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US Public Television Airs Documentary on Jewish Vilna


Photo courtesy PBS

by Geoff Vasil

Owen Palmquist’s documentary on two sites in Jewish Vilna aired last week on the US public television network PBS’s NOVA program. According to the director, there are rumblings of a broadcast in Lithuania, but so far there are no concrete plans to show it here.

The documentary is called Holocaust Escape Tunnel and focuses on two sites in and near Vilnius: the former Great Synagogue, which was damaged in World War II and torn down by the Soviets in the early 1950s, and the Ponar mass murder site outside Vilnius, where more than 70,000 people were murdered during the Holocaust.

Obviously Ponar got top billing. Last summer as director Owen Palmquist was shooting the footage with his crew, he said they hadn’t settled on any definite title and hadn’t decided what to feature yet, but he had the idea he wanted to talk about the rich Litvak Jewish culture of Vilnius. Focusing on the Holocaust actually makes more sense within the American context, since Lithuania is generally seen as one of the more enthusiastic societies to take up arms and murder Jews during World War II. It’s an easier sell to media managers. Litvak history is complicated and spans centuries; the Holocaust is immediate and “in your face.”

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Goodwill Foundation Project: Jews of the Vilna Guberniya

Jews of Vilna Guberniya: Recruits of the Tsar, Cantonists, Conscripts of World War I

The project contains a rich collection of early 20th-century photographs conserved by the Lithuanian State Central Archive. These are photographs of Jewish young people and conscripts to the Russian army from the Vilna guberniya from 1900 to 1915 with authentic inscriptions identifying the subjects, with surnames written on the photographs and confirmed by stamp and seal. The reverse sides of the photographs contain the signature of a Vilna guberniya police official confirming identity, and an oath to the that effect is sometimes attached to certain photographs.

The collection is comprised of 1,222 portrait photographs. This is the largest portrait-photo collection preserved in the archive and is important part of the historical legacy of the Jews who lived in Vilna guberniya. The photographs are very expressive, young men dressed in their finest clothes, looking with hope and aspiration to the future. The fate of many is unknown: did they serve in the Russian army, were they cantonists, or did they manage to avoid serving? This unique period of Jewish history has been little studied and very few publications about it exist. Research on the origins and fates of the people in the photographs is a subject for a separate historical study.

Most of the portraits were taken in Vilna, but others were done in Warsaw, Minsk, Kiev and St. Petersburg. These century-old photographs taken in the salons of famous photographers of the period (Rembrandt, E. Binkovich, A. Straus, S. Fleri and others) are both cultural and historical treasures and an important part of the history of photography about which the general public knows very little at the present time.

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Lithuanian Jewish Community Remembers Fallen Israeli Soldiers and Terrorism Victims

The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the embassy of Israel marked Yom haZikaron, the day for fallen Israeli soldiers and terrorism victims, April 30.

The day chosen for the commemorative holiday isn’t arbitrary. On Iyar 4, 5708 (May 13, 1948) the defenders of Gush Etzion, a cluster of settlements south of Jerusalem, perished, not knowing within 10 hours the independent State of Israel would be proclaimed.

Annually, those who fell in the Arab-Israeli wars and including IDF troops, police, security forces, spies abroad and Jewish underground members are remembered. Officially those who fell from 1860 are counted, the year considered the start of the Jewish battle for the Jewish state of Israel.

There is no tomb of the unknown soldier in Israel because Israelis react deeply and emotionally to every loss, the memory of each one is cherished and everyone is remembered. In recent years the day has also commemorated victims of terrorist attacks, whose numbers increase each year and include children, women, the elderly and youth.

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Lithuanian Jewish Community Appeal on UNESCO Resolution

Lithuanian Jewish Community
Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius

To: His excellency, the minister Linas Linkevičius,
Lithuanian Foreign Ministry

APPEAL

May 2, 2017

Honorable minister,

The Lithuanian Jewish Community and world Jewish organizations please ask you to consider new draft proposals for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) resolution “On Occupied Palestine,” which condemn the State of Israel for “military operations taking the lives of civilian victims in the Gaza Strip” and proclaiming that historical holy sites of the Jewish people, Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs, belong to Palestine.

The content of the resolution, in opposition to UNESCO’s mission, displays a specific political tone, is extremely unfair to Israel and serves the interests of only one set of the parties, closing the door on bilateral negotiations between the State of Israel and Palestine. UNESCO is being exploited as a political instrument, exacerbating already strained relations between the states involved.

We ask you please in casting the vote of the Republic of Lithuania at the meeting of the UNESCO executive board to make a decision not opposed to the most progressive democracy in the Near East and the cultural, scientific and educational partner of the Republic of Lithuania.

Respectfully,
Faina Kukliansky, chairwoman

Old Jewish Cemetery in Šeduva Receives Special Mention in Europa Nostra Heritage Protection Awards

Šeduvos žydų kapinių įamžinimą įvertino Europos Komsijos įkurta Europa Nostra!

