Religion

Shavuot

Shavuot

Shavuot is the holiday which celebrates the receiving of the Torah. This marks the day the Jewish people received the Law. It is celebrated on the 6th day of Sivan on the Jewish calendar. This is a state holiday in Israel.

Shavuot means “weeks” in Hebrew. It is the seventh week from the second day of Passover. It marks the day when Moses received the Ten Commandments of G_d on Mount Sinai. They were written on two stone slabs. These are known in Hebrew as Aseret haDvarim and in Greek as the Decalogue.

Natalja Cheifec on Shavuot

Natalja Cheifec on Shavuot

Natalja Cheifec will deliver a lecture and host questions and discussion on the Jewish holiday Shavuot on the internet at 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, May 29.

To register and receive zoom credentials, click here.

Local High School Tolerance Center Visits Panevėžys Jewish Community

Local High School Tolerance Center Visits Panevėžys Jewish Community

Ninth-graders and teacher Jekaterina Ledneva from the Velžys Pro-Gymnasium in the Panevėžys set up a Tolerance Center at their school and visited the Panevėžys Jewish Community as part of that initiative. They wanted to know more about the pre-Holocaust local Jewish population, Jewish customs and traditions, holidays and what happened in the Holocaust. The students visited the ghetto territory in the northern Lithuanian city and laid floral wreaths at the monument marking the former ghetto gate.

Panevėžys Jewish Community chairman Gennady Kofman spoke to the young people as part of the Community’s ongoing educational outreach program and spoke about how Jews and Lithuanians lived together before the Holocaust, often enough as co-owners of businesses, sharing their expertise. They celebrated holidays together and shared in their joys and misfortunes, sometimes sacrificing their last bit of bread for one another, Kofman said. Russian and Jewish children attended the same high schools both in Tsarist Russia and independent Lithuania, Kofman recalled.

The ninth-graders also learned about Jewish holidays including Passover, Purim, Rosh Hashanna and others, and the stories behind these holidays. Kofman spoke about kosher food and why healthy food and cleanliness is so important in Jewish tradition. The students had the chance to sample matzo bread and heard the story of unleavened bread during the Exodus from Egypt. The students posed many questions and had a chance to tour the Community building as well.

Lecture on Hebrew Evolution, Revival

Lecture on Hebrew Evolution, Revival

The Fascinating and Multifaceted 3,300-year Evolution and Regenesis of Hebrew

The Vilnius Jewish Public Library invites you to a lecture by professor Ghilad Zuckerman called “The Fascinating and Multifaceted 3,300-year Evolution and Regenesis of Hebrew” in English with simultaneous Lithuanian translation.

After centuries as a liturgical and literary medium, Hebrew underwent a dramatic transformation in the modern era. The lecture will shed light on its unprecedented revival in the early 20th century driven by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and others who saw language as central to cultural and national identity.

Professor Zuckermann will lead us on a journey through the history of Hebrew from its emergence after the conquest of Canaan, through its prominence during the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel and Judah, to its decline and [alleged] eventual disappearance as a spoken language by AD 100 (2nd century CE).

Jewish Communities across Africa

Jewish Communities across Africa

Photo: Delegates from around the world attended the Jewish Africa Conference

The third Jewish Africa Conference, an event spearheaded by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Mimouna Association (Morocco) and the American Sephardi Federation (ASF), took place during April in Cape Town.

The conference was supported by the Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies, with a welcome address by chair of the board Adrienne Jacobson. Predecessor conferences were held in New York in 2019 and in Rabat, Morocco, in 2022. The event took place at the Old Shul, the SA Jewish Museum and the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Cape Town.

According to Wayne Sussman, director of the AJC Africa Institute who oversaw conference proceedings, “We all know that the South African Jewish community has made a rich contribution to Jewish life around the world. This is also true with other African Jewish communities. They have strong traditions and customs. Many made a huge impact on their respective countries. This conference allowed Jews from across Africa and scholars interested in Jewish African life today to come together and make sense of how we carry on building our respective communities and ensure we preserve our past properly.”

While we in South Africa tend to think of Jewish life from an Eastern European bias–because the bulk of our community is of Ashkenazi origin–Jewish life in fact traces a great deal back to Africa. With roots in ancient Egypt, Jewish religious and cultural practice are certainly a significant feature of the African continent.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 9:32 P.M. on Friday, May 23, and concludes at 10:53 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 9:14 P.M. and completed before sunset at 9:32 P.M. Sunday is Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day. Monday is Memorial Day in the United States.

