The Sabbath begins at 3:41 P.M. on Friday, November 29 and concludes at 5:03 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sunday is also the beginning of Advent, marking the beginning of the Christian liturgical year in many Western churches.
Shalom Cheverim!
The Bnei Maskilim iProgressive Judaism community invites you to the Shaharit morning prayer with Rabbi Grisha Abromavich from Israel. Registration is required by sending an email to viljamas@lzb.lt.
Time: 11:00 A.M., Saturday, November 30
Place: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Vilnius
Hard-Left Australian Government Takes Hard Line against Israel
by Geoff Vasil
Last week the Australian Government under Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese barred Israel’s former justice minister Ayelet Shaked.who was scheduled to speak at a conference hosted by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, claiming she would incite unrest in the island country.
Asked a day later to comment on the ICC’s announcement of an international arrest warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Galant, ALbaense’s foreign minister Penny Wong said Australia would honor the arrest warrant. Penny Wong has been publicly flirting with the idea of Australian recognition of a Palestinian state for over a year now.
Meanwhile Australian authorities made their first arrest, if you exclude Jewish detainees harassed by police for being Jewish or carrying Israeli flags in public, since October 7, 2023, of anyone involved in the brewing conflict between Hamas supporters and Australian Jews yesterday, handcuffing Mohommad Farhat, 20, as he waited to board a flight to Bali. Farhat is accused of a spree of vandalism in a Jewish area of Sydney during which he set at least one automobile on fire and spraypainted businesses and cars with the phrase “Fuk Israel” as well as “The PKK is coming,” a kind of mixed message. PKK is best known as the acronym for a Kurdish Communist party recognized as a terrorist organization in the EU and elsewhere.
Tour of Herring Exhibit Followed by Tasting at Jonas Šliūpas Museum in Palanga
The Jonas Šliūpas Museum in Palanga invites the public to a second guided tour of the herring exhibit “From the North Sea to the Christmas Table” at 5:00 P.M. on November 29. This time co-creator of the exhibit Akvilė Poškienė of Klaipėda University will guide the tour. Afterwards the Palanga Jewish Community will host a presentation of Jewish culinary heritage accompanied by sampling of Jewish snacks with herring presented by Lithuanian Jewish Community educator Dovilė Rūkaitė.
The cost is 4 euros. Registration is required by sending an email to j.sliupo.muziejus@lnm.lt.
Time: 5:00 P.M., November 29
Place: Jonas Šliūpas Museum, Vytauto street no. 23A, Palanga
Labyrinths of the Old Town: A Tour for Community Members
Lithuanian Jewish Community members are invited to a special tour next Saturday in Vilnius called Labyrinths of the Old Town led by accomplished guide Markas Psonikas. The tour will invoke the mediaeval aura of the courtyards of the Old Town and continue on to the secrets and discoveries of the present day.
The cost is 7 euros per person. Registration is required by sending an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt before 12:00 noon on November 28.
Time: 11:00 A.M., Saturday, November 30
Place: starting point to be announced following registration
Duration: ~2 hours
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 3:48 P.M. on Friday, November 22, and concludes at 5:10 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Saturday, November 23, is also Fibonacci Day.
Animated Shorts about Jewish Life
The EJC using financial aid from the European Union is creating a series of short animated films to teach young people about the diversity of Jewish life, culture and traditions and to educate the public about the danger of anti-Semitism, andon other topics.
EJC executive vice-president Raya Kalenova said it’s important to reach people whose main source of information is not traditional news media.
The ten-part series is called Glad You Asked. Themes explored include Jewish identity, the Sabbath, Jewish holidays, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and Jewish history.
The first part discusses the diversity of the Jewish people, cultures and traditions in Europe and the world. Each episode is 90 seconds long.
Part 1:
German Chancellor Hails LJC’s Efforts to Insure Safety and Security
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has sent a letter to Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky in which he expresses sorrow over recent events in Lithuania and the growing tide of anti-Semitism and reiterating the German government’s condemnation of all forms of hatred and intolerance towards ethnic minority communities.
