Litvaks – Page 28 – Lithuanian Jewish Community

Lithuanian PM Calls for Celebration of First Jewish Rescuer Day in Lithuania

On March 15 Lithuania will celebrate the Day of Rescuers of Lithuanian Jews for the first time, included on the official list of commemorative days late last year. The day will include a number of events including a reading of the names of rescuers at Vilnius University at 4:00 P.M. and the opening of an exhibition on Righteous Gentiles at the Marija and Jurgis Šlapelis Museum located at Pilies street no. 40 in Vilnius.

“Great challenges don’t just destroy, they also awaken heroes. Those whose deeds kindle endless hope. Those thanks to whom today we aren’t just talking about victims and murderers, but also about the rescuers. Those who pass on to all coming generations the clear knowledge that we can always chose the light, even in the darkest night,” Lithuanian prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė said.

Full article in Lithuanian here.

2023-03-152023-03-15

Commemorating Righteous Gentile Ona Šimaitė

On March 12 in the middle of a blizzard people gathered at the Litvak Commemorative Garden in Plateliai, Lithuania, to commemorate Lithuania’s first-recognized Righteous Gentile, Vilnius University librarian Ona Šimaitė.

Lithuania marks the first-ever Day of Rescuers of Lithuanian Jews in the country March 15. It was on this day in 1966 that Yad Vashem in Israel recognized Ona Šimaitė as the first Righteous Gentile from Lithuania.

The Litvak Commemorative Garden has a number of metal apple tree sculptures with the names of Lithuanian Jewish communities exterminated in the Holocaust and Lithuanian Righteous Gentiles inscribed on the apples.

Full story in Lithuanian here.

2023-03-15

YIVO to Digitize Treasure Trove of Leftist History

New York Jewish Week–YIVO has launched an eight-year project to digitize its Jewish Labor and Political Archives, widening access to some 3.5 million pages related to Jewish revolutionary, socialist and labor movements in Europe and America.

The project, the largest archival digitization project in the history of the Jewish research institute, will shine a light on the Jewish Labor Bund whose archives survived the Nazis and form the core of the collection.

Founded in Vilna in 1897 by Jews influenced by Marxism, the Bund played a central role in organizing Jewish trade unions and aligned with various socialist parties in pre-WWII Europe. It administered a massive network of secular Yiddish schools, stood up against anti-Semitism and supported an underground network against the Nazi genocide, activities kept up by members who managed to flee to New York in the early 1940s.

That history is reflected in the journey of the archive materials which were seized by the Nazis but were later rediscovered in France after the German army’s retreat. In 1951 the Bund Archives was brought to New York, and transferred to YIVO in 1992.

2023-03-14

Sunday Quiz on Jewish Theater

The quizzes go on, this coming Sunday around the topic of Jewish theater. Come and show off your knowledge, or learn something new. Presented by writer, philosopher, mime and circus performer Arkadijus Vinokuras, the quiz will take place at the Bagel Shop Café at Pylimo street no. 4 at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday, March 19. Register by sending an e-mail to Katrina at katrina@lzb.lt.

2023-03-13

Condolences

Semion “Sam” Yossman, born in Vilnius, former host of the Vatican’s Lithuanian-language radio service, BBC Russian-language department staff and radio host, author of an extensive book about the Cold War and Litvak, passed away last week, according to sources in London. Our deepest condolences to his many friends and family members.

More information about this outstanding man can be found here.

2023-03-132023-03-13

March 15 Is Day of Rescuers of Lithuanian Jews

This year Lithuania marks March 15 as the day of rescuers of Lithuanian Jews for the very first time. To celebrate this important date, the Lithuanian Jewish Community presents a special plaque to commemorate the rescuers. The plaque, with multiple layers of symbolism and meaning, will be placed on residences where the rescuers lived and hid Lithuanian Jews from the Nazis.

“This is our thanks to the brave people who didn’t falter in the face of danger and who were not just the rescuers of Jews, but, as Icchokas Meras wrote, were also the blossom of goodness of their nation and heroes of the spirit who resisted the murderers,” LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky commented. Her family was also saved from the Holocaust by brave Lithuanians with big hearts, rescuers who number among the 900 Yad Vashem recognizes as Righteous Gentiles in Lithuania.

Plaque designed by the JUDVI & AŠ creative group.

