Wooden Synagogue in Alanta Renovated
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LJC, International Comminission and Olga Lengyel Institute Holding Holocaust Seminars for Teachers
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LJC Chairwoman Faina Kukliansky Speaks at Commemoration of Grosse
Aktion in Kaunas
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Šiauliai Opens Righteous Gentile Square at the Intersection of Vilniaus and Ežero Streets at Former Ghetto Gates
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"Symphony from Jerusalem of the North” Mark Day of Lithuanian Jewish Victims of Genocide in Presidential Courtyard
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The renovated synagogue in Žiežmariai will become a new cultural center. The first synagogue in appeared sometime between 1690 and 1696. In the 19th century there three synagogues. Not surprising, since the majority of the population were Jewish. This synagogue which has survived and has now been renovated stands in the southern part of town between Vilniaus and Žalgirio streets, with the Strėva river flowing from southeastward from there.
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The Lithuanian Post Office has issued a stamp commemorating 300 years since the birth of the Vilna Gaon
The Lithuanian Post Office has issued a stamp commemorating 300 years since the birth of the Vilna Gaon
with a face value of 0.81 euros, enough to mail letters abroad.
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Lithuania Marks 300th Anniversary of Birth of Vilna Gaon, 2020 Named Year of the Gaon and Litvak History.
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Most important events at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in 2018
Most important events at the Lithuanian Jewish Community in 2018
Revival of Jewish Scouting in Lithuania: The first new Litvak scouting camping trip with children from Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Panevėžys and Molėtai took place August 24 to 26.
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Jewish newspapers and advertisements from Vilnius in the period between the two world wars. Jews and other minorities were given equal rights in the reconstituted Lithuanian state. Yiddish thrived with many newspapers and books published in the language.
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Happy Birthday, Valdas Adamkus

Happy Birthday, Valdas Adamkus

The Lithuanian Jewish Community wishes former president Valdas Adamkus a very happy 100th birthday. One hundred years of meaningful work, wisdom, love for Lithuania and human respect. Your life, civic-mindedness and dedication to Lithuania are an inseparable part of the history of our country. The Lithuanian Jewish Community holds your friendship, attention to Litvak history, culture and commemoration and your respect for the human being in the highest esteem. Thank you for your sincerity, warmth and openness. Mazl tov. Bis 120!

Dedication to Ona Šimaitė: Concert to Celebrate Lithuania’s Righteous Gentiles

Dedication to Ona Šimaitė: Concert to Celebrate Lithuania’s Righteous Gentiles

A concert tour to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the naming of Vilnius University librarian Ona Šimaitė as a Righteous Gentile is coming to Vilnius November 11.

Performers include Rokas Vaitkevičius on cello, Simona Zajančauskaitė playing piano and Tadas Daujotas blowing the shofar horn.

Tickets cost 10 euros and are available here. More information here.

Time: 5:00 P.M., Wednesday, November 11
Place: Theater Hall, Vilnius University, Vilnius

Jacques Lipchitz Discussion at Vilna Gaon Museum

Jacques Lipchitz Discussion at Vilna Gaon Museum

The Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum will host a discussion on Jacques Lipchitz, the artistic influence Vilnius had on his development, Vilnius cultural life in the early 20th century, Vilnius art guilds, the Vilnius Drawing School and other topics. The discussion will be in Lithuanian and the entrance fee is the cost of a museum ticket, €12,00. Samuel Bak Museum director Ieva Šadzevičienė will moderate the panel which includes art historians Laima Laučkaite-Surgailiene .and Jolanta Širkaite

Time: 6:00 P.M., Wednesday, November 4
Place: Samuel Bak Museum aka the Tolerance Center, Naugarduko street no. 10, Vilnius

Secret Order behind Jewish Holidays

Secret Order behind Jewish Holidays

by Rabbi Eric Coopersmith, September 17, 2026

The Jewish calendar follows an arc that consists of a seven-stage journey, starting with a broken relationship and ending with the joy of reconciliation.

The Jewish holidays aren’t isolated celebrations scattered across the calendar. Together, they form a carefully structured system of spiritual growth. Each holiday marks another stage in the development of our relationship with God.

We begin with distance and brokenness, gradually rediscover our longing for closeness, recommit ourselves to serving God, remove the barriers separating us from Him, and ultimately arrive at reconciliation, joy, and intimacy.

This journey has seven stops, beginning with Tisha B’Av and culminating in Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

1. Tisha B’Av: The Relationship Is Broken

The journey begins on Tisha B’Av, when we confront the painful reality that our relationship with God is in crisis.

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Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 4:47 P.M. on Friday, October 30, and concludes at 5:41 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit and prayers recited at 4:29 P.M. and completed before sunset at 4:47 P.M. October 31 is Halloween, or All Hallows’ Eve, the evening before the fast on All Saints’ Day, November 1, in the Christian calendar. The holidays were intended to honor collectively the early Christians martyred by the Roman Empire who were called saints.

Attack on Israeli Embassy to Serbia

Attack on Israeli Embassy to Serbia

Photo: Darko Vojinovic/AP

A teenage boy shouting “Allahu akbar” threw a knife at a policeman outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, just after midnight early Wednesday and was shot dead by the wounded policeman. The Supreme Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade reported the teen had two knives and was dressed all in black.

Serbian interior minister Ivica Dačić said security services had been monitoring the suspect prior to the attack.

“Based on the information available to us so far, he was known as a supporter of the Islamic State. His Instagram profile featured a black flag and symbols associated with the organization,” he told the Associated Press.

This was the second attack at the Israeli embassy in Belgrade in two years. In June of 2024 an assailant shot a Serbian police officer in the neck with a crossbow.