Holocaust Historian, Litvak Wife Visit Panevėžys Jewish Community

Holocaust Historian, Litvak Wife Visit Panevėžys Jewish Community

Noah and Frances Schoen (Milinsky) visited the Panevėžys Jewish Community May 12. The family lives in Pittsburgh. Noah is an historian and teacher who reseraches the Holocaust. His lectures discuss forms of anti-Semitism from prejudice to genocide. He was an eye-witness at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2012 when a gunman opened fire on the congregation.

His wife teaches children aged 11 to 14 and leads summer youthg camps. Her father’s family comes from Panevėžys and immigrated to America early on, preserving their Litvak heritage.

Chairman Gennady Kofman spoke to them about the Community’s current activities and showed them around the archive collection, and they talked about anti-Semitism in Europe and America. Kofman gave them a tour of the northern Lithuanian city focusing on Jewish heritage sites.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 9:21 P.M. on Friday, May 16, and concludes at 10:37 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 9:03 P.M. and completed before sunset at 9:21 P.M. Lag b’Omer begins at sunset on Thursday and ends at sundown on Friday. Parts of Canada celebrate Victoria Day Monday.

Judaism and Paganism: Not Totally Polar Opposites

Judaism and Paganism: Not Totally Polar Opposites

Michael Strmiska, Phd., will deliver a talk about the points of contact between Temple and Rabbinical Judaism and Classical Paganism at the Vilnius Jewish Public Library next Wednesday.

He plans to present striking parallels shared by the two religious traditions which haven’t been considered related since Justin the Apologist, later Justin the Martyr’s times, commonly called pre-Christian Paganism and simply Judaism. He will present common aspects of both which overcome the popular perception Paganism is polytheism and Judaism is mono, and never the trwain shall meet.

His talk will include discussion on the marginalization and also the survival of both traditions through the course of history, the view both traditions take regarding Nature, conceptions of the feminine divine and the traditions both schools share at their mystical extremities.

This perhaps provocative lecture could serve to foster greater understanding of how these two religions are able to intercommunicate in surprising ways. Both Paganism and Temple Judaism together form the context in which the fathers of the Early Church operated.

Lecture on Early Jewish Photography in Lithuania

Lecture on Early Jewish Photography in Lithuania

The Vilnius Picture Gallery and the Lithuanian Museum of National Art will host a lecture by Dainius Junevičius called “Early Lithuanian Photography: Jews on Both Sides of the Lens” at the picture gallery at 5:30 P.M., Tuesday, May 20. The event is free and open to the public.

Junevičius is an expert on the history of photography. He will speak on the role Jewish photographers played in early Lithuanian photography from the Jewish owners and photographers of first photo studios in Vilnius to the work of talented photographer Miron Butkovski (1865-1938) who earned the Vatican’s gratitude fir his photos of Vilnius’s churches in the late 19th century, and will also speak about the evolution of photography in Lithuania and in general and the pioneers in other locations in Lithuania.
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His lecture will include demonstrations of the earliest photographs of Jews starting with those from a Russian ethnographic exhibit in 1867 and extending through the Jewish ethnographic field surveys led by An-sky from 1912 ro 1914.

The lecture and slideshow is part of the exhibit “You Shall Not Make an Images” the Vilnius Picture Gallery and YIVO opened March 5 and which will run till September 14. Registration is not required for the lecture and there is no fee for admission..

Time: 5:30 P.M., Tuesday, May 20
Place: Vilnius Picture Gallery, Didžioji street no. 4, Vilnius

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 9:08 P.M. on Friday, May 9, and concludes at 10:20 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 8:50 P.M. and completed before sunset at 9:08 P.M. Thursday, May 8th is the day 80 years ago Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union (Nazi capitulation was on May 9 Moscow time and Victory Day is always celebrated on May 9 in Russia, Belarus and most other former Soviet republics).

Natalja Cheifec on Lag b’Omer

Natalja Cheifec on Lag b’Omer

Lag b’Omer falls on May 16th this year. The holiday lies midway between Passover and Shavuot on the 33rd day of the Counting of Omer. It is mainly celebrated with bonfires lit in the morning but has a number of deeper traditions and practices.

Natalja Cheifec invites the general public to a discussion of the holiday on the zoom platform at 5:30 P.M. on Thursday, May 8.

