Religion

Attendees Sing Israeli Anthem at Art Exhibit Opening

Attendees Sing Israeli Anthem at Art Exhibit Opening

Visitors had the chance to delve into the world of renowned Litvak artist Simon Karczmar and his artist son Natan last Tuesday evening in Vilnius where a new exhibit of works opened at the Old Town Hall.

The artwork features a romanticized take on daily life in the Dievenishok (Dieveniškės) shtetl and the Bohemian life in Paris.

Attendees were unable to escape the present, however–the brutal war and hostages taken–and sang the Israeli national anthem, HaTikva, “The Hope,” in solidarity with all our friends and family in the Jewish homeland.

Am Yisrael khai.

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Jewish Cemetery Building Burned and Vandalized in Vienna

Jewish Cemetery Building Burned and Vandalized in Vienna

A building in the Jewish section of Vienna’s Central Cemetery was set ablaze and a swastika and inscription about Hitler were spray-painted on its outer walls on the night of October 31, according to multiple media sources. The fire consumer prayer books, Torah scrolls and pews. Over the weekend an Israeli flag was torn down at the entrance to the main synagogue in Vienna, the Stadttempel, without the removal of an Austrian flag flying next to it. The British-based Jewish charity Community Security Trust which monitors anti-Semitic attacks in Europe reports a 300% increase in Austria, a 240% increase in Germany and a 320% rise in anti-Semitic attacks in Great Britain since October 7. Attacks include the attempted fire-bombing of a synagogue in Berlin, the marking of Jewish homes and businesses with stars of David in Paris and the physical assault of at least one person carrying an Israeli flag by pro-Palestinian agitators in London, with Community Security Trust reporting 47 physical assaults in Europe overall between October 7 and November 3. November 10 to 11 is usually marked as the anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass or Kristallnacht when Nazis ransacked Jewish homes and businesses and assaulted and killed Jewish people people across Germany and Austria in 1938.

Latest report available here.
Jewish Chronicle report on attacks in Vienna here.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 4:21 P.M. on Friday, November 3, and concludes at 5:34 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 5:36 P.M. on Friday, October 27, and concludes at 6:47 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.

Rabbi Dov Maimon on Growing French but not Belgian Sympathies towards Israel

Rabbi Dov Maimon on Growing French but not Belgian Sympathies towards Israel

Perception of the Israel-Gaza Conflict in France
by Dov Maimon, Le Point, October 15, 2023

Exploring France’s Evolving Sympathy for Israel and its Jewish Population: An Analysis

In contrast to previous military conflicts when French public opinion leaned toward supporting the Palestinians, a remarkable shift has emerged in recent days. This shift reflects a surge in sympathy in France towards Israel and its Jewish community driven by a complex interplay of factors connected to evolving dynamics in the Middle East and mounting concerns about the growing threat of Islamic extremism. While this new-found affinity is worth describing, its long-term sustainability remains uncertain, given the various potential factors that could shape public sentiment moving forward. …

Full opinion piece in English here.

Joint Statement of Personal Representatives of OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination on Recent Hamas Attacks on Israel

Joint Statement of Personal Representatives of OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination on Recent Hamas Attacks on Israel

SKOPJE/VIENNA, 14 October 2023–Rabbi Andrew Baker, personal representative on combating anti-Semitism, and associate professor Dr. Regina Polak, personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, made the following statement:

“The horrific Hamas terrorist attacks that shattered this week’s early Shabbat morning calm along Israel’s southern border have shocked the civilized world. The torture and murder of hundreds of innocent civilians–men, women, children and the elderly–and the forceable taking of dozens more as hostages to a fate unknown call to mind even the actions leading to the mass murder of Jews in the dark days of the Holocaust.

“The expressions of support and solidarity of religious leaders, including Muslims, from around the globe are greatly appreciated. Nonetheless, there have been demonstrators in cities across the OSCE region that praise these heinous acts and ‘celebrate’ the murder of Jews. We have also witnessed a surge in anti-Semitism on social media, and Jewish individuals, communities and their institutions are being threatened. We are grateful to the leaders and diplomatic representatives of many OSCE participating States. We ask them all to carefully assess the heightened security concerns that their Jewish citizens face and do whatever is necessary to address them.”

