The Sabbath begins at 9:40 P.M. on Friday, May 29, and concludes at 11:06 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 9:22 P.M. and completed before sunset at 9:40 P.M. Sunday is Orthodox Pentecost.
Fayerlakh to Perform in Trakai
Fayerlakh is to perform at the Ninth Ethnic Communities Festival with other ethnic performers in Trakai south of Vilnius on Saturday.
Time: ~3:30 P.M.-6:30 P.M., Saturday, May 30
Place: Trakai castle, Karaimų street no. 1, Trakai, Lithuania
Al Jolson Birthday Celebration in Hometown
The town of Seredžius (Srednike back in the Russian Empire) where Al Jolson was born into a Litvak family on May 26, 1886, is celebrating the 140th anniversary of his birth on May 29, 2026, with performances by musicians from the Kaunas Jewish Community and the unveiling of a commemorative bench honoring the Hollywood star. Born Asa Yoelson, he starred in Hollywood’s first “talkie,” meaning a motion picture with synchronized soundtrack, the Jazz Singer (1927, USA). The event starts at 4:00 P.M. on Friday, May 29, outside the former synagogue in Seredžius in the Kaunas district.
LJC on New Decisions on the Sports Palace and the Šnipiškės Jewish Cemetery
The Lithuanian Jewish Community expresses its profound concern regarding the decision adopted by the parliament or Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania following its initial approval of draft resolution No. XVP-1423 which effectively revives plans first proposed more than a decade ago to convert the former Vilnius Sports Palace into a venue for congresses, conferences and cultural events (Government Resolution No. 597 of June 9, 2015).
These plans had previously provoked strong opposition from international Jewish organizations, including Jewish religious authorities. According to Jewish religious law, a cemetery is sacred and inviolable ground; not only are entertainment events and concerts prohibited there, but even disturbing the soil is forbidden. It was precisely for this reason that a special working group was established, bringing together representatives of state institutions, the Lithuanian Jewish Community and international organizations.
After lengthy and complex discussions, a compromise solution was reached, one that balanced respect for the dead, preservation of historical memory and the public interest. This agreement was confirmed by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in July of 2024 (No. S-2174 of July 17, 2024).
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:30 P.M. on Friday, May 22, and concludes at 10:50 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 9:12 P.M. and completed before sunset at 9:30 P.M. Shavuot begins at sundown on Thursday, May 21. Sabbath restrictions apply for the second day of Shavuot celebrated outside Israel. Sunday is Christian Pentecost. Monday is Memorial Day in the United States.
Shavuot on Thursday, May 21
Shavuot or Shavuos, the Feast of Weeks, starts at sundown Thursday, May 21. It is a two-day holiday outside Israel and lasts one day from sundown to sundown in Israel. Sabbath rules apply.
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Shavuot is the holiday which celebrates the receiving of the Torah. This marks the day the Jewish people received the Law. It is celebrated on the 6th day of Sivan on the Jewish calendar. This is a state holiday in Israel.
Shavuot means “weeks” in Hebrew. It is the seventh week from the second day of Passover. It marks the day when Moses received the Ten Commandments of G_d on Mount Sinai. They were written on two stone slabs. These are known in Hebrew as Aseret haDvarim and in Greek as the Decalogue.
Exhibit by Savickas Art Studio Students
Students from the Raimondas Savickas Art Studio will exhibit their paintings at the Lithuanian Jewish Community and you’re invited to the opening at 6:00 P.M. on Friday, May 29. The exhibit will be shown in the foyer on the third floor. Please register for the opening by sending an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt.
Great Synagogue Exhibit at Litvak Identity Museum
The Litvak Identity Museum of the Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum will open a new exhibit dedicated the Great Synagogue in Vilnius, damaged by the Nazis and destroyed by the Soviets, but never completely forgotten by Vilnius and the residential community.
The exhibit includes archaeological discoveries, depictions in art, historical photographs and reconstructions.
The opening ceremony is to include a performance by cantor Shmuel Ya’atom and a guided tour of the Gros-Shul exhibit by its curators. The exhibit runs till January 31, 2027.
Time: 6:00 P.M., Tuesday, May 19
Place: Litvak Culture and Identity Museum, Pylimo street no. 41, Vilnius
Shavuot Celebration for Community Members
Dear members,
The Programs Department of the Lithuanian Jewish Community invites you to come celebrate Shavuot together with us. Shavuot, or Shavuos, is one of the three most important occasions in Judaism, celebrating the gift of the Law. On this holiday homes are decorated with flowers, we talk about traditions, we sing Jewish songs and dance Jewish dances. We eat the traditional foods.
The celebration will include a presentation by Natalja Cheifec and a performance by the Jewish song and dance ensemble Fayerlakh. It begins at 6:30 P.M. on the evening of Thursday, May 21. The location will be disclosed following registration. Please register by May 20 by writing zanas@sc.lzb.lt. Note that space is limited.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:18 P.M. on Friday, May 15, and concludes at 10:34 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 9:00 P.M. and completed before sunset at 9:18 P.M. Thursday, May 14, is Ascension Day for Catholics. Friday, May 15, is Jerusalem Day. Monday on the 17th is International Museum Day. Shavuot starts at sundown Thursday, May 21.
