The Sabbath begins at 3:34 P.M. on Friday, December 16, and concludes at 4:58 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Community Hanukkah Events
In addition to all the other events already announced, the Lithuanian Jewish Community is offering a walking tour of Jewish Vilna with guide Viljamas Žitkauskas and an Israeli dance marathon with Rikudim.
The tour begins at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, December 17, meeting at the bell tower at the Arch-Cathedral in Vilnius. Program: Tour, avdala ceremony, dinner at the Bagel Shop Café, performance by the children’s section of the Fayerlakh Jewish song and dance ensemble. Registration required. Send an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt or call +37067881514 on weekdays between 10:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.
The Rikudim Israeli dance marathon will be held in the Jascha Heifetz Hall at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on Sunday, December 18. To register send an email to Julija at Juliradv@gmail.com.
Clubs Celebrate Hanukkah
The various clubs at the Lithuanian Jewish Community are planning Hanukkah celebrations of their own.
The Yiddish-language Mameloshen Club is holding a Yiddish Hanukkah for members on December 18, call *37067881514 to register and for more information.
Knaifaim Club for adolescents aged 13 to 17 plans to hold a Hanukkah celebration at a special location at 8:00 P.M. on Friday, December 16. Contact Mark at margaris146@gmail.com or Elanas at Elan.Chackelevic@gmail.com.
Ilan Club for children aged 7 to 12 will hold a Hanukkah celebration at 12:00 noon on December !8. Contact Mark at margaris146@gmail.com or Elanas at Elan.Chackelevic@gmail.com.
Dubi Club for chilren from 4 to 6 will also hold a Hanukkah celebration at 12:00 noon on December !8. Register by contacting Margarita at +37061800577.
Dubi Mishpoha Club for children from 0 to 3 will hold a Hanukkah celebration at 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, December 21. Register by contacting Aleksandra at +37067250599.
Hanukkah 5783/2022
Hanukkah begins Sunday evening, December 18, 2022, and continues through Monday, December 26, 2022. Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish wintertime “festival of lights” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. The first candle will be lit on Sunday evening on the menorah candelabrum, also known as the hanukiya, in Jewish homes around the world. To learn more about this holiday, click here.
The Ten Commandments in Judaism
Natalja Cheifec invites you to a lecture on the meaning of the Most High’s Ten Commandments, including what punishment faces those who violate them, the significance of the eighth commandment “Thou shalt not steal,” whom Judaism considers a murderer, which violations of the Ten Commandments cannot be redeemed, and other topics.
The lecture will take place via internet at 5:30 P.M. on Wednesday, December 14. To access the zoom platform for the lecture, register at https://bit.ly/3K73kEE.
Happy Hanukkah Greetings
Dear readers,
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky and Vilnius Jewish Religious Community chairman Shmuel Levinas wish everyone an excellent and happy Hanukkah holiday.
“I wish light, peace and happiness in everyone’s hearts, and invite you to attend the lighting of the Hanukkah lights at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, December 19, at the Choral Synagogue, Pylimo street number 39, Vilnius,” chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said.
Hag Hanukkah sameakh!
Faina Kukliansky, chairwoman
Lithuanian Jewish Community
Shmuel Levinas, chairman
Vilnius Jewish Religious Community
Family Sabbath
You and your family are invited to a Sabbath celebration under the tenets of progressive Judaism in the run-up to Hanukkah, the holiday of light and miracles, at 6:30 P.M. on Friday, December 16. The prayer service will be held on the third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius followed by kiddush at 8:30 P.M. at the Bagel Shop Café at the same address. The Sabbath ceremony and Sabbath dinner will be followed by a Hanukkah surprise. To register, write viljamas@lzb.lt or call +37067250699.
Hanukkah in Israel
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Israel Agency Sokhnut’s Lithuanian office invite you to a Hanukkah celebration and workshop called “Hanukkah in Israel” at 6:00 P.M. on December 15 at the Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius. Program:
•Education in Israel: from kindergarten to university, by Konstantin Shveibish from Israel;
•First steps in Israel, buying and renting real estate, attorney Sabina Shternin from Israel;
•Working in Israel, Oleg Dobkin from Israel,
•Questions from the audience;
•Hanukkah treats.
The event is free. For more information write info@ystreet.lv or call +3706998839.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 3:35 P.M. on Friday, December 9, and concludes at 4:57 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Upcoming Vilnius Jewish Public Library Events
The Vilnius Jewish Public Library presents a lecture by Oleksii Chebotarov called “Topography of Pogroms: Spatial and Social History of Anti-Jewish Violence on the Imperial Peripheries” on December 15.