Work in Šeduva, or more precisely work already completed, hasn’t gone unnoticed by Europa Nostra, the heritage protection organization established by the European Commission.

Europa Nostra under a jury selected by the European Commission awarded the Lost Shtetl Project special mention.

Special mentions in the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards 2017 were made public today by Europa Nostra and the European Commission. This year the jury granted special mention to 13 heritage achievements from 11 European countries taking part in the EU Creative Europe program.

Special mention goes to outstanding contributions in the conservation and enhancement of European cultural heritage which are particularly appreciated by the jury but did not make it into the final selection to receive an award.

Old Jewish cemetery in Šeduva, Lithuania

In restoring and maintaining the Jewish cemetery in the town of Šeduva, the local community has succeeded in its efforts to restore, commemorate and respectfully maintain the memory of members of their community who, since the Holocaust, no longer live in the town.

For more information, see:
http://www.europanostra.org/2017-eu-prize-cultural-heritage-europa-nostra-awards-special-mentions/

Lithuania Again Supports Israel in UNESCO Dispute with Palestinians


Israeli ambassador to UNESCO Carmel Shama-Hacohen draped in Israeli flag speaks at UNESCO HQ in Paris May 2

Vilnius, May 2, BNS–Lithuania Tuesday voted against a UNESCO resolution condemning Israel’s actions in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip Tuesday. Positions of EU member-states on the issue differ, but a document tabled by Arab member-states of UNESCO passed with a majority of votes. The UNESCO resolution calls Israel an occupational power in Jerusalem, condemns earth-works conducted by Israel in the Old Town there and condemns Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

Members of UNESCO’s executive council voted on the resolution. Lithuania remains a member of the executive body until 2019. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry expressed opposition to attempts to exploit the UNESCO format for political purposes.

“We appreciate the efforts of the authors of the UNESCO resolution ‘Occupied Palestine’ to find compromise. We understand the special significance of the holy sites (of the Old Town of Jerusalem) for the monotheistic religions,” press representative for the Lithuanian foreign minister Rasa Jakilaitienė said in comment sent to BNS.

“We are certain protection of the world cultural heritage in the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem demands the involvement of all the interested parties. We are in favor of balanced actions and the avoidance of politicization. Attempts to exploit the UNESCO format for political purposes could serve to discredit this organization,” the Lithuanian diplomat stated.

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High Accolades from EU for Project to Restore Old Jewish Cemetery in Šeduva

Lithuania was mentioned at the 2017 European Union awards ceremony for cultural heritage protection. The Lost Shtetl Project was one of three restoration projects in Europe to receive honorable mention. The Lost Shtetl Project has restored the old Jewish cemetery in Šeduva, Lithuania.

Jews of Šeduva were interred there until World War II and about 1,300 headstones and fragments were discovered there, following restoration of about 800 grave stones, of which 400 have been identified, the oldest going back to 1812 and the newest 1936.

Full story in Lithuanian here.

Letter to My Son Going to Israel

Friends,

I generally use the Jewish holidays to share ideas and insights on Judaism and philanthropy. But this holiday of Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s independence day, feels different for me, because my older son is celebrating it there, in a trip to Israel with his school. I never cease to feel gratitude for the undeserved privilege we have of being the first generation in 2,000 years to live with a Jewish sovereign state. I feel also the responsibility that this entails. As my son travels there, I wanted to share with you my words to him.

§§§

My dear son,

You are going to Israel for the first time. Well, it’s not really the first time; you were there with me as a baby, but that was before your toddler memory hit the reset button. So, this is the first time you’ll remember and I wanted to write to you to tell you what this means to me, and to our entire family. Why I’m so moved by this trip of yours, and why grandma’s voice breaks when she talks to you about it.

Remember that I once talked you about a writer called Shay Agnon? He was the first Hebrew writer to win the Nobel Prize. He had an amazing story about the inhabitants of a shtetl in Poland that in the midst of the pogroms find a magic cave that can take them straight to the Land of Israel. The people in that shtetl could have never believed that now, that magic cave exists in the form of a skyway at Newark Airport, and that the secret passage is an aluminum cylinder with wings and a Star of David on its tail.

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Happy Birthday to Gercas Žakas

Sveikiname Gercą Žaką, Kauno žydų bendruomenės pirmininką su gimtadieniu!

Happy birthday to Gercas Žakas, soccer referee, trainer and expert and chairman of the Kaunas Jewish Community! Our warmest wishes for the birthday boy! May health remain ever with you, may you also enjoy such energy, may your activities remain always so interesting and may your nice big smile continue forever!

Mazl tov!

Veisiejai Commemorates Jewish Resident and Inventor of Esperanto

At the invitation of his old soccer friends from Veisiejai (Vishai, Vishey), Lithuania–Viesiejai alderman Zenonas Sbaliauskas and true Veisiejai patriot Linas Masys–Kaunas Jewish Community chairman Gercas Žakas personally visited this once predominantly-Jewish town. Žakas said he was impressed by how well the town is kept up and by its silence and romance, provided by Lake Ančia, which divides the town into two parts. He was also pleasantly surprised by how seriously the small town takes the commemoration of its one-time resident, Dr. Ludowik Lejzer Zamenhof, the Jewish doctor and linguist who gave birth to the artificial language of Esperanto. The town is also taking excellent care of the Jewish cemetery, although its appearance has changed, and the Jewish homes still standing there, Žakas reported.

