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New US Ambassador Visits LJC

New US Ambassador Visits LJC

Robert Gilchrist, a career diplomat appointed by president Trump to serve as the United States’ ambassador to Lithuania and confirmed by the Senate in late December, made an informal visit to the Lithuanian Jewish Community February 19.

During the visit he met chairwoman Faina Kukliansky, received a tour of the Community building from her, chatted with senior citizens and learned about their club and met Holocaust survivors, including Jewish partisan Fania Brancovskaja.

He also visited the Bagel Shop Café and met children engaged in LJC activities during their winter break from school.

Chairwoman Kukliansky also showed the new ambassador an exhibit on display at the Community on the Righteous Gentiles who rescued Jews from the Holocaust in Lithuania.

Appointed by US president Donald Trump in July, Gilchrist was only confirmed by the Senate in late December after heated questioning about his position on Russia. During his confirmation he called Lithuania one of America’s most loyal allies and said becoming the US ambassador to Lithuania was the honor of his life.

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Hanukkah for Children

Hanukkah for Children

The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Salvija kindergarten are holding a Hanukkah celebration for the youngest members of the community at 5:00 P.M. on Thursday, December 19 at the Lithuanian Jewish Community. The Fayerlakh ensemble and children from Salvija will perform and there will be Hanukkah games, doughnuts and gifts. To find out more or to register, call 8 678 81 514.

Kids: Come Watch the Nutcracker for Hanukkah

Kids: Come Watch the Nutcracker for Hanukkah

The Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Ilan Club for children aged 7 to 12 invite children to come watch the Nutcracker ballet for Hanukkah at noon on December 15 at the Opera and Ballet Theater in Vilnius. Tickets cost 10 euros. Register and pay before December 12, please, by contacting Sofja at sofja@lzb.lt or by calling 8 601 46656.

Photos from the Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot Celebration at the LJC

Photos from the Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot Celebration at the LJC

The Lithuanian Jewish Community invited members and members of the Gesher, Kavaret and Rikudey Am Clubs as well as students from the Raimondas Savickas Art Studio and from the Community’s Hebrew classes to come celebrate two holidays–Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot–at once on October 10. Žana Skudovičienė organized and conducted the festivities, delivering a thank-you speech at the beginning to the heads of the clubs, studio and classes. Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky gave holiday greetings to all participants and spoke about the preceding year, 5779, saying the Community had a lot to be proud of but that there is always room for improvement. The performance by the Fayerlakh group enhanced the evening and made it complete.

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Vilnius, Jerusalem of Lithuania Jewish Community Gives New Book to Holocaust Survivors

Vilnius, Jerusalem of Lithuania Jewish Community Gives New Book to Holocaust Survivors

The Vilnius, Jerusalem of Lithuania Jewish Community has provided every member of the Union of Former Ghetto and Concentration Camp Inmates a copy of the Russian edition of the book “Irena Veisaitė: Life SHould Be Transpartent” by A. Švedas and translated by Anna Gerasimova, published by the Lithuanian Jewish Community. The Social Programs Department will help us distribute the book to senior citizens living outside Vilnius. Thank you!

Dance and Day Camp for Children

On Sunday, October 20, the Dubi, Ilan and Mishpoca Clubs invite children to an evening of dance with Jelizaveta Volynskaja together with tiny dancers from the Fayerlakh song and dance ensemble. From October 28 to October 31 children aged 7 to 12 are invited to the Amehaye Fall Camp at the Lithuanian Jewish Community. Registration is required. Please call Sofja at 8 601 46656 or write her at sofja@lzb.lt to register or for more information. An on-line registration form for the camp is posted here:

http://bit.ly/35IanQ4

From Rosh Hashanah to Sukkot Celebration

Celebrate “From Rosh Hashanah to Sukkot” at 6:00 P.M. on October 10 at the Lithuanian Jewish Community and come meet members of the LJC’s various programs, including the seniors’ Gesher Club, the Kaveret young families’ club, Israeli dance club Rikudei Am, the Students’ Club and students in the Hebrew courses.

Program: song, dance, traditional Jewish fall treats, an exhibit and sale of Jewish-themed work by Olga Kapustina and musicians and dancers of the Fayerlakh collective.

Registration required. Call 8 678 81514 or write zanas@sc.lzb.lt

Rositsan and Maccabi Elite Chess and Checkers Club Celebrates 30th Birthday

Rositsan and Maccabi Elite Chess and Checkers Club Celebrates 30th Birthday

The Rositsan and Maccabi Elite Chess and Checkers Club celebrated its 30th birthday Sunday with a gathering of well-known Lithuanian chess players, families and children.

Everyone congratulated Boris Rositsan on the milestone, including Israeli ambassador Yossi Levy, Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky, Lithuanian politician Vytautas Landsbergis and others.

Two brothers, FIDE chess master Boris and Michail Rositsan, founded the chess club 30 years ago using their own money and enthusiasm.

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Sunday School Activities for Children at the LJC

Activities include:

English lessons from 10:00 to 11:00 A.M. with Viačeslav Mlynkovskij, a teacher at the Sholem Aleichem school, in the Ilan Club room.

Hebrew lessons from 11:15 A.M. to 12 noon in the conference hall on the second floor.

Traditions from 12 noon to 12:45 P.M. in the conference hall on the second floor.

