An evening of cocktails to celebrate Purim for young people (but of legal drinking age) starting at 7:30 on Saturday, March 18.
Register by internet:
http://apklausa.lt/f/purim-aveu3f1/answers/new.fullpage
Michael Oren, Deputy Minister for Diplomacy at Israeli PM’s Office, Visits LJC
Michael Ben Oren, deputy minister for diplomacy at the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and Israeli MK in the Kulanu party as well as former Israeli ambassador to the United States (2009-2013) visited the Lithuanian Jewish Community March 16, where he met and spoke with LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky. He asked about current events in the community and took in the architecture of the building. On March 17 the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University is hosting a lecture by Mr. Oren on Israel’s foreign policy, to be followed by a discussion with students, teachers and the public.
Michael Ben Oren is an American-born Israeli historian, writer and politician. He was visiting professor at Harvard in 2006 and visiting professor at Yale in 2007. He is the author of New York Times-bestseller Power, Faith and Fantasy, and also of Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East.
The public event at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of Vilnius University located at Vokiečių street no. 10 is scheduled for 10:00 A.M. March 17 and is being co-sponsored by the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For more information contact Viktorija Gailutė at the email address viktorija.gailiute@spmi.stud.vu.lt or call (5) 251 4148.
Jewish Student Union Invites You to a Reception at the European Commission Office
The Lithuanian Union of Jewish Students invites you to a reception at the European Commission office in Vilnius hosted by director Arnoldas Pranckevičius at 5:00 P.M. on March 17.
Registration only by internet at
http://apklausa.lt/f/priemimas-europos-komisijos-atstovybeje-7pqgday/answers/new.fullpage
or to register or find out more, contact lujsinfo@gmail.com
Department of Ethnic Minorities to Launch DVD on Polish, Jewish Minorities in Lithuania
The Department of Ethnic Minorities to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania invites the public to attend the launch of a multimedia DVD on Polish and Jewish heritage in Lithuania.
The event is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. March 16, 2017, at the Department of Ethnic Minorities building at Raugyklos no. 25 in Vilnius.
For more information and the register, please email informacija@tmde.lt
LJC Gešer and Kaveret Young Families Clubs Putting on Purim Party
The Gešer and Kaveret Young Families Clubs invite you to come celebrate the happiest Jewish holiday of the year, Purim, with a Purim Carnival, with music and atmosphere from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s and the unforgettable Michailas Frišmanas and DJ Titas Morkūnas.
The Carnival theme is стиляги (hipsterism), including foxtrot, jive, boogie woogie and rock’n’roll. Recommended attire includes loud shirts and dresses of all eras, colorful jackets, ties, umbrellas and fedoras, but use your imagination and go wild, hipsters come in all shapes, sizes and historical eras. Only those in costume to be admitted.
The party starts at 7:00 P.M. on March 17 at the Natali restaurant located at Žalgirio street no. 92. The cost of ticket per person is €10.00 and reservations may be made from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. from March 7 to March 14, please call Žana Skudovičienė at 8 678 81514
Lithuanian Jewish Community Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky’s Greetings on March 11, Day of Restoration of Lithuanian Independence.
I wish all members of the community a happy holiday!
For Litvaks Lithuania is the land of our ancestors, and March 11, the day 27 years ago when Lithuanian independence was restored, is an important holiday for us, marking as well the beginning of the rebirth of the surviving Jewish community. March 11 is for each of us an exceptional and dear day, and we cannot allow ourselves to forget how important the state where we live and where our children grow is to us. In 1918 as the first Republic of Lithuania was being born her Jewish citizens volunteered to fight for Lithuanian freedom, and went on to foster the economic and social welfare of this state.
In the run-up to March 11, significant activity by the Lithuanian Jewish initiative group took place in 1988 dedicated to the rebirth of Jewish culture. After the Lithuanian independence movement Sąjūdis was established, Lithuanian Jews were faced with the dilemma of how Jewish relations with the Lithuanian national movement would develop as the wounds of the Holocaust remained painful, recalling the tragedy which took place in this country.
Along side the rebirth of Lithuanian independence, first came the rebirth of Jewish cultural activity, and the Jewish Cultural Association was the first to hold a congress, beginning the conversation about the destruction of the Jewish community during the Holocaust in 1989, for the first time since the decline of the Soviet era in Lithuania. I have to say Jewish-Lithuanian relations in the historical context, their evaluation and research began exactly with the rebirth of independence when there had to be an assessment of the Holocaust and the active role played by Lithuanians in it had to be admitted. There were also efforts made to help Jews restore their Jewish identity.
The Jewish communities in the shtetls were exterminated in the Holocaust, the shtetls are gone and Yiddish is no longer spoken in Lithuania. Currently the Jewish communities in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Panevėžys and Švenčionys have been re-formed. We still dream of a revival of the Yiddish language.
In the recent past we have sensed the emergence of a new generation in Lithuanian society who are interested in Jewish history and the life of the Jews in Lithuania, and slowly but surely stereotypical thinking is fading away.