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Panevėžys Jewish Community Kids Visit Circus

Children from the Panevėžys Jewish Community chaperoned by adults visited the Marcel & Odeta Czech-Lithuanian two-ring family circus April 29. Over 30 trained exotic animals performed at the event, including lions, kangaroos, an Appaloosa stallion, ponies, a small monkey and white doves. The aerial acrobats and clowns were especially impressive to both the children and adults.

Condolences

With sadness we report the death of Chaim Rostovskij, a member of the Šiauliai Jewish Community, on April 30. He was born May 5, 1934. Our sincere condolences to his loved ones.

Condolences

Sabina Novikova, a member of the Vilnius Jewish Community, passed away this April 30. She was born November 1, 1929. Our deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.

Commentators Posting Insults to Jews Subject to Class Action, Real Consequences Could Follow

After the scandal over an invitation posted to the internet to celebrate Shrovetide in Naisiai, Lithuania, which contained anti-Semitic overtones, impassioned comments ensued. Some commentators went far out of bounds and took to insulting ethnic minorities.

After witnessing the hate storm, a group of concerned citizens formed including Jews, Russians and Poles from Lithuania but also ethnic Lithuanians. They filed a complaint with the Lithuanian Prosecutor General’s Office calling for a criminal investigation.

According to a representative of that group, this is the first such case where a group of citizens assembling voluntarily rather than an existing organization or a specific individual has filed such a complaint.

“We aren’t seeking the punishment of any specific person, we just want to show there are many people who don’t want to look on in silence when this sort of public disgrace occurs,” one group representative said.

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Who Needs the Myth of the Judaeo-Bolshevik?

by Donatas Puslys, bernardinai.lt

“Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning” by Yale historian Timothy Snyder is extremely important in several respects. For one thing, it provides a good examination of Adolf Hitler’s policies and reveals why it is wrong to think of him as a German national socialist when in fact he was a zoölogical anarchist [sic] whose priority was the struggle of the races and survival of the fittest in slicing off more so-called lebensraum. It also provides a good overview of Hitler’s policy innovations later exported to the conquered territories which brought about tragic consequences: hybridization of institutions, the export of anarchy [sic], the destruction of states in the creation of lawless zones which provided the opportunity for the mass murder of the people made stateless, exploiting the card of the globalization [sic] of the Jews of Germany for propaganda claiming the Nazi war was an anti-colonialist effort to liberate the world from alleged Jewish domination, and changes in the concept of war rejecting all conventions, above which dominated the will of the führer for the domination of the master race.

The book rejects the myth all citizens of Central and Eastern Europe were hardened anti-Semites who were only waiting for the chance to make a reckoning with their Jewish neighbors. It demonstrates the extent of the Holocaust was most horrific in the territories which experienced double occupations, a Soviet occupation followed by a Nazi one.

Full opinion piece in Lithuanian redefining the concepts of anarchy and Nazi ideology according to Snyder’s most recent speculations available here.

Kaunas Community Marks One Year since Death of Yudel Ronder

A year has passed since the Kaunas Jewish Community lost one of our most senior and most honored members, Yudel Ronder. His memory was honored with a prayer before Sabbath began, and later over dinner many shared their memories of the extraordinary man. Highly intelligent, cultured, warm, sincere and honest, his bright wit and wisdom accompanied him even during grave illness at hospital until the last moment of his life. He was extremely active and interested in a broad range of subjects. He began many projects and activities. Even in the dark Soviet era, he sought out rescuers, told their stories and concerned himself with making sure they were honored and taken care of. He also looked for Holocaust perpetrators and without fear met with them, trying to get inside their consciences and disturb their peaceful sleep. He was one of the first Jews involved in volunteer club activities during the Soviet era, the enthusiastic director of a drama group whose performances attracted scads of viewers. The performances were in Yiddish and he sought out actors fluent in the language. The current chairman of the Kaunas Jewish Community, Gercas Žakas, who knows Yiddish well, was invited to join the troupe and became one of main actors there. Ronder took care of his people and organized welfare for the poor. He made contact with German welfare organizations, earned their highest respect and received funding for material aid for members of the Kaunas Jewish Community.

Originally from Kėdainiai (Keydan), he lost his family and relatives in the Holocaust. He survived by being evacuated to the Soviet Union and served in the 16th Division. Ronder dedicated all his energies and devoted his heart to others. People who had the opportunity to make his acquaintance have never forgotten him and his warm stories about his grandfather. Yudel’s grandson Dovydas remembers them well and he came from Germany especially to mark the one-year anniversary of Yudel’s death. Kristina, the daughter of Yudel’s long-time care-giver Stefa Ancevičienė who became very close to him, also remembers his stories well.