Social center

Steering Committee for Social Center Activities Formed

Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky has issued a directive to establish the Steering Committee of Stakeholders for Social Committee Activities. The task of the committee is make and implement essential decisions on Social Center activities, including the need for specific actions, structure of the center, its budget, new programs and other matters.

The committee is constituted of the following community leaders: Faina Kukliansky; deputy chairwoman Maša Grodnik; the doctors Ella Gurina (a member of the LJC executive board) and Arkadijus Goldinas; Kaunas Jewish Community chairman Gercas Žakas; Šiauliai Jewish Community chairman Josifas Buršteinas; ghetto organization representatives Rozeta Ramonienė and Gita Grinmanienė; and JDC representatives Baltic Region director Moni Beniosev and Baltic States Welfare director Marina Astanovskaja. Simas Levinas and Michailas Segal represent the LJC Social Center on the committee. The meeting was exemplary with Žakas, Grodnikienė, Beniosev and the doctors Gurina and Goldinas sharing interesting ideas.

Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky summed up the meeting and promised to consider the committee’s proposals in drawing up the LJC budget for 2016. Meetings are planned every quarter.

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A Mehaye Winter Camp 2015

The A Mehaye Winter Camp is an event for children and juveniles aged 7 to 17 and will take place from December 24 to 30 this year. You are urged to register now.

Cost: 100 euros (plus 30 euros deposit) per individual, 180 euros for two siblings (plus 30 euros deposit).

For more information, please call +37068542463 or +37069920212.

LJC Social Center Jewish Family Service Celebrates Hanukkah

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The Jewish Family Service of the Social Center at the Lithuanian Jewish Community held a Hanukkah celebration December 10 for children and parents which included a creative workshop. An experienced developmental psychologist who several years ago led Purim programs for children served as guide at the event. First the children watched a short film about Hanukkah and associated traditions, then in the art workshop portion of the program the children and their parents used colored sand to create a decorative menorah. The children enthusiastically used many different colors to represent the flames. They framed their pictures and then continued to work on them using different decorations. After the work was done, there was a treasure hunt for Hanukkah gelt, gift-giving, dreidl play and snacks of fresh doughnuts.

Approximately thirty children and parents participated. They reported having a lot of fun and said they would remember the event for a long time to come.

More snapshots from the event here.

Ilan Club Visits Toy Museum

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Last Sunday the Ilan Club visited the Toy Museum. The children had fun with their supervisors and had an interesting and instructive time. Museum guides provided a tour and showed the children old-fashioned toys, and spoke about their effect on development and use. There was a total of 17 participants and all of them said they had a good time.

Snapshots:

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Lithuanian Jewish Community Welcomes New Youth Programs Coordinator

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The LJC welcomes to our staff Pavel Guliakov, the new coordinator of youth programs for the community.

The son of members of the community, former Sholem Aleichem Gymnasium student and college student graduated with honors, Pavel is now our coordinator of youth programs and assistant to Valentin Solomiak. His bachelor’s work, not coincidentally, focused on the history of Jewish Vilna. Many of us already know him since he has worked as a volunteer at youth clubs for about a decade now. Pavel has the true calling of a teacher and likes working with children. Currently the work schedule of the coordinator is filled with meetings and lessons at the regional communities. Events will be held in Šiauliai and Kaunas in the near future. Last week Pavel attended the seminars held by the JDC for Jewish communities aimed at providing greater academic qualifications called “Project Organization, Problem Solving.” The new coordinator says he learned a lot of useful things he will apply in his main work with the Ilan, Knafaim and Students Clubs.

We wish him all the success in the world in his new post, coordinating the very future of the Community.

Social Center Takes Children to See Play

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On November 21 the Lithuanian Jewish Community Social Center’s program the Jewish Family Service took children and parents to the formerly Jewish theater to watch a fun performance of the Three Little Pigs. Twenty-six people turned out for the event. We would like to thank the Goodwill Fund which made it possible for us to attend. It was a lot of fun for everyone.

The coordinator of the program is planning more such cultural events for families to allow children and their parents to have a good time together during the dark and chilly days of fall.

Children’s Event at the Klaipėda Jewish Community

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Sunday the Klaipėda Jewish Community hosted an event for children on the topic of the State of Israel. The hands-on event acquainted the children with Israeli geography and they “traveled” through an interactive virtual Land of Israel, stopping at historical sites and attractions. A bird’s-eye view of Israel from the sky was projected onto a screen, providing children with interesting views of the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. New counselors from Vilnius demonstrated their ability to conduct appropriate and interesting lessons for children of all ages. Everyone had snacks at the end.