When we speak of the values of March 11, we underline human rights and freedoms and their necessary consolidation and growth. We hope for the generation who understand their importance and who cherish and protect these rights and freedoms, and who connect love for their native land with self-respect and respect for all of its citizens.
Bagel Shop Café Wishes You a Happy Purim and Offers Traditional Holiday Foods
Hag Purim sameakh!
The Bagel Shop this week offers vegetarian bebelakh. During the Purim holiday period we are also making a variety of delicious treats including hamentashen and serving wine. We are making vegetarian dishes in honor of Queen Esther, who was a vegetarian. The Bagel Shop is located at Pylimo street no. 4 at street level in Vilnius.
Bean bebelakh, a recipe from Riva Portnaja’s mother Sara Berienė
Sara always made this dish for the Purim holiday where all dishes were vegetarian in honor of Queen Esther.
Soak a liter of large beans overnight, boil in salted water for a long time until they go soft. Served cold sprinkled with salt. Simple and delicious!
Free Hamentashen for Kids!
Children who come into the Bagel Shop Café in Purim masks or who say the secret code phrase–Hag Purim sameakh!–will receive a small gift.
This week Jews in Vilnius and around the world are baking the pastry called hamentashen, aka Haman’s ears, engage in an exchange of gift bags or Purim baskets of food and drink called mishloakh manot and put on the best parties of the year. Purim is the one holiday where adult Jews are allowed to get drunk and it considered customary to do so.
Our Litvak hamentashen are made with yeast according to recipes from families of Lithuanian Jewish Community members. Head baker Riva Portnaja tells how in her family they called hamantashen “ormentashen,” and her mother always added yeast to the dough. Classical Litvak hamantashen only used poppy seeds for filling and the triangles forming the base and top of the pastry are almost sealed close.
For more, see this facebook page.
Purim Celebration at Choral Synagogue
The Vilnius Jewish Religious Community invites you to come celebrate Purim at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius at 3:30 P.M. on March 12, 2017. The address is Pylimo street no. 39, Vilnius.
Rabbi Shimshon Isaacson will talk about Purim, there will be traditional treats and the least among us shall receive small gifts.
Please come and bring your family!
Gešer Club Sabbath Celebration and Quiz
Dear friends,
The Gešer Club invites you to greet the Sabbath and take part in our quiz game “Who? What? Where? Why?” at 7:00 P.M. on Friday, March 10. Teams will be formed when we meet. Moderator: Irina Slucker.
We’ll meet on the third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius.
For more information, contact Žana Skudovičienė by telephone at 8 678 81514 or by email at zanas@sc.lzb.lt
LJC Youth Clubs Celebrate Purim
Dear Community members,
The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Vilnius Religious Jewish Community greet you on the upcoming holiday of Purim and invite you holiday celebrations on March 12.
The LJC youth clubs Ilan, Dubi and Dubi Mishpaha will hold a Purim celebration at 1:00 P.M. on March 12 on the third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community. Entrance is free but only those in costume and/or masks will be allowed in!
For more information contact Jelizaveta Šapiro at +370 65527411 or Pavel Guliakov at +370 68542463.
Bagel Shop Offers Fairgoers Matzo Kneydlakh
The Bagel Shop Café will be on site again this year for the annual Kaziukas (St. Casimir) Fair in Vilnius March 3-5 with a new menu item rarely seen in Lithuania but an old Jewish favorite: matzo ball soup!
Besides matzo kneydlakh (matzo-ball dumpling) soup, visitors to the Bagel Shop Café stand will also be served fresh bagels with a variety of spreads. If you’re in the area, be sure to stop by and support the team!
Matzo-ball soup recipe from Nina Sondakaitė-Mandelshtam, originally from Vilnius now living in Israel:
½ cup matzo flour (or ground matzo bread crumbs)
½ cup boiled water
1 egg
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil or chicken fat
salt, pepper to taste
Mix the matzo flour or crumbs with the water. Pour in beaten egg, mix, add oil or fat. Boil chicken broth. With moistened hands form matzo balls about 5 cm in diameter, boil in the broth. If you want the broth to be clear, boil the balls in water and then place in a bowl and cover with broth. If there are left-over matzo balls, cut them in half the next day and cook, eat with sour cream.
Pre-Purim Table Tennis Tourney
The New Stars Club and the Lithuanian Jewish Community in anticipation of Purim invite you to a ping-pong tournament this Sunday, March 5, at 3:00 P.M. at the Simonas Daukantas Pre-Gymnasium, Naugarduko street no. 7, Vilnius.
Registration begins at 2:30 P.M. and group competition at 3.
All are invited.
Participation is free for Jewish Community members.
Prizes:
first place winners to receive trophy cups
second, third and fourth place winners to receive medallions
all participants to receive a diploma for playing
For more information and early registration, call +370 6137124
or email stalotenisoklubas@yahoo.com
Project supported by the Goodwill Foundation
Lesson by Rabbi Isaacson
Dear friends,
You’re invited to Rabbi Shimshon Daniel Isaacson’s lesson
Secrets in the Jewish Family
at 6:35 PM. at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius on Thursday, March 2.
Shrovetide Pancakes at the Bagel Shop!
Everyone welcome on Shrovetide, Tuesday, February 28.