To receive zoom credentials, click here.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 8:55 P.M. on Friday, May 2, and concludes at 10:03 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 8:37 P.M. and completed before sunset at 8:55 P.M. May 1 is Labor Day in Lithuania, a state holiday. May 3 is Constitution Day in Poland, also a national holiday.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 8:42 P.M. on Friday, April 25, and concludes at 9:47 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit at 8:24 P.M. and completed before sunset at 8:42 P.M. Sunday is also World Pinhole Photography Day.

Under Babylonian and Persian Rule

Under Babylonian and Persian Rule

by Yosef Eisen

Benefits of Babylonian Exile

This exile, although very traumatic, nevertheless had a great benefit to the Jewish people. There were no more corrupt kings or nobility–in Babylon the Torah scholars had complete authority. Moreover, the Babylonians were not anti-Semites per se; while they only wanted to destroy Judah as an independent political power, they harbored no ill feelings toward the Jewish religion. As such, Jews were given their own cities, where earlier exiled Jews welcomed them warmly. The Talmud tells us that G_d chose Babylon as the place of exile for several reasons: Aramaic, the language of Babylon, was very similar to Hebrew. Abraham was born in Babylon, so the Jews were not regarded as foreigners. And it was easy to make a living from the abundant date trees. All told, then, life was pleasant for the Jews once they reached Babylon.

The Jews in Babylon

Despite the relative ease of their exile, the Jews reacted in vastly different ways. Some of them, traumatized by the shock of heathens conquering Jerusalem, an occurrence they had previously deemed impossible, despaired of a future redemption, saying that G_d had severed His relationship with the Jewish people. Others settled down comfortably and planned to assimilate. Accordingly, the prophet Ezekiel addressed both of these concerns. To the first group, he shared his prophetic visions of the Heavenly Chariot and the Third Eternal Temple, telling them that G_d did not forsake them. He also revived the dry bones in the Valley of Dura, symbolizing the rejuvenation of the Jewish people. To the second group, he burst out with fiery denunciations, saying that G_d will never allow the Jewish people to assimilate. Nevertheless, many Jews did assimilate. Some Jews even rose to prominence at Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Daniel was appointed governor over the realm, while Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah also attained high positions in the government.

The Fiery Furnace

Condolences

Pope Francis I, pontifex, builder of bridges and the vicar of Rome, passed away Monday at the age of 88 from respiratory complications. He was born in 1936 in Buenos Aries, Argentina. A friend of all religions, the Lithuanian Jewish Community extends our deepest condolences to all his friends and followers around the world in and outside the Catholic Church. May his memory be a blessing to us all.

Vilnius Jewish Memorial Plans in Limbo: No Funding for Feasibility Study

Vilnius Jewish Memorial Plans in Limbo: No Funding for Feasibility Study

Photo: Palace of Sports in Vilnius, D. Umbrasas/LRT

BNS, April 22, 2025

BNS–Lithuania’s new prime minister Gintautas Paluckas said his Government is considering the previous Government’s proposal to build a Jewish memorial in and around the Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, a now derelict, Soviet-era indoor arena, but this year’s budget does not include funds for a feasibility study.

“The process is ongoing. We’re evaluating, weighing options and holding discussions. So far nothing has changed, and if any decisions are made, the public will be informed,” Paluckas told Baltic News Service.

The previous government approved the idea of building a memorial on the site of the old Jewish cemetery in the Šnipiškės (Yiddish Shbipishok) neighborhood of Vilnius and inside the arena building based on recommendations from a working group.

Passover in Kaunas

Passover in Kaunas

The Kaunas Jewish Community always celebrate the holidays in an exceptional manner, the members are the dictionary definition of holiday spirit and there is never a lack of music and a avariety of delicious foods to sample, for many years now made by the wonderful Višta Puode or Chicken in the Pot restaurant in Kaunas.

This year was not the exception which proves the rule. In high spirits and with the warmest of wishes, the Kaunas Jewish Community celebrated Passover in the manner to which they are accustomed. Some snapshots, pale reflections of course of the real celebration, follow below.

Seniors Club Passover

Seniors Club Passover

Taking care of our elderly is a Jewish tradition. Our Seniors Club which operates throughout the year with concerts, lectures and lots of fun, attended a special Passover celebration and seder at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius last week.

LJC programs coordinator Žana Skudovičienė came up with a special program for our seniors this year with music and prayer by cantor Shmuel Yaatom and a speaking event by Natalja Cheifec on Jewish history.

Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky was on hand to deliver holiday greetings from the entire Community.

Reportedly every member of the Seniors Club attended.