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LJC Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky Speaks at Commemoration of Grosse
Aktion in Kaunas
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Šiauliai Opens Righteous Gentile Square at the Intersection of Vilniaus and Ežero Streets at Former Ghetto Gates
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"Symphony from Jerusalem of the North” Mark Day of Lithuanian Jewish Victims of Genocide in Presidential Courtyard
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The renovated synagogue in Žiežmariai will become a new cultural center. The first synagogue in appeared sometime between 1690 and 1696. In the 19th century there three synagogues. Not surprising, since the majority of the population were Jewish. This synagogue which has survived and has now been renovated stands in the southern part of town between Vilniaus and Žalgirio streets, with the Strėva river flowing from southeastward from there.
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The Lithuanian Post Office has issued a stamp commemorating 300 years since the birth of the Vilna Gaon
The Lithuanian Post Office has issued a stamp commemorating 300 years since the birth of the Vilna Gaon
with a face value of 0.81 euros, enough to mail letters abroad.
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Lithuania Marks 300th Anniversary of Birth of Vilna Gaon, 2020 Named Year of the Gaon and Litvak History.
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Most important events at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in 2018
Most important events at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in 2018
Revival of Jewish Scouting in Lithuania: The first new Litvak scouting camping trip with children from Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys and Molėtai took place August 24 to 26.
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Jewish newspapers and advertisements from Vilnius in the period between the two world wars. Jews and other minorities were given equal rights in the reconstituted Lithuanian state. Yiddish thrived with many newspapers and books published in the language.
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Natalja Cheifec’s Discussion Club: Holiday Edition

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.

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights

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

Sabbath Times

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.

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.

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.

Jazz Diva Karmen Moxie to Perform at LJC

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.

Hanukkah Doughnut-Making Workshop for Children

Hanukkah Doughnut-Making Workshop for Children

The Lithuanian Jewish Community has a special Hanukkah events planned for the Dubi Club and Ilan Club. Dubi is for children aged 4 to 6 and Ilan for those 7 to 11.

At 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, December 14, we’ll make and eat delicious sufganiyot doughnuts.

Please note the clubs on these dates will not be meeting at the LJC but at the HEY HEY Kaip Skaniai space located at Odminių street no. 3 in Vilnius.

Space is limited, so make a reservation by sending an email to levickajasimona@gmail.com. Please call +370 678 81514 for more information.

The first evening of Hanukkah falls on December 25 this year.

IHRA Member-State Reps Meet in London

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.

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Australian Hamas Targets Synagogue Congregations

Australian Hamas Targets Synagogue Congregations

by Geoff Vasil

Last Thursday Australian supporters of Hamas targeted the Great Synagogue in Sydney’s Central Business District with a loud protest across the street. Members of the congregation sheltered in place inside with outer doors locked. Two Jews ventured out and waved an Israeli flag. New South Wales state police crossed the street to arrest both.

The next day in the early hours of Friday two arsonists entered the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, spread accelerants and put the shul to the torch. One man inside was wounded with severe burns on his arm and remains hospitalized. Priceless Torah scrolls and other texts were also damaged.

Monday other locations in Australia were the site of protests by native Hamas and ISIS terrorists featuring anti-Semitic chants.

Ping-Pong at Sholem

Ping-Pong at Sholem

The Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium and the Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club invite everyone to take part in a table tennis tourney called Hanukkah Special with five separate groups competing.

To register, click here.

Time: 12:30 P.M., Wednesday, December 11
Place: Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium, Kraševskio street no. 5, Vilnius

Gita-Enta Broydy Performs Yiddish Song in Šiauliai

Gita-Enta Broydy Performs Yiddish Song in Šiauliai

The Šiauliai Jewish Community invites you to a concert by internationally-acclaimed songstress Gita-Enta Broydy, former resident of Šiauliai, performing Yiddish favorites at the Šiauliai Jewish Community this Friday, December 13, starting at 5:30 P.M. Everyone is welcome.

Condolences

Liubov Reznik has passed away. She was born in 1956. She was a long-standing member of the Lithuanian Jewish Community and more recently a client of the Saul Kagan Welfare Center. We extend our deepest condolences to her children, relatives and friends.

Awaiting Hanukkah

Awaiting Hanukkah

In the run-up to Hanukkah, the Lithuanian Jewish Community invites you to an evening of music called Awaiting Hanukkah with performances by the jazz group Stardust Trio and violin duo Double Cores with Boris Kirzner and Michail Bolshun.

The cost is 20 euros and prior registration is required via email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt, For more information call (+370) 678 81514.

Time: 7:00 P.M., Friday, December 20
Place: Bagel Shop Café, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius

News from Šiauliai

News from Šiauliai

Ričardas Pikelis launched his first book “Čia mano žemė” [My Land Is Here] at the Šiauliai Jewish Community Friday. The publication of his book was the idea of the late Sania Kerbelis, the long-standing chairman of the Community who passed away this year.

It contains poetry and prose with an emphasis on the author’s appreciation of the beauty and pathos of the natural world. Monika Šaltytė and Vladas Baranauskas recited his poetry. Jūratė Adomavičiūtė played the kanklės, a Lithuanian folk instrument, and Morta Meiliulytė played violin. Albertas Martinaitis gave guests gifts hand-carved from stone.

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Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 3:36 P.M. on Friday, December 6, and concludes at 4:59 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Monday is also World Genocide Commemoration Day.

Events for Children in Run-Up to Hanukkah

Events for Children in Run-Up to Hanukkah

The Lithuanian Jewish Community has several special Hanukkah events planned for the Dubi Club and Ilan Club. Dubi is for children aged 4 to 6 and Ilan for those 7 to 11.

At 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, December 7, we’ll make menorahs together out of clay.

At 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, December 14, we’ll make and eat delicious sufganiyot doughnuts.

Please note the clubs on these dates will not be meeting at the LJC but at the HEY HEY Kaip Skaniai space located at Odminių street no. 3 in Vilnius.

Space is limited, so make a reservation by sending an email to levickajasimona@gmail.com. Please call +370 678 81514 for more information.

The first day of Hanukkah falls on December 25 this year.

Šakiai Commemorates Lost Jewish Community

Šakiai Commemorates Lost Jewish Community

The town of Šakiai in the Marijampolė district in extreme western Lithuania paid homage to its once vibrant Jewish community with a series of presentations followed by the unveiling of a metal sculpture of a boy on November 28.

The Zanavykai Museum began events with a series of lectures about Jews from Šakiai, the history of Jews in the town and their historical legacy. Lost Shtetl Museum senior academic correspondent Jolanta Mickutė and director of the Vincas Kudirka Museum at the Lithuanian National Museum Vida Palionienė spoke on the town’s former Jewish community and regional historian Gražina Žemaitienė spoke about Jewish life in nearby Kudirkos Naumiestis.

The speakers and audience moved to the town square following these presentations where a metal statue by Kęstutis Dovydaitis portraying a school boy was unveiled by Kęstutis Dovydaitis, MP Darius Jakavičius and mayor of the Šakiai regional administration Raimondas Januševičius. Kaunas Jewish Community chairman Gercas Žakas, and other guests attended the events along with local residents and students.

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Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 3:41 P.M. on Friday, November 29 and concludes at 5:03 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sunday is also the beginning of Advent, marking the beginning of the Christian liturgical year in many Western churches.