To celebrate the Lithuanian holiday known as Užgavėnės, also known as Shrovetide and Carnival, stop by the Bagel Shop at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius for some blintzes and a cup of the best coffee in the Lithuanian capital.
Statement by Lithuanian Jewish Community Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky on Shrovetide
Parliamentary Culture Committee chairman Ramūnas Karbauskis on his social media page invites everyone to celebrate Užgavėnės [Lithuanian Shrovetide, or Carnival] in Naisiai, Lithuania. Event organizers used illustrations reminiscent of anti-Semitic propaganda used by the Nazis. This was reported on the internet site of the newspaper Lietuvos žinios on February 24, 2017.
“At the invitation of the most influential member of parliament R Karbauskis [Karbauskis is the chairman of the ruling Peasants and Greens Union party], the public is called upon to celebrate Shrovetide at the Naisiai location, associated with the politician, where, it seems, anti-Semitic ideas not only thrive, but are a part of everyday communication. Under the header of “Big Shrovetide in Naisiai” on social media, the invitation and publicity for the event provides more than just an events program, it also includes [anti-Semitic] sayings…”
It didn’t take long for the Lithuanian public to react. A wave of outrage appeared, as did anti-Semitic comments on the internet. One of the leaders of the governing coalition of the nation, after all, presented an invitation to celebrate Shrovetide using fascist propaganda from 1939. “Lithuanians know the Holocaust began soon after that,” LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky commented.
“Following the February 16 march in Kaunas where it was hard to tell the ultra-nationalists from the patriots, this is continuing now into Shrovetide,” chairwoman Kukliansky said. “Is this the policy of the new ruling party? How are we to understand this? An innocent holiday celebration is transformed in the Naisiai announcement into clearly anti-Semitic jingoism, a return to the pre-World War II era. How should Lithuanian Jews feel? The Shrovetide celebration is a holiday, we understand ethnology, but this is beyond Shrovetide and even its masks, these are anti-Semitic Nazi masks which arrived in Lithuania from Hitler’s Germany. We would like to hear from Mr. Karbauskis’s lips whether he is or is not an anti-Semite. I am the chairwoman of the Lithuanian Jewish Community and I am requesting an answer to the question about what his views are regarding Jews, if he has the courage to display such masks in public. Existing Lithuanian laws criminalize the spreading of fascist propaganda,” Kukliansky said.
Lecture by Rabbi Shimshon Daniel Isaacson
Dear friends,
You are welcome to attend a lecture by Rabbi Shimshon Daniel Isaacson
“Study of the Law in the Book ‘Kitzur Shulchan Aruch: The Code of Jewish Law'”
beginning at 6:35 P.M., Thursday, February 23, at the Choral Synagogue, Pylimo street no. 39, Vilnius.
Lesson by Rebbetzin Esther Isaacson
Dear women and girls,
You are invited to a lesson by Rebbetzin Esther Isaacson called
The Laws of Washing Hands
at 6:30 P.M. on February 22 on the third floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius.
Portrayal of Other Ethnicities in Shrovetide Traditions
In the run-up to the Lithuanian holiday of Užgavėnės (Shrovetide), the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum’s Tolerance Center will hold a discussion called Portrayal of Other Ethnicities in Shrovetide Traditions. The traditional holiday features people dressed up as Jews with masks with hooked noses. Speakers are to include Dr. Laima Anglickienė, the head of the cathedral of ethnology and folklore studies at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas; Libertas Klimka, an ethnologist and professor at the Lithuanian Educology University; the writer Dainius Razauskas and representatives from the Lithuanian Human Rights Center and the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman Service.
The discussion is open to the public and is to take place at 4:30 P.M. on February 21. The Tolerance Center is located at Naugarduko street no. 10/2 in Vilnius.
Agreement with Jurbarkas on Synagogue Square Memorial
On February 9 the Lithuanian Jewish Community signed an agreement with the Jurbarkas regional administration and the New Artists College CAN of Israel on a projected called “Synagogue Square Memorial.” The memorial is dedicated to remembering the Jews of the shtetl (formerly known as Yurburg or Jurburg in Yiddish and Georgenburg in German) and is to be located on Kauno street in Jurbarkas where one of the most beautiful wooden synagogues in Europe once stood. The memorial is being created by Israeli sculptor David Zundelovich, who comes from Lithuania. It is to portray the waves of the Nemunas River and the wooden synagogue and is to be made of gray and black basalt. It is to include the names of Jews who lived in Jurbarkas and the names of people who rescued them during the Holocaust, with inscriptions in English and Hebrew.
Jurbarkas regional administration head Skirmantas Mockevičius said the group is looking for funding for the memorial. “Jews lived in Jurbarkas for a long time and there is no monument, so sign, even though they were the majority of the community,” Mockevičius told BNS. From three to four thousand Jews called Jurbarkas home before the Holocaust. The head of the regional administration said residents weren’t interested in a graveyard memorial and wanted the memorial to appeal to the people, including the youth. Under the plan the memorial is to be built within 8 months from the signing of the agreement. Mockevičius expected it to be in place in Jurbarkas by the fall.