On December 22 the library will feature an evening of poetry and music by Leonard Cohen.
On December 29 the library will screen the made-for-tv documentary film “The World Was Ours” (2007) about the pre-WWII Jewish community of Vilnius. According to imdb:
“A documentary chronicling the rich, vibrant history of the Jewish community of Vilna (then Poland, now Lithuania) known as ‘The Jerusalem of Lithuania’ before its destruction in World War II.”
For more information, send an e-mail to vzvbvjpl@gmail.com or call 8 604 15765.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 3:39 P.M. on Friday, December 2, and concludes at 4:59 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Jewish Scout Jamboree
The Lithuanian Jewish Community invites all students to attend a Jewish scouting jamboree under the guidance of scout leader Adomas Kofman at 2:00 P.M. on December 4 at the Ilan Club at the Lithuanian Jewish Community located at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius. Contact skautai@lzb.lt for more information.„“
Vilnius Jewish Public Library Showing Israeli Film Testament
The Vilnius Jewish Public Library will screen the Israeli film Testament (2017) at 6:00 P.M. on Thursday, December 1. The library is located at Gedimino prospect no. 24 in Vilnius. The film is in Hebrew with Lithuanian subtitles.
The film won a special prize in the Horizons program at the Venice film festival in 2017, and was awarded first prize for best film at the Haifa film festival.
The screening is free and open to the public, but prior registration is requested by sending an e-mail to vzvbvjpl@gmail.com or by calling 8 604 15 765.
According to imdb:
“Yoel, a meticulous historian leading a significant debate against Holocaust deniers, discovers that his mother carries a false identity. A mystery about a man who is willing to risk everything to discover the truth.”
The screenplay is loosely based on a true story about the mass murder of Jews at a specific location near the end of World War II. It becomes personal for Holocaust researcher Yoel when he discovers his mother’s testimony among the others. Encompassed by the silence of his mother regarding her life on the one hand and the silence of Holocaust deniers on the other, Yoel decides to press on with his duty to find and reveal the truth, no matter at what cost to his professional and personal life.
Celebrate Hanukkah with Fayerlakh
Celebrate Hanukkah with a Fayerlakh concert and a holiday meal at the Natali restaurant at 5:00 P.M. on December 18. The restaurant is located at Žalgirio street no. 92 in Vilnius. Tickets cost 35 euros for adults and 20 euros for children aged 4 to 12. To register contact Ilya by telephone at +37065127777 or write Larisa an email at larisa.vysniauskiene@gmail.com.
Lecture on Jewish Press
Eyal Miller, a specialist in the historical press and digital archives for the National Library of Israel, will deliver a lecture on the Jewish press at the Lithuanian National Library at 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday, November 29. Miller is part of the JPress team at the National Library of Israel which collects, conserves and digitizes archives of Jewish newspapers. More information about this evening’s event is available in Lithuanian here.
Lecture on Judaism’s View of Vegetarianism
Natalja Cheifec will deliver a lecture on Judaism’s view of vegetarianism followed by a discussion of whether this is a characteristic Jewish tradition via internet at 5:30 P.M. on November 30. Register to receive the zoom program login credentials here: https://bit.ly/3K73kEE
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 3:45 P.M. on Friday, November 25, and concludes at 5:04 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
New Yiddish Classes
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Mameloshn Club invite you to attend Yiddish classes taught by Rosa Beliauskienė from 12 noon to 1:30 P.M. on Sundays at the LJC in Vilnius. For more information and to register, write zanas@sc.lzb.lt or call +370 678 81514.
Yiddish Concert in Kaunas
The Kaunas Jewish Community invites you to their concert “Yiddish Heard Again in Kaunas: Inspired by Grandma’s Songs” at 5:00 P.M. on Sunday, November 27 at the Kaunas Artists’ House located at V. Putvinskio street no. 56 in Kaunas.
Alejandra Czarny of Argentina and more recently the United States with firm family roots in Kaunas will sing accompanied by Michel Gonzales on guitar, including Litvak Yiddish from different periods and Yiddish songs from Argentina and South America. Besides singing Yiddish her entire life, she also has her own radio program and is a cantor for synagogues located in South Florida, where she lives.
The concert is free and open to the public, but prior registration is required by filling out the form here:
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 3:54 P.M. on Friday, November 18, and concludes at 5:13 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.