Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 7:59 P.M. on Friday, April 3, and concludes at 8:57 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 7:41 P.M. and completed before sunset at 7:59 P.M. Sunday is Easter. Passover ends on Wednesday in Israel and Thursday elsewhere.
Kupiškis Museum Historian Aušra Jonušytė Recognized
Aušra Jonušytė was recognized for her work on the history of Kupiškis and the former Jewish community there at an awards ceremony at the Panevėžys Regional History Museum on March 30. Panevėžys Jewish Community chairman Gennady Kofman and the entire Lithuanian Jewish Community congratulate her on receiving the Tarnaukite Lietuvai [Serve Lithuania] prize along with 15 others. The prize was instituted by the Lithuanian parliament 15 years ago and the awards are bestowed annually.
Fayerlakh Performs at Public Library
The Jewish song and dance ensemble Fayerlakh performed at the Adomas Mickevičius Public Library in Vilnius on March 30. They were invited to perform there by the library’s Song Club who wanted to learn more about Jewish song and whose members had bilingual lyric sheets in Lithuanian and Yiddish. Borisas Kizneris began on violin, demonstrating popular Yiddish songs, and invited the audience to join in, which they did. After the music, Fayerlakh director Larisa Vyšiauskienė spoke about Passover. Matzo was distributed to all attendees.
Photos by Mindaugas Masaitis
Passover Greetings
Passover begins tomorrow at sundown, April 1. As our forefathers escaped slavery and freedom from their enemies in the land of Egypt, so may the spirit of liberation warm our hearts and spirits during these dark days of upheaval and uncertainty, even as we pray for the liberation of our Persian brothers and sisters under the yoke of an evil and anti-human regime, and for the Lebanese peoples oppressed by that same evil. Am Israel chai.
Bar and Bat Mitzvah Ceremony
Seventh-graders from the Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium gathered to read the Torah in public for the first time, thus becoming adults under Jewish law, as their parents, siblings, teachers and friends looked on last week.
Rabbi Natan Alfred and LJC’s own prayer leader Viljamas Žitkauskas led the ceremony and aided the young adults in their first readings.
A celebration was held afterwards.
Passover Drawing Contest
Children are invited to submit their drawings on any subject connected with the Passover story until April 7. Please write your name on your drawing or have your parents do it, and send a digital copy to info@lzb.lt. Participants will receive a box of special chocolate-covered matzo bread.
Matzo Available
Matzo is available in 5 and 10 euro packages in the lobby of the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius, open from 10:00 A.M. till 6:00 P.M. weekdays, except for April 2 and 3.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 6:46 P.M. on Friday, March 27, and concludes at 7:42 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 6:28 P.M. and completed before sunset at 6:46 P.M. Saturday is Yom haAliyah. Sunday is Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of the paschal week. The eight days of Passover begin at sunset, 7:37 P.M., Wednesday, April 1, adjusted for Daylight Saving Time. Daylight Saving Time begins in begins at 2:00 A.M. on Sunday, March 29, in Lithuania. Set your time devices forward one hour, 2:00 A.M. jumping ahead to 3:00 A.M. on Sunday morning.
Musical Seder April 4
The Lithuanian Jewish Community is pleased to invite you to come celebrate Passover together with a seder led by ba’al tfillah (prayer leader) Viljamas Žitkauskas. The public seder will retell the Passover story in music performed by Fayerlakh and prayer. Registration is required by sending an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt by noon Wednesday, April 1. The cost is 15 euros for LJC members, 45 euros for non-members and free entry for children 14 and under.
Time: April 4, Saturday
Place: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Vilnius
Musical Seder April 4
The Lithuanian Jewish Community invites you to come celebrate Passover together, with a musical seder scheduled for April 4. Stay tuned for more information.
Natalja Cheifec on Passover
Natalja Cheifec continues her internet lecture and discussion club on the topic of Passover this Thursday. To receive zoom credentials and participate, click here.
Time: 6:00 P.M., Thursday, March 26
Place: internet
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 6:32 P.M. on Friday, March 20, and concludes at 7:28 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 6:14 P.M. and completed before sunset at 6:32 P.M. Depending on your location and local customs, the spring equinox will be marked on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Nowruz, or Persian New Year, happens on the spring equinox and is now celebrated in multiple countries on multiple dates.
Faina Kukliansky Elected to General Assembly of European Council of Jewish Communities
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky attended the sixth Summit or European Jewish Leaders in Athens over the weekend, representing Lithuanian Jews, where she was elected to the General Assembly of European Council of Jewish Communities.