Kabalat Shabat

Kabalat Shabat

Dear members,

You’re invited to Kabalat Shabat prayer service including recitation of kaddish for the innocent Israeli civilians murdered by the Hamas terrorist group. The prayer service will be led by Ba’al Tefillah Viljamas Zitkauskas.

It takes place at 6:00 P.M. this Friday at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius. Prior registration is required by contacting Žana Skudovičienė at zanas@sc.lzb.lt or (+370) 678 81514.

Am Yisrael khai!

Quiz Series: Israeli Victories

Quiz Series: Israeli Victories

This Sunday’s semi-regular quiz will be dedicated to hope. For the second week Israel is at war with the Hamas terrorist organization. Although many expect victory for Israel, many also expect it to be long in coming. This illustrates well the millennia-long history of the Jews which has been victorious but also very painful.

We invite everyone to come take part in the quiz, but also to spend some time together and talk. As usual, actor, writer and journalist Arkadijus Vinokuras will be master of ceremonies. The event will be streamed on facebook.

Time: 2:00 P.M., Sunday, October 22
Location: Bagel Shop Café

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 6:08 P.M. on Friday, October 13, and concludes at 7:17 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region.

Lithuanian Schools Closed Due to Bomb Threats

Lithuanian Schools Closed Due to Bomb Threats

Schools, kindergartens and universities across Lithuania were closed in the early afternoon Friday as numerous emails in Russian and Lithuanian were received claiming bombs had been placed at these locations. This followed the same threats made to schools in Klaipėda Thursday as Lithuanian military and security forces were scheduled to carry out drills on the marine liquified natural gas terminal located there. Police spokesmen said the same threats were made in Latvia and Estonia over previous days. They said the threatening emails in Lithuania were in Russian with some in Lithuanian and contained two separate demands: ransom for “de-mining” the schools, and political demands Lithuania stop supporting the Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

The Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium in Vilnius decided several days ago to cancel in-school classes Friday and to conduct lessons via internet instead because Hamas had called upon supporters to attack Jewish institutions around the world on October 13. Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman told Lithuanian media the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius was closed and almost all staff at the LJC were working from home. All events and programs scheduled at the LJC have been cancelled for now, according to LJC executive director Michailas Segal. Chairwoman Kukliansky said the regional Jewish communities had all been apprised of growing security concerns.

Lithuanian police had started making regular patrols outside the Sholem Aleichem school and the Choral Synagogue since the Hamas attack on southern Israel last Saturday.

Update: Around 1,500 schools and educational institutions received bomb threats again on Monday, October 16.

Pro-Palestinian Protests, Rash of Attacks on Jews around the World

Pro-Palestinian Protests, Rash of Attacks on Jews around the World

Israel War: Hamas Attacks Lead to Rising Anti-Semitism
by Beth Bailey, October 12, 2023, Washington Examiner

As another devastating side effect of the deadly October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israeli civilians, Jews around the world are becoming the targets of anti-Semitic hate. First came celebrations of the slaughter. In Cyprus; Sydney, Australia; Ontario and Toronto, Canada; Beirut; Damascus; Baghdad; Cairo and Ramallah supporters of Palestinian resistance came together to applaud attacks on the Israeli state.

The Anti-Defamation League tracked 39 anti-Israel rallies in the United States. They included events in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Anaheim, San Francisco, Columbus, Tampa Bay, Albuquerque, Providence, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. In New York one reveler displayed pictures of dead Israelis on his phone. Another showed off a picture of a Nazi swastika. A speaker in Philadelphia attested that “every person who died yesterday wasn’t innocent. Every Israeli settler by default is a terrorist.” In Chicago, crowds chanted, “No Zionism in our town.”

“Make no mistake,” a speaker told crowds in D.C., “We are in celebration.”

These celebrations soon gave way to acts of outright anti-Semitism.

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Guests from Kupiškis Join Sukkot Celebrations in Panevėžys

Guests from Kupiškis Join Sukkot Celebrations in Panevėžys

A delegation from the town of Kupiškis attended the Sukkot celebration by the Panevėžys Jewish Community and presented a new book and student art exhibit about the former Jewish community in the small town.