Kurkliai Synagogue Opens Rhona Gorvy Exhibit for European Museum Night
The restored Kurkliai synagogue in the Anykščiai region north of Vilnius will open its doors to the public on European Museum Night, May 23, with an exhibit of graphic works and sculpture by the late South African artist Rhona Gorvy called “Life and Dreams.” The program for the evening includes an address by Ieva Šadzevičienė, curator of the Samuel Bak museum of the Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum, live percussion by Arkadijus Gotesmanas and recollections of the past and stories from others. The event is free and open to the public.
Time: 6:00 P.M., Saturday, May 23
Place: Kurkliai synagogue, Salomėjos Neries street no. 4A, Kurkliai, Anykščiai district
Natalja Cheifec to Give Guided Tour of Choral Synagogue
Teacher and lecturer Natalja Cheifec will provide a guided tour of the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius on Wednesday evening. The only traditional synagogue still working in Vilnius has a long and interesting history. Cheifec will talk about its architecture, symbolism and traditions, and about its place in Jewish life before and now. Cheifec will conclude the tour with questions from the audience. Participants are asked to donate 2 euros to the synagogue.
Prior registration is required, click here.
Time: 6:00 P.M., Wednesday, May 13
Place: Choral Synagogue, Pylimo street no. 39, Vilnius
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 9:06 P.M. on Friday, May 8, and concludes at 10:17 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 8:48 P.M. and completed before sunset at 9:06 P.M. Victory Day is on Friday or Saturday depending on geography. Victory Day marks the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allies and the cessation of combat.
Romanticism Dialogues
Violinist Evgenia Epshtein and pianist and Vytautas Magnus University Music Academy professor Donaldas Račys will perform works by Robert Schumann and Edvard Grieg at the Magic of Music Club in Vilnius May 12. The program is called Romanticism Dialogues. Tickets start at €30 and are available here.
Time: 7:00 P.M., Tuesday, May 12
Place: Magic of Music Club, Šv. Stepono street no. 12, Vilnius
Lag b’Omer Today, May 5
Lag b’Omer is a minor Jewish holiday celebrated with bonfires and an occasion for weddings and cutting children’s hair. It happens approximately one month after Passover, and the name means the 33rd day of the of the Omer count, on the 18th day of the Jewish month of Iyar, which is about the midpoint in time between Passover and Shavuot.
Lag b’Omer, according to tradition, was the day on which the plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s disciples stopped (Yebamoth, 62:72). For this reason it is customary to cease mourning customs of the Omer period, which include prohibition of marriages, cutting hair, and public expressions of joy such as singing and dancing. Some traditions hold that the period of mourning ends at Lag b’Omer and others end it three days before the holiday of Shavuot.
Dance Me Back to the Future
The Karlsruhe Concert Duo of Reihard Armleder on cello and Dagmar Hartmann on piano will perform a concert program called “Dance Me to the End of Time and Back to the Future” at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius in mid-May. The two will perform works by Leonard Cohen, Back, Beethoven, Moscheles, Bloch, Gershwin, Heifetz, Schumann and Liszt. The concert is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the culture section of the German embassy in Vilnius in cooperation with the Goodwill Foundation and Pasaka x Create Culture Group.
Registration is required by May 16. Send an email to koncertas.lzb@gmail.com.
Time: 5:00 P.M., Sunday, May 17
Place: LJC, Vilnius
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 8:58 P.M. on Friday, May 1, and concludes at 10:00 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 8:35 P.M. and completed before sunset at 8:58 P.M. Thursday, April 30, is Walpurgis Night. Friday is May Day, a national holiday in Lithuania. Sunday is Mother’s Day in Lithuania. Tuesday is Lag b’Omer.
Holocaust Exhibit at Ninth Fort in Kaunas
The Ninth Fort Museum in Kaunas has opened a new exhibition called “Raised from the Ashes, Kaunas,” a series of drawings by Mindaugas Lukošaitis.
Kaunas Jewish Community chairman Gercas Žakas expressed his own enchantment, respect and gratitude for the exhibit, as all as that of the Kaunas Jewish Community, and thanked the Ninth Museum, the organizers of the exhibit, the performer at the opening and the artist.
The exhibit will run till October 4.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 8:39 P.M. on Friday, April 24, and concludes at 9:44 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 8:21 P.M. and completed before sunset at 8:39 P.M. Saturday is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand with observation leading into Monday. Sunday is the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident when one of the nuclear power plant’s four reactors slipped into uncontrolled fission and exploded during a power-down test.
Natalja Cheifec’s Internet Discussion Club Continues
Natalja Cheifec continues her internet discussion club this Thursday with an open discussion format. To register and receive zoom credentials, click here.
Time: 6:00 P.M., Thursday, April 23
Place: internet