We are sad to report the death of Markas Javičius. He was born in 1938 and was a member of the Kaunas Jewish Community, and a client of the LJC Saul Kagan Social Welfare Center. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, son and many friends and family members.
Invitation
Dear reader,
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky sends heartfelt greetings on the occasion of the upcoming Hanukkah holiday and wishes you light and strength in your heart during this complex time.
You are cordially invited to attend the lighting of the first Hanukkah light at 5:00 P.M. on December 7 at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius.
Chag Hanukkah sameach!
Faina Kukliansky, chairwoman
Lithuanian Jewish Community
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 3:47 P.M. on Friday, November 24, and concludes at 5:05 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Hamas Agrees to Release 50 Hostages
Hamas has agreed to release 50 women and children it took as hostages on October 7 in exchange for a 4-day surcease in hostilities and the release of 150 women in jail in Israel. The Israeli cabinet of ministers approved the deal early today. The Israeli Government also said it was open to a halt in fighting for the release of 10 hostages per day. The deal came into effect at 7:00 A.M. on Friday. A Qatari mediator said the hostage release will begin at 4:00 P.M. Friday.
Outrage Sparks Riot in Dublin
The capital of the Irish Republic saw on-going rioting overnight as public outrage over the stabbing of three kindergarten students and two adults grew into violence.
According to initial reports, a man began stabbing children outside their daycare facility early Thursday afternoon local time. Passers-by intervened, disarmed the man and held him for police. He had to be protected from an angry mob which formed at the scene. Sources close to the scene said the man was around 50 years old and was an Algerian immigrant. Police have refused to confirm that and Irish newspapers are now saying he is a naturalized Irish citizen who has lived in Dublin for 20 years, without reference to his country of origin. A male immigrant from Brazil working as a delivery person apprehended the attacker along with an Irish woman and both were wounded by the man wielding the knife. The children victims were two girls and a boy all under the age of six. One girl is in critical condition at hospital.
Rioters chanted slogans for the removal of all immigrants from Ireland and one held a sign reading “Irish Lives Matter.” The preschool the children attended is located next to a school where Gaelic is the language of instruction.
Kabalat Shabat
Maria Dubrovsky, founder of Moishe House WithOut Walls (MH-WOW) in Israel, invites you to a Kabalat Shabat celebration at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius this Friday.
“During these difficult times it is more important than ever to come together, to feel the sense of home, the warmth of tradition and our common history,” Maria said, inviting everyone to come light a candle, perform kaddish, sing the Sabbath hymns and share bread.
Registration is required due to increased security concerns. Please register at https://forms.gle/YyUyu3zSUNtG3A7S7.
Time: 4:30 P.M., Friday, November 24
Place: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius
More information available via facebook here.
National Assembly Passes Motion to Close Israeli Embassy in South Africa
Photo: National Assembly in Cape Town courtesy GCIS
The National Assembly has passed a motion by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa and sever all diplomatic ties with the country.
This was after the African National Congress (ANC) moved to support the motion with an amendment making the resolution conditional on Israel reaching a ceasefire with Palestine.
The EFF motion was debated last week and it was voted on Tuesday afternoon.
While South Africa has already recalled its diplomatic mission staff in Israel, the EFF is pressing for the expulsion of Israel’s top diplomat in South Africa.
Full story here.
Eightieth Anniversary of Liquidation and Uprising of Vilnius Ghetto: International Conference “Ideologies of Hate and Hope in Modern Jewish History”
You’re invited to the final event in our commemoration of the 80th anniversary of liquidation of the Vilnius ghetto this year, the international conference “Ideologies of Hate and Hope in Modern Jewish History” in Constitution Hall in Building 1 at the Lithuanian parliament on Tuesday, November 28, 2023.
Participants must register by internet before 3:00 P.M. on Monday, November 27, here: https://bit.ly/40NAUZ3
The conference will be conducted in Lithuanian and English with translations. It is being held through the efforts of the Polish Jewish History Institute, YIVO and the Lithuanian Jewish Community. It will be streamed on the LJC’s facebook page.
Program:
Scout Hike
Scouts and parents are invited to a fall hike Sunday, November 26. The hike is a free event and open to all children and their parents. Please register by internet before midnight, November 24, by clicking here: https://forms.gle/fbDdB1HDhBUQKw976
For more information, contact hike leader Adelina Kofman by telephone at 860581922 or write skautai@lzb.lt.
Ilja Bereznickas Exhibit
The Jewish Culture and Information Center in Vilnius is hosting an exhibit this week till November 26 of works by Ilja Bereznickas, the Lithuanian animator, caricaturist, author and filmmaker. The exhibit celebrates Ilja’s 75th birthday. The Jewish Culture and Information Center is located at Mėsinių street no. 3a/5 in the Vilnius Old Town.