Project author: International Commission for Assessing the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupational Regimes in Lithuania.

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March 11, Restoration of Lithuanian Independence Day

Dear readers,

March 11, 1990, meant rebirth for the Jews of Lithuania. When the country regained independence, the surviving Jewish community began to unite. This was the beginning of restoring our ethnic identity, of active ethnocultural life, and finally we all began to talk openly about the Holocaust and the role played by ethnic Lithuanians.

We have rights and freedoms in independent Lithuania. We speak courageously about what isn’t right, and we initiate change. We host guests and we travel. Our children and grandchildren live here and the whole world is now open to them. Our home is here and we are an integral part of Lithuania.

So congratulations and greetings on this holiday which belongs to all of us, March 11.

Faina Kukliansky, chairwoman
Lithuanian Jewish Community

2023-03-132023-03-13

News from Kaunas

Last Monday Vytautas Toleikis presented his book “Žydai lietuvių literatūroje. Nuo priešo iki sąjungininko” [Jews in Lithuanian Literature: From Enemy to Ally”] at the Kudirka Public Library in Kaunas. The event was organized by the Kaunas Jewish Community and the art and music section of the library.

Examining portrayals of Jews in texts by different authors in the period from the early 19th century to ca. 1918, Toleikis said he found more positive than negative images. He reported there was a noticeable transformation among some others and public figures from anti-Semitism to a more tolerant view during the period investigated.

The presentation concluded with Purim pastries and Jewish songs performed by Joris Rubinovas.

2023-03-102023-03-10

Purim Wouldn’t Be the Same without Hamentashen

Purim starts tonight at sundown when the 14th day of the month of Adar begins on the Jewish calendar. One of the constituent features of Purim is the traditional pastry known as hamentashen. Although everyone has their own special recipe, Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky makes her family’s version with poppy-seed filling, the traditional Litvak treat. The recipe dates beck to the period between the two world wars.

“This recipe was probably used earlier and recalls the time when the aroma of the pastry filled the Vilnius Old Town and many other cities and towns where Jews lived in Lithuania. Although you can purchase this version now, it’s always more fun to make it yourself,” she commented.

Happy Purim! Hag Purim sameakh!

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Faina Kukliansky’s hamantashen recipe:

2023-03-06

State Protection Proposed for Great Synagogue Ruins

The ruins of the Great Synagogue and attached ritual Jewish bath in Vilnius has been proposed as a site for protection by the state.

The State Cultural Heritage Commission approved that recommendation but the actual listing of the site is up to the Lithuanian minister of culture. The site has architectural, archaeological, historical, commemorative and sacred features.

The State Cultural Heritage Commission said in a press release: “The archaeological, architectural, historical, commemorative and sacred significance of this complex in the Vilnius Old Town is undisputed.”

Full story in Lithuanian here.

2023-03-06

Righteous Gentiles Exhibit

Architect Tauras Budzys and art historian Barbora Karnienė have constructed an exhibit to mark March 15, the day designated to commemorate Lithuanian rescuers of Jews from the Holocaust. The exhibit is called “Righteous among the Nations: Not Afraid to Die, They Became Immortal.” The exhibit will be on display until April 10 in the home and museum of Marija and Jurgis Šlapelis located at Pilies street no. 40 in Vilnius.

2023-03-02

Discussion Club Topic: The Three Abrahamic Religions

The next meeting of the discussion club #ŽydiškiPašnekesiai will be held at 5:00 P.M. on March 8 at the Bagel Shop Café at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius. The topic will be “The Three Major Religions’ Attitude towards One Another, towards Responsibility, Love, Morality, Punishment and Politics.”

Moderator Arkadijus Vinokuras says there is a lack of interfaith dialogue in Lithuania. The benefits of interfaith discussion on society is obvious because of existing superstitions people hold regarding other religions and a general lack of knowledge.

Discussion panel participants are to include Simas Levinas, Lithuanian Mufti Aleksandras Beganskas, author and Catholic priest Mozė Mitkevičius and Arkadijus Vinokuras.

2023-03-012023-03-01

LJC Chairwoman Attends WJC Jewish Youth Assembly

Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky attended the World Jewish Congress’s Jewish Youth Assembly last week, also attended by students from 85 schools in 20 countries, including a Lithuanian delegation.

