We report with sadness the death of Eva Ščupak on December 3. She was a member of the Lithuanian Jewish Community and a long-time medical volunteer. A renowned neurologist, she also pioneered the use of acupuncture in Lithuania. We extend our deepest condolences to her son.
The Lithuanian Jewish Community looks on in surprise and with concern at statements issuing from the press secretary of the Communist Chinese Foriegn Ministry claiming Jews and other ethnic minority communities in Lithuania are suffering “serious discrimination” and pressure, the LJC said in a press release.
Although there is public and free dialogue between the LJC and Lithuanian government institutions concerning commemoration of the past and other painful chapters of history regarding the Holocaust, we vigorously reject any and all accusations Jews are experiencing discrimination in Lithuania today.
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said: “Lithuania is a democratic country which respects its Jewish citizens and safeguards the rights of all its citizens. While we sometimes have differing opinions regarding heritage and property destroyed during World War II by the Nazis and their Lithuanian collaborators, or regarding unreturned property, we are nonetheless and active and free part of Lithuanian society. In our country we freely express our views, and we support open and public dialogue with institutions and other groups of society. It is absolutely unacceptable attempting to draw our small community into a solution of bilateral and international disagreements through mendacity and manipulation.”
The Sabbath begins at 3:37 P.M. on Friday, December 3, and concludes at 4:59 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
The Godo culture bar in Kaunas will mark the 90th anniversary of the death of interwar Lithuanian crooner and comedian Danliu Dolskis on Friday, December 3. Algirdas Šapoka and Kaunas city museum specialist Aušra Strazdaitė-Ziberkienė will talk about his life.
Event organizer Šapoka said: “The commemoration of his death will be constituted of two parts: we will talk about his personality with historians, after which there will be an evening of Lithuanian music. Just as he used to appear, here on a small stage in a restaurant or bar on Freedom Alley. The artist, after all, froze to death with a bottle of beer in hand.”
Full story in Lithuanian here.
Dear Community members,
An exceptional Hanukkah Evening: we’ll light the seventh Hanukkah candle while tasting and discussing wine.
Do you know which wine goes with what dish at the dinner table? Wine expert Edvinas Gurinas will be present at this wine tasting and you’ll learn which wine is appropriate for different dishes through tasting. Traditional Jewish snacks and dishes will be served. We’ll learn why some wine/food combinations work while others put a damper on taste and mood.
Please register by sending an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt. Space is very limited. The event will take place at 5:00 P.M. on December 4at the Bagel Shop Café.
The Lithuanian Makabi Athletics Club held their annual tennis tournament November 27 with both amateurs and tennis veterans taking to the courts. In the open group the winners were Danielius Merkinas in first place and Norbertas Faktarovičius taking second, and in the veterans group the winner was Eduardas Gurvičius. Ilja Bereznickas also made a good showing in the veterans group. The matches were followed by impassioned discussions of the play and plans for the future.
Residents of Ukmergė (Vilkomir) and others were invited to attend a Hanukkah concert at the Ukmergė Regional History Museum with the Rakija Klezmer Orkestar performing on November 29, the second day of the eight-day holiday. Ukmergė Regional Jewish Community chairman Artūras Taicas briefly told the audience the story of Hanukkah and what it means. Ukmergė Regional History Museum director Violeta Reipaitė was invited to light the first candle and chairman Taicas lit the second.
Guests were invited to sample traditional Hanukkah dishes with special food packages to take home.
Here are some photographs from the lighting of the first Hanukkah light at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius Sunday evening.
Genadijus Šteimanas passed away November 29 following a long battle with illness. He served for many years as a member of the board of directors of the Panevėžys Jewish Community. A wonderful person who always cared for his family, he also paid close attention to the needs of the community. Our deepest condolences.
Jenta Timukienė passed away Sunday. She was born in 1939 and was an inmate of the Kaunas ghetto. May her soul rest in peace. Our deepest condolences to her family, friends and fellow members of the Union of Former Ghetto and Concentration Camp Prisoners.
Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė sent Hanukkah greetings to Jews around the world Sunday, saying: “I greet all the Jews of the world on Hanukkah, on the beginning of the holiday of lights. The lighting of the Hanukkah candles symbolizes the victory of the light over darkness. I hope that this is not just a victory, but also an eternal path of hope and light.”
Full text in Lithuanian here.
The Sabbath begins at 3:43 P.M. on Friday, November 26, and concludes at 5:03 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Panevėžys mayor Rytis Račkauskas held a reception for Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Yossi Avni-Levy. They spoke about projects taking place in the Lithuanian city and opportunities for cooperation.
“I thank the ambassador and the embassy for their attention to Panevėžys. For many years now we’ve enjoyed intense cooperation between the municipality and the Israeli embassy. I hope and believe our cooperation with our sister-city Ramla and with the embassy will only continue to grow in strength,” Račkauskas said.
The Israeli ambassador met with the Panevėžys Jewish Community and visited Jewish historical and commemoration sites including the former Rabbinate, yeshiva, Jewish high school and the Yavne school following the meeting with the mayor.
Kauno.diena.lt
The tragic events of the Holocaust have left visible marks at the Ninth Fort. During World War II it was turned into one of the largest mass murder sites in Nazi-occupied Lithuania. From 1941 to 1944 Jews from Lithuania and transported here for Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, the Soviet Union and Germany were murdered here.
The mass murder began November 25, 1941 [sic]. That day 2,934 Jews were shot. The newspaper Kauno Diena presents our readers with a text by a former resident of Kaunas living in Germany concerning the blood-curdling events, commemorations of them and her feeling of guilt. Her grandparents’ home was right next to the Ninth Fort and the so-called road of death.
Full story in Lithuanian here.
The Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum is launching two editions of YIVO linguist Zelig Kalmanovich’s diary written in the Vilnius ghetto, in Lithuanian and English, titled Hope Is Stronger than Life. The book will be presented at 5:30 P.M. on Wednesday, November 24, at the Samuel Bak Museum, aka the Tolerance Center, at Naugarduko street no. 10 in Vilnius.
The Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community is pleased to announce the first-ever appearance by the Lanzheron troupe from Odessa performing “Teza from Our Yard” at the Stairs Galley at Žemaitės street no. 83 in Šiauliai at 3:00 P.M. on Sunday, November 28, the first day of Hanukkah. “Teza” is about life-stories of Jews with a lot of interesting and funny passages with a distinctly Odessan sense of humor. The main character is played by renowned Ukrainian actor Vitaliy Bondarev. Galina Panibratets is the director. The play is in Russian.
Reservations are required and tickets cost 7 euros, or 3.50 euros for seniors, students and children. Please call 841 200 643 or write an email to toma.galerija@gmail.com to register.