Standing with Israel in Pakruojis
The Pakruojis wooden synagogue hosted an event yesterday to support Israel, organized by the Šiauliai Jewish Religious Community.
Before the Holocaust the wooden synagogue–one of only a handful still standing in Europe–was the center of Jewish life and religion.
The one-day photography exhibit there was actually two related exhibits: 22 photographs out of the 724 victims to mark the 80th anniversary of the Kinder Aktion or children’s mass murder operation in the Šiauliai ghetto collected and arranged by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Authority in Israel and the Šiauliai Jewish Religious Community, and pictures of the 242 hostages taken by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including babies, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly.
Solidarity Bracelets
The World Zionist Organization has embarked on a project to distribute commemorative prayer and spirit-strengthening bracelets, which combine the feelings of cohesion, unity, and victory.
The bracelets consist of three values:
In their memory – Dedicated to the memory of the civilians and martyrs who were murdered and fell since the beginning of the war. “And I have cleansed their blood I have not cleansed, and the Lord dwells in Zion” (Joel 4:21)
For their safe return – represents the hope and prayer for the return home of the abductees; those who were cruelly separated from their families, who are experiencing hell, and were taken captive by bloodthirsty enemies. “And I took you from the nations and gathered you from all the countries and brought you to your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24)
For victory – represents the aspiration and confidence in the eternity of the people of Israel, in the victory of its soldiers, in the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. “Blessed are you, Israel, who is like you, a people saved by God, He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword, your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights” (Deuteronomy, 33: 29)
We invite you to take part in the project, receive the bracelets free of charge, wear them, and spread this message widely, as an expression of support and partnership in the fate of the people of Israel.
To receive a bracelet, please click here: https://www.wzo.org.il/department/haravotbarzel/spirit-strengthening-bracelets/en
Sincerely,
Or Cohen
Darna Festival a Success
Thank you to all the participants and attendees for making this year’s Darna Festival to celebrate the International Day of Tolerance a success.
Some snapshots from the festival:
Hanukkah
The first light of Hanukkah will be lit at the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius with Rabbi Aharon Shmuel Baskin, singing, dancing, Hanukkah treats and smiles. Stay tuned for more details.
Everyone is invited. The event starts at 6:00 P.M. on December 7 at the Choral Synagogue, Pylimo street no. 39, Vilnius.
Pakruojis Wooden Synagogue Hosts Photo Exhibit on Kinder Aktion and Hamas Hostages
The Šiauliai Jewish Community is holding a half-day photography exhibit at the wooden synagogue in Pakruojis on November 20 detailing the painful past of the Jewish people and current events.
The first part of the exhibit is a joint project between the Šiauliai Religious Jewish Community and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem to mark the 80th anniversary of the Kinder Aktion or children’s mass murder operation at the Šiauliai ghetto. It only contains a small number of photographs of victims conserved by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.
The second section features the 240 people taken hostage by Hamas and held in the Gaza Strip, including fathers, mothers, children, teenagers, the elderly and the disabled.
Time: 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday, November 20
Place: Pakruojis synagogue, Kranto street no. 8, Pakruojis, Lithuania
Israeli President Herzog’s Message to World Jewish Communities
President of Israel Isaac Herzog made a video address appealing to Jewish communities around the world for support in Israel’s conflict with Hamas and touching on growing anti-Semitism worldwide.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 3:56 P.M. on Friday, November 17, and concludes at 5:13 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
DJ A at Darna Festival
DJ A, also known as Anuška, will display her skills at the Darna Festival to celebrate the International Day of Tolerance at the Lithuanian Jewish Community on Thursday, November 16. The festival is free and open to the public and begins at 6:30 P.M.
Algirdas Davidavičius to Speak at Darna Festival
Philosopher and ethics teacher Algirdas Davidavičius will share his ideas about harmony and tolerance at the Darna Festival to celebrate International Day of Tolerance at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius on Thursday, November 16.
“At the current time it isn’t sufficient for being a good person to speak abstractedly of good behavior, to criticize or comment on military actions from a safe distance. We are all moral if not actual soldiers for a better common culture. Each one of us must choose which values we defend, because if we don’t defend them we will become hostages and participants of regimes of superstitious fear and violence,” Davidavičius said.
The Darna Festival opens at 6:30 P.M. and is free and open to the public.
Duettissimo Concert at Darna Festival
One Dutch newspaper called them the Dream Duo. Violinist Dalia Dėdinskaitė and cellist Gleb Pyšniak’s Duettissimo have been performing since 2009 and have earned a name for themselves as one of the most remarkable groups of young people performing classical music in Lithuania.
They’re performing as part of the Darna Festival to celebrate the International Day of Tolerance at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius Thursday, November 16. The festival starts at 6:30 P.M. and is free and open to the general public.