The Jewish Youth Assembly is a multi-day conference for students aged 15-18 to learn about Jewish communities around the world and discuss the most pressing issues facing the Jewish people today. Replicating the WJC’s structure, students at JYA gain an inside look into the WJC process and build techniques to problem-solve issues of concern to the Jewish community across the world. The conference allows students to collaboratively work to represent specific communities, conduct research on their history, learn about the issues the WJC is tackling, and speak directly to represented communities and expert leaders. This interactive experience culminates in crucial reports that serve as the collective voice of Jewish youth across the world in day-to-day deliberations of the World Jewish Congress, according to the JYA webpage.

The Assembly’s goal this year was to encourage Jewish young people to get involved in current events facing society currently and to think about passing on Jewish heritage to the next generation.

Chairwoman Kukliansky delivered an address to the Assembly.

2023-03-01

Jewish Scouts Expand Their Horizons

Over the weekend LJC scouts went to Panevėžys to celebrate with fellow scouts the birthday of Robert Baden-Powell.

On January 24, 1908, the Boy Scouts movement began in England with the publication of the first installment of Robert Baden-Powell’s “Scouting for Boys.”

Besides celebrating their founder’s birthday, the Jewish scouts from around Lithuania met up with other scouting groups, did handicrafts, built snow forts and snowmen and learned more about the natural environment in Panevėžys.

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Lithuanian Jewish Community Conducting Project to Digitize and Preserve Lithuanian Jewish History

The open-source RODA (Repository of Authentic Digital Objects*) platform has been chosen to digitize and conserve our European Jewish legacy.

The international J-Ark European Jewish Community Archive project was started in early 2021 and will continue till early 2023, creating and testing a long-term storage platform for digital content. This digital Jewish archive will include selected video, audio, visual, photographic and other materials connected with the history of the Lithuanian Jewish Community since the restoration of Lithuanian independence.

2023-02-242023-02-24

Recently Published Books about Jewish Lithuania in Lithuanian

“Vilna. Žydiškojo Vilniaus istorija” [Vilna: The History of Jewish Vilnius] by Israel Cohen, 2nd edition, 2023, translated by Miglė Anušauskaitė, 384 pages.

The Vilnius publishing house Hubris has published a Lithuanian translation of British writer and early proponent of Zionism Israel Cohen’s book “Vilna: A History of Jewish Vilnius.” The author was born in London to a family of Jewish immigrants from Poland. He worked as a correspondent for the Times of London, the Manchester Guardian, Manchester Evening Chronicle and Jewish World. The book was first published in 1943 by the Jewish Publication Society as part of a series showcasing Jewish communities in various countries for English speakers.

More information in Lithuanian here. See below for an excerpt from the original English edition.

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“Slaptoji Kauno žydų geto policijos istorija” [Secret History of the Kaunas Ghetto Police] by anonymous Kaunas ghetto police officers, published 2021, translated by Aistis Žekevičius from the English edition edited by Samuel Schalkowsky, 504 pages.

A unique document written in Yiddish by Kaunas ghetto police between 1942 and 1943. It lay buried in Slobodka for years and was discovered in 1964 when construction was underway at the site, and turned over to the Soviet KGB. It was translated to English and published in the USA in 2014.

2023-02-222023-02-23

Three Groups Found Worthy of “Legitimate” Derision in Lithuania: The Circus, Homosexuals and Jews

by Arkadijus Vinokuras

Conservative Party candidate for Vilnius mayor Valdas Benkunskas yells in his political advertisements: “A mayor without circuses!” Kaunas mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis, frightened by public debate, echoes the sentiment: “Kaunas doesn’t need a circus!” The press frequently carries headlines such as “Politics Is Not a Circus,” “Circus in the Political Arena,” and so on. It’s horrifying, wherever you look, there’s that damned circus again. Really?

Let me first take care of the myth the circus is worthy of derision. First, for example, the flying trapezist: if he were to act like the MP Petras Gražulis, Ramūnas Karbauskis, Visvaldis Matijošaitis or Valdas Benkunskas, he’d kill himself after attempting his first salto mortale. The flame appearing in the hands of the circus magician would burn him up immediately, and the trick of sawing the young female assistant in half would result in her real dissection. In other words, the professional circus has nothing in common with the political balagan.