The local history book “Kupiškio žydų bendruomenės atspindžiai. Kupiškėnų atsiminimai apie žydų bendruomenė” [Reflections of the Kupiškis Jewish Community: Kupiškis Residents Recall the Jewish Community” was compiled by historian Aušra Jonušytė who also delivered an address at the Sukkot celebration about the former Kupiškis Jewish community and their fate. Book illustrators Augustė Žalkauskaitė, Nojus Pajarskas and Vytė Sabaliauskaitė spoke about their work on the book.

Kupiškis regional NGO coalition executive chairwoman Marytė Semaškienė and art school principal Daiva Šakickienė also spoke in Panevėžys. Šakickienė’s students from the Kupiškis Art School also presented an exhibit of their works of art revolving around the former Kupiškis Jewish community.

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Intellectual Heritage of Vilner Jews

Intellectual Heritage of Vilner Jews

The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and the Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities invite you to attend an international conference called “The Intellectual Heritage of the Jews of Vilnius” on October 10 and 11 at the Lithuanian Academy located at Gedimino prospect no. 3 in Vilnius.

According to the Lithuanian Academy’s press release:

“Thanks to the support of the Research Council of Lithuania, we were able to invite such world-renowned experts in Jewish history and culture as Israel Bartal, David Fishman, David Roskies, Benjamin Brown, Alex Lubotzky, Marcin Wodzinski, Jon Seligman, Avner Holtzman, Tsvia Walden, Mordechai Zalkin and others.

“The conference will also feature presentations by prominent Lithuanian scholars: Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, Lara Lempertienė, Jurgita Verbickienė and doctoral student Saulė Valiūnaitė.”

A program is available in English here.

For more information, visit the Lithuanian Academy’s website here.

Simchat Torah at the Choral Synagogue

Simchat Torah at the Choral Synagogue

The Choral Synagogue in Vilnius will provide the following prayer services for Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah:

October 6

6:30 P.M. Kabalat Shabat and Hag Shmini

October 7

10:00 A.M. Shacharit
11:00 A.M. Megilat Kohelet (reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes)
12:00 noon Yizkor
7:40 Simchat Torah eve with hakafot dance/procession

October 8

10:00 A.M. Shacharit with hakafot
11:00 A.M. Torah reading

Discussion Club on Sukkot and Other Jewish Holidays: How Do They Compare with Lithuanian Holidays?

Discussion Club on Sukkot and Other Jewish Holidays: How Do They Compare with Lithuanian Holidays?

The 15th of Tishrei, which fell on Friday, September 29 this year, is when Sukkot, one of the more important Jewish holidays, begins. Jewish families pitch a tent or build a booth where every day, except on the Sabbath, they “dwell,” meaning they spend some time at the table inside, or spend the night in warmer climes. This is meant to remind us of the 40 years the Hebrew people dwelt in the desert following the exodus from Egypt living in tents.

The ŽydiškiPašnekesiai discussion club led by writer and journalist Arkadijus Vinokuras is inviting participants to come inside the traditional sukka this Wednesday, October 4, to talk about the Jewish holidays in the fall season.

“Sukkot is a week-long Jewish holiday which is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur. Sukkot celebrates the harvest and recalls God’s miraculous protection to the children of Israel after the exodus from Egypt. We celebrate Sukkot in a booth called a sukka decorated with vegetation and by handling the four species of vegetation,” Vinokuras said.

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Telzh Yeshiva Reopens to Public

Telzh Yeshiva Reopens to Public

The famous Telzh (Tels, Telšiai, Telz) Yeshiva, a cultural heritage site, has reopened with a new public use. Last week a branch of the Alka Museum opened its doors inside the yeshiva building. The new museum space housed in the Jewish school will feature and protect the Jewish material heritage there.

The Telzh Yeshiva exhibit there was set up based on the yizkor Sefer Ṭelz (Sefer Ṭelz (Liṭa): matsevet zikaron li-ḳehilah ḳedoshah) compiled by Yitzhak Alperowitz and published in Israel in 1984. In 2022 the books was translated into Lithuanian as “Telšiai. Atminties knyga” [Telzh: Book of Memory], opening the door for Lithuanian speakers to discover the traces of Jewish life in the small town and find out more about its history.

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