For more information and to register, contact teacher Ruth Reches, ruthreches@gmail.com

Children’s Safety Questioned after Swastika Appears at LJC

Children’s Safety Questioned after Swastika Appears at LJC

Children’s events, workshops, clubs and so forth are held often at the Lithuanian Jewish Community, as are Hebrew lessons, chess matches and Jewish holiday events attended by children. The safety of children attending events at the LJC is being called into question by the appearance of a swastika just meters from the front door. Its appearance coincided with the Peoples Fair inside, where children were preparing to give a concert. The goal of the Peoples Fair is to bring together the ethnic minority communities who call Lithuania home.

While the children were getting ready for the concert upstairs, down at the Bagel Shop Café a group of 43 elderly religious Jews from Jerusalem were holding prayers and waiting for breakfast when the swastika appeared, even closer to the front door of the kosher food outlet.

Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliaksy said there should actually be reverse discrimination for the Lithuanian Jewish Community considering how small it is now following the Holocaust.

No other state in Europe fails to provide protection and security for its Jewish community.

Happy Birthday to Maja Moskvina

Happy Birthday to Maja Moskvina

Birthday greetings to long-time volunteer doctor at the LJC’s Social Department Maja Moskovina. We love and respect our doctor with her positive and comforting manner, smile and professional explanations to clients on medicine and infirmities.

May you live to 120! Mazl tov!

Amehaye Children’s Summer Day Camp

Amehaye Children’s Summer Day Camp

Children aged 6 to 12 are invited to attend the 2019 Amehaye children’s summer day camp. Parents with younger children aged at least 4 can also contact the organizers for their children to attend. This year the camp will be held at the scenic Karvys mansion estate next to Lake Karvys in the Vilnius region from July 1 to 12. Please contact Sofja at sofja@lzb.lt or by telephone at +370 601 46656 for more information on how to register before June 14. An electronic registration form is available in Lithuanian here.

Creative Activity

Creative Activity

The Ilan and Dubi Clubs of the Lithuanian Jewish Community are holding a creative activity at the Artistic Village traditional arts and crafts center in the Bebrusai village in the Molėtai region from 10:45 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Sunday, May 26. Registration is open till May 24. Transportation from the Community to the village and back will be provided. Call Sofja at +370 601 46656 or send an email to sofja@lzb.lt

Ilan Club Invites Children to Another Animation Workshop

Ilan Club Invites Children to Another Animation Workshop

The Ilan Club invites children to another animation workshop this Sunday, May 12, at 1:30 P.M., at the Ilan Club on the second floor of the Lithuanian Jewish Community at Pylimo street no. 4 in Vilnius.

Registration is required. Send an email to sofja@lzb.lt or call 8 601 46656

We will create scenes for an animated film. We will draw, move and film and use this material to create animated characters. The children themselves will be the main characters in the cartoon.

Hebrew and English Summer Day Camp for Children

Hebrew and English Summer Day Camp for Children

The Hebrew and English summer day camp in Vilnius is a summer camp for younger children where they will receive fun lessons and get a chance to use their knowledge of the Hebrew and English languages, to play with people their own age and dive into the wonderful and enthralling world of learning.

It is for children aged 6 to 11. The camp will run from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. from June 10 to 14.

Children will engage in four academic hours of Hebrew and English activities in the morning. According to age and level of proficiency, language group activities will work on all four aspects of language acquisition: listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Activities and excursions in the afternoon are oriented towards fostering creativity and learning about the social and cultural environment. Children will be guided by camp leaders at the creative workshops in carrying out creative tasks.

Snacks, lunch and excursions are included in the cost for the camp.

For more information and to register, contact Ruth at +37068689530.

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Happy Birthday to Eta Gurvičiūtė

Happy Birthday to Eta Gurvičiūtė

Eta Gurvičiūtė is a long-time member of the Community and worked at the LJC’s Medical Consultation Center for many years.

Dear Eta, the Lithuanian Jewish Community wishes you good health and all the warmth you have given to others. We always remember you and sincerely congratulate you on your birthday. May the coming years bring you happiness, strong health and fun.

Mazl tov! May you live to 120!

The World of Animation at the Ilan Club

The World of Animation at the Ilan Club

Probably all of us wanted to learn how to make animated cartoons in our childhood. This dream came true at the Ilan Club with married couple Jurijus and Milana Rozovskis. On Sunday, April 28, children were invited to make a cartoon with them. Ilan Club was transformed into a real animation studio.

The group decided to animate the classic Russian fairytale Turnip (репа) well known in Lithuanian translation (Ropė). They added to the story with new characters and they themselves became protagonists in the tale.

Milana and Jurijus told and showed the children how make the animation characters move and have facial expressions. The children enthusiastically listened, drew, cut out, painted and posed for the animated film.

Milana answered a few questions for us as well:

Milana, was this activity your idea?

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World of Balloons a Great Hit at Ilan Club

World of Balloons a Great Hit at Ilan Club

Ilan Club director Sofja and several assistants welcomed over 20 children aged from about 3 to 8 to a balloon workshop Sunday, March 31. Children were shown how to blow up long skinny balloons using a hand-pump, after which the adults leading the activity tied them off and showed the children how to shape them into various forms, including dogs, swords and crowns. Stickers were made available to decorate the balloons. Following the activity the children were treated to juice and snacks.

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