This is also proven by the fact the largest American circus, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus, has revenues reaching $98 million annually. Another US circus, Circus Circus, has annual revenue of $160 million and employs 1,500 people. There are around 300 circuses operating in the United States. Cirque du Soleil, Inc. pays a circus actor from $6,000 to $10,000 per month. (The largest circus in Scandinavia is the Cirkus Scott, to the premieres of which the entire ruling elite of Sweden turn out. King Carl XVI Gustaf often attends with the royal family. In the 1989-1990 period this circus paid me €6,000 per month. How long did my performance take? Ten minutes. This was a gigantic sum back in those days, even in Sweden.)

2023-02-212023-02-21

Litvak Comedienne Calls Leftist Woke Culture Fascist on Highest-Rated News Program in America

Roseanne Barr, who described herself as ethnically Russian, Polish and Lithuanian Jewish in her autobiography (Roseanne: My Life as a Woman, New York 1989, Harper and Row), has staged a comedic comeback on the documentary channel of America’s most-viewed television personality, Tucker Carlson.

Barr said she was blackballed, or “canceled,” by Hollywood after she tweeted disparaging remarks about Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett in 2018. Barr wrote of Jarrett: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=v.” Jarrett then claimed she was a “person of color” because she had Persian ancestry, and that the “ape” reference was therefore racist. Barr countered she thought Jarrett was white, and that the charge of racism was purely political, stemming from Barr’s support for the policies of then-president Donald Trump. The American television network ABC promptly canceled Barr’s revamped “Roseanne” series and removed all references to it from their website.

Barr is no stranger to controversy. She parodied the American national anthem at a nationally-televised baseball game in 1990, which then-president George H. W. Bush called “disgraceful.” Her first series “Roseanne” ran from 1988 to 1997, outliving the bush presidency, and was updated by ABC in 2018 with most of the same members of the cast, albeit 20 years older.

2023-02-202023-02-21

Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim Descendant Visits Panevėžys

In the 19th century there were five working synagogues in Panevėžys and a strong and widely-celebrated Jewish community. The Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim, also known by the acronym ADeReT, lived and worked in Panevėžys from 1871 to 1891 and was the head of the community. He later served as the rabbi of Mir in what is now Belarus, and went on to lead the Ashkenazi community in Jerusalem.

His great-grandson Rabbi Reuven Yeshua Koehn paid a visit to the Panevėžys last week and presented a portrait of his famous great-grandfather as a gift to the Panevėžys Jewish Community. He also met with the mayor of the city and presented a project currently being conducted in Israel to build a Litvak Heritage Center. The Center’s displays will include various Lithuanian shtetls and cities including Panevėžys.

Rabbi Koehn also visited the local regional history museum. Students from his yeshiva are expected to visit Panevėžys in late April.

2023-02-20

Kaunas Isn’t a Lithuanian City, Despite Long-Standing Claims to the Contrary

A Lithuanian translation of interwar Jewish author Kalmen Zingman’s book “On the Spiral Staircase” was recently published by the Hubris publishing house. Goda Volbikaitė translated it.

What can this novel written in 1925 and only now available in Lithuanian tell today’s readers? First of all, it talks about Kaunas. The translation of this book is also a kind of proof Kaunas wasn’t just a Lithuanian city. People of other ethnicities also lived there whose works can (and should) be listed in our literary canon. We spoke with the translator of this book about the little-known figure of Kalmen Zingman, spiral staircases, the Aleksotas aerodrome, Slobodka and Yiddish literature.

Just three years before his death, Zingman wrote in his diary: “I feel like that wonderful time when I will be recognized and famous isn’t far off.” Unfortunately his dream was not to come true. Why do you think Zingman wasn’t successful in literature and recognition?

For truth’s sake, it has to be said that no Yiddish writer working in Kaunas in the period between the two world wars got famous. We are talking about around 30 authors in total who lived in Kaunas for a shorter or longer time.

It’s very clear why they didn’t become famous in the Lithuanian context: there was a lack of interwar translations from the Yiddish language into Lithuanian, just as there is in our time. I should say Lithuania is still just in the early stages of discovering Yiddish literature. Sutzkever and Kulbak are better known now, and some rarer names such as Matilda Olkin and Yitzhak Rudashevski. But basically whole strata of Yiddish literature made in Lithuania are still unknown to the Lithuanian reader.

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