The European Council of Jewish Communities holds the event. This time over 250 participants from more than 30 countries attended. They included community leaders, heads of institutions, cultural professionals and members of Jewish communities from around Europe. Israeli president Isaac Herzog and EC president Ursula von der Leyen greeted the gathering. The meeting focused on continuing Jewish life in Europe and served as an opportunity for Jewish leaders to exchange ideas and experience.
Ponevezh Purim Celebration and International Women’s Day
The Panevėžys Jewish Community celebrates International Women’s Day each year. This year was no exception and a large contingent of women gathered March 8 for a celebration of the day and improving spring-like weather. The common table was laden with special treats including Purim pastry from the holiday a few days earlier. Since they coincided so closely this year, the Community celebrated both at once, starting with a reading of the Book of Esther.
Shavl Celebrates Purim with the Musical “A Modern Story of Esther”
The Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community expanded Purim celebrations this year by inviting the general public from Šiauliai and elsewhere with a musical held at the Laptai Gallery of the Šiauliai Culture Center on March 3. The musical was called A Modern Story of Esther based on the text by Itzik Manger and composer Dov Seltzer. The performance space was packed by audience members. The musical itself is a modern version of the traditional purimshpil.
The play was preceded by a presentation by Community member and actress Jūratė Budriūnaitė-Kamrazer on the history, significance and traditions associated with this Jewish holiday.
Vytautas Magnus University Music Academy students performed in the musical, which was followed by traditional Purim treats including homentashn.
The Šiauliai Regional Jewish Community thanks musical director Audronė Eitmanavičiūtė, musical conductor Sabina Martinaitytė and their team of talent from Vytautas Magnus in Kaunas. They also thank the Laiptai Gallery for providing the space and making the event such a success.
Mounting Islamic Attacks throughout the West Targeting Jews, Americans
Following three attacks on synagogues in Toronto last month, the US has seen at least four terrorist attacks in the last three weeks: a Senegalese supporter of Iran shot nightclubbers in Austin, Texas; ISIS terrorists threw three bombs which failed to detonate in New York City at a crowd of anti-Islam protestors; a Hezbollah family member attacked Michigan’s oldest Jewish community with firearms and explosives which he failed to detonate and a man shouting “Allahu akbar” attempted to murder an ROTC class at Virginia’s Old Dominion university, killing one.
Two synagogues/Jewish schools in Rotterdam and Amsterdam and one in Liege, Belgium, were the subject of unsuccessful bombings.
In the UK around 10 suspected Iranian spies were arrested for spying on Jews in London.
Two of the American attacks came after the Trump administration leaked to journalists counter-intelligence indicating Iran had sent a “go signal” to “sleeper cells” in North America. Security was increased in Los Angeles for the Academy Awards over the weekend.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 6:18 P.M. on Friday, March 13, and concludes at 7:14 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 6:00 P.M. and completed before sunset at 6:18 P.M. Tuesday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day (March 16 in Labrador and Newfoundland). Sunday is Rescuers of Jews Day in Lithuania.
No Early Exit: Strait of Hormuz Closed until Re-Opened by Force
by Geoff Vasil
Even if president Trump declares mission accomplished, as many Americans are urging, the war with Iran won’t end. The new hidden imam ayatollah has issued official if non-credible instructions to keep the Hormuz chokehold closed in order to strangle world oil supply. Raising on a busted flush, Iran’s terrorist regime thinks by dictating to its neighbors and attacking them it can hold onto power until US public opinion comes to their rescue.
The problem with that is the neighbors and the world can’t afford to play that game. France seems to be the only country willing to say so out loud, sending naval vessels whose ultimate goal seems to be the Persian Gulf. The new doctrines of drone warfare have scared off the world’s largest navy from conducting safe-conduct escorts as they did back in the 1980s in response to threats from the same regime.
The only sane response to Iran’s gambit is to fight it out along the Iranian coast, from Basra to Hormuz, targeting drones and missile launchers. The neighboring Gulf states have never been fans of the Islamic Republic, but now almost the entire world has an interest in protecting the oil supply militarily.
Explosion at Synagogue in Belgium Shatters Windows
An explosive device detonated before dawn outside a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège, damaging the building and nearby homes; officials condemned the blast as a serious anti-Semitic incident, as police launched an investigation
An explosion occurred early Monday morning outside a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège, causing property damage but no injuries.
The blast happened around 4:00 A.M. local time near the synagogue on Rue Léon Frédéricq. The synagogue’s main window was shattered, and windows in buildings across the street were also blown out by the force of the explosion, according to local residents cited by the French-language Belgian public broadcaster RTBF.
Liège mayor Willy Demeyer described the incident as a “criminal and anti-Semitic act.”
“I absolutely condemn this violent act of anti-Semitism which runs counter to Liège’s tradition of respect for others,” Demeyer said.
Full story here.