Photo gallery here.

Sunday at the Ilan Children’s Club

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Sunday children at the Ilan Club spent time with club counselors and discussed the important topic of Jewish homes. It was an informative conversation about Jewish family values. After the serious stuff was over, the kids played different games with various goals. The time passed quickly and after the games there was additional discussion of Jewish homes, then snacks.

Snapshots from a fun Sunday here.

Everyone Invited to the Gesher Club

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Everyone is invited to begin the Sabbath with the Gesher Club this Friday, November 20, at 7:00 P.M.

Come and meet friends, and bring your board games!

For more information, call Alla Segal at 861061812 or Irina Frišman at 868687580.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Lithuanian Jewish Student Union Invites You

to a free screening of the film “Dėdė Chackelis” [“Uncle Chatskel”]

Registration required. Send your full name and telephone number and the full names of any companion you intend to bring by email to atamuleviciutes@gmail.com

The screening is to take place at 6:00 P.M. on Wednesday, November 18 at the Jewish Culture and Information Center located at Mėsinių street No. 3A/5 in Vilnius.

Dėdė Chackelis (1999) is a documentary film by Litvak Rod Freedman about Chackelis Lemchenas, one of Lithuania’s most famous linguists whom Jonas Jablonskis called his best student. This fact helped save him from Lithuanian Holocaust perpetrators.

to donate clothes, books and items

The Lithuanian Jewish Student Union and the Social Center of the Lithuanian Jewish Community invite you to join the campaign and share the clean and neat clothes you no longer wear, books and items to the Social Center for distribution to the needy. You may leave clothes in the bins next to the guard inside the entrance of the Community building or contact amit.belaite@gmail.com

to participate in a photography project

Very soon we will begin a photography project to document the stories of Jews living in Lithuania today. If you’d like to be part of it and have the time at your convenience to have and receive a professional photographic portrait and tell your story, write an email to amit.belaite@gmail.com with PHOTO PROJECT in the subject line, and please include alternate ways to contact you.

Knafaim and Ilan Clubs to Meet

This weekend we will host the following programs :

KNAFAIM – Friday 18:30 P.M. We are taking teens for a special event to Labirinthus (see https://www.facebook.com/labyrinthusgame) and we will celebrate Sabbath there.

ILAN – Sunday at 3.00 P.M. Kids will have a peula on the topic of Jewish values. At about 4:30 P.M. there will be a quiz. Havdala ceremony and story at around 5.30 P.M.

Training for camp and club counselors – Sunday 12 noon. Around 20 young leaders will gather
to acquire more knowledge on Jewish topics.

Jewish Family Service Attends Theater Performance

On Saturday, September 26, the Jewish Family Service of the Lithuanian Jewish Community’s Social Center took children and their parents to the Lėlė Theater, originally established as a theater in the Vilnius ghetto by Jewish intellectuals, to watch a play called “The Tale of a Turtle,” which was surprisingly funny for both the kids and their parents. The event was intended to mark the holiday of Sukkot. Twenty-five people attended the event which was free of charge and funded by the Goodwill Fund. The theater also chipped in and provided us several tickets free of charge, for which we are very grateful. The parents and children had a wonderful time and were quite thankful as well. Coordinator Rašelė Šeraitė is planning many more such events for the families to allow them to spend quality time together and share fond memories later.

Jewish Family Service party

Jewish Family Service party

On Sunday, September 13, just before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish Family Service of the Social Center at the Lithuanian Jewish Community hosted a holiday activities event for children. Children with their parents’ help painted Rosh Hashanah symbols and New Year’s greetings on silk. There were also traditional holiday treats. About 30 people attended, including parents and children of different ages.

Anniversary Celebration of the Abi Men Zet Zich Club

Anniversary Celebration of the Abi Men Zet Zich Club

On May 12 the senior citizens club Abi Men Zet Zich (Yiddish for “as long as we’re together”) celebrated the club’s birthday at the Jasche Heifetz hall of the Lithuanian Jewish Community.

Seventeen years ago elderly Litvaks met to see old friends, share Jewish happiness and sorrow and formed the club which continues today.

The seniors celebrated the club’s anniversary with a dramatic musical presentation called “Amol in Pilimovke…” (“Once on Pylimo…”). The performance was a highly entertaining, imaginative and sincere musical drama which was received well by the audience.

There was no lack of warm wishes for the future and food at the birthday party, and there was a large birthday cake as well.

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