He said Germany has a special responsibility because of the past. Germany has learned from the past to insure those crimes are never repeated, he said. He went on to state combating anti-Semitism is an on-going process requiring taking responsibility and cooperation to minimalize prejudicial views and encourage diversity.
He added the chancellor’s team supports the LJC’s efforts to create a safe and secure environment for everyone regardless of ethnic origin or religious beliefs.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 3:57 P.M. on Friday, November 15 and concludes at 5:16 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Saturday is also International Tolerance Day. 頑張って ください！
Sabbath Project/World Challa-Making Day is Here
Today Jews around the world will celebrate the Sabbath together under the auspices of the Global Sabbath Project, which includes World Challa-Making Day. The Lithuanian Jewish Community invites everyone to come and make challa bread together beginning at 3:00 P.M. today, Friday, November 15. Besides making bread, we will also learn about the Sabbath, enjoy some live music and share Jewish cooking traditions. The best loaf will be chosen as the winner.
Time: 3:00 P.M., Friday, November 15
Place: Bagel Shop Café, Lithuanian Jewish Community, Vilnius
Rabbi Warren Goldstein sends special Sabbath Project greetings to LJC:
You’re Invited to an End of Sabbath Ceremony Saturday
Dear members and friends,
You’re invited to a Havdalah ceremony to usher out the Sabbath Saturday evening.
This is a multisensory experience involving scents, the lighting of candles, wine and prayers sung together with cantor Shmuel Yaatom to make the coming week blessed.
Time: 5:30 P.M., Saturday, November 16
Place: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius
Shavua tov!
Natalja Cheifec’s Discussion Club to Meet Thursday
Natalja Cheifec’s discussion club #ŠALOM invites you to the next discussion at 5:30 P.M. on November 14 via the Zoom platform.
To register and receive Zoom login credentials, click here.
Remember to indicate your questions of interest on the registration form.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 4:10 P.M. on Friday, November 8 and concludes at 5:24 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 4:24 on Friday, November 1, and concludes at 5:39 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.
Is Yiddish Experiencing a Renaissance?
by Daiva Gabrilavičiūtė, LRT.lt, October 26, 2024
“The Yiddish language has become a symbol of Jewish cultural resistance and survival. In spite of waves of historical oppression, the Holocaust and assimilation, Yiddish reflects the resolution, resilience and continuity of the Jewish people,” Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium principal Ruth Reches told Lithuanian state radio and teleivision.
Yiddish appeared about a millennium ago in what is now Germany. Large Jewish communities settled in Eastern Europe. Over time Yiddish became more than the everyday language of communication and was used in Jewish intellectual and cultural life. Books and newspapers were published, songs were written and plays performed in Yiddish.
Before World War II more than 10 million people spoke Yiddish. Most were murdered during the Holocaust. The handful who survived faced Soviet oppression. Others found safe haven on the other side of the Atlantic.
Full article in Lithuanian here.
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 5:39 P.M. on Friday, October 25, and concludes at 6:49 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Friday is also Simchat Torah.
Jewish Scouting Season Opens
Weekly meetings of Jewish scouts are taking place again starting at 3:00 P.M. this Sunday at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius. The gathering should last around one hour. Jewish scouting teaches scouts Jewish culture, civic-mindedness, responsibility, independence and a number of other skills and values, and includes a lot of fun and games as well. This group is intended for scouts and potential scouts aged 6 to 18. FOr more information contact Michail Kofman by telephone at 860645o94 or send an email to skautai@lzb.lt.
Sukkot in Šiauliai
The Šiauliai Jewish Community gathered Friday to celebrate the Sabbath and Sukkot. Everyone had the opportunity to spend time in the Community’s sukka. On Wednesday the Community plans to mark the final day of Sukkot and on Thursday Simchat Torah, with guests expected from Vilnius.
Hag Sukot sameakh!
Sabbath Times
The Sabbath begins at 5:54 P.M. on Friday, October 18, and concludes at 7:09 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Friday and Saturday are also days two and three of Sukkot and special Sabbath rules apply.
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