The police officer wounded Wednesday is recovering in hospital. He suffered a cut to his left cheek and is expected to make a full recovery.

Israeli Dance Classes

Israeli Dance Classes

The Lithuanian Jewish Community’s dance club Yakhad Lita invites you to learn Israeli dance, including line dancing and circular dancing to Jewish and popular songs. Natalja Levit, Natalija Augunienė and other veteran dance teachers will share their expertise and guide students through the finer points.

Registration is required by sending an email to zanas@sc.lzb.lt.

Time: 11:00 A.M., every Sunday
Place: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Vilnius

Kaunas Jewish Community Invites You to Concert

Kaunas Jewish Community Invites You to Concert

The Kaunas Jewish Community and the Kaunas City Museum are holding a concert called From Čiurlionis to Today at 5:00 P.M. on November 4 at the Petrauskas House venue. Works include those by Čiurlionis, Balsys, Šenderovas and others. Klezmer Klangen members Ramunė Buikaitė will provide vocals, Saulė Buikaitė will perform on violin and Rasa Vaičiulytė will play piano.

Time: 5:00 P.M., Wednesday, November 4
Place: Petrauskas House, Petrausko street no. 31, Kaunas

New Ninth Fort Book Launched

New Ninth Fort Book Launched

Mexican advertising expert, filmmaker and author Roberto Valdes presented the English translation of his latest book, The 9th Fort (El Noveno Fuerte), at the Aušra Museum in Šiauliai last week. The book is an historical novel combining real events and fictional dialogue to shed light on one of the most obscure chapters of World War II. In just over 24 hours in 1941 around 10,000 Jews were murdered at the Ninth Fort in Kaunas.

The author told the gathering how the book came about and his views on the Holocaust, Lithuania and World War II.

The Aušra Museum invited attendees to take a tour of the new exhibits at the Frenkl mansion there following the book launch. Snacks were served.

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Amir Maimon Visits Šiauliai

Amir Maimon Visits Šiauliai

Former Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon and wife Tal visited the Šiauliai Jewish Community earlier this week. He recalled warmly his first visit to the Community and attended a barbecue with members. He also inspected an oak tree he planted seven years ago.

The group visited the grave of Sania Karbelis. Karbelis was the energetic chairman of the Šiauliai Jewish Community for many years before his unexpected. early death while serving in the post. Amir Maimon performed kaddish at the grave side.

Amir Maimon was sent to Ethiopia in 1990 to open an Israeli embassy there. He was a key figure in Operation Solomon, the airlift and repatriation of 14.325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Maimon was a lieutenant colonel in Israel’s elite paratrooper corps. He served as a diplomat in London, Ottawa, Ankara and Washington, D. C., before becoming Israel’s first ambassador to Lithuania. After that he served until recently as Israel’s ambassador to Australia.

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Likkud Wins Parliamentary Elections

Likkud Wins Parliamentary Elections

Incumbent prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likkud bloc appears to have won 57 seats ahead of Gadi Eisenkot’s Yarash bloc with 47, with more than 50% of votes counted. Neither party achieved a Knesset majority of 61 seats, but were not expected to do so. Israel reports the highest voter turnout since 1999 at 77.7%.

Sabbath Times

Sabbath Times

The Sabbath begins at 6:02 P.M. on Friday, October 23, and concludes at 6:55 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Sabbath candles should be lit and prayers recited at 5:44 P.M. and completed before sunset at 6:02 P.M.

Delegation of Rabbis Visit Lithuania

Delegation of Rabbis Visit Lithuania

They say that every cloud has a silver lining. An antisemitic incident that took place in Vilnius last summer, when an aggressive individual spat at three visiting rabbis from Israel who had done nothing to provoke him, unexpectedly became the starting point for a new relationship and cooperation.

This unpleasant incident brought the international Orthodox Jewish organisation Dirshu and the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community closer together, after the Community came to the assistance of the rabbis who had been attacked.

Recently, a delegation of 90 rabbis from Dirshu visited Vilnius.

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Mini Makabiada

Mini Makabiada

The Lithuanian Makabi Sports and Athletics Club invites sporting enthusiasts and friends of the club to our annual mini-Makabiada on October 25. The event opens at 10:00 A.M. at the Vilnius City Tauras Athletics school at Žygio street no. 46, Vilnius. Participants can play in 3-on-3 basketball, volleyball, table tennis and badminton.

All participants will be invited to lunch after the final matches and awards ceremony. Those wishing to attend should register by October 23 by clicking here. For more information call Daniel at +370 687 83 005.

Time: 10:00 A.M., Sunday, October 25
Place: Vilnius City Tauras Athletics School at Žygio street no. 46, Vilnius

Kaunas Jewish Community and Ninth Fort to Mark 85th Anniversary of Grosse Aktion

Kaunas Jewish Community and Ninth Fort to Mark 85th Anniversary of Grosse Aktion

Eighty-five years ago the persecution and extermination of Lithuanian Jews began. The Nazis and Lithuanian Nazis called their mass murder operations aktionen. The Grosse Aktion, or Great Operation, was the largest single mass murder of Jews in Lithuania, where around 10,000 inmates from the Kaunas ghetto were murdered at the Ninth Fort in just over 24 hours.

The Kaunas Jewish Community and the Ninth Fort Museum invite you to mark the tragedy this year with a commemoration at the Ninth Fort in Kaunas followed by a concert at the fort called Muzik fun zikoyrn, or Music from Memory, featuring the trio Trise, saxophonist Petras Vyšniauskas, pianist Aleksandra Žvirblytė and percussionist Arkadijus Gotesmanas, performing works by Jospeh Achron, Max Helfman, Anatoly Shenderov and others as well as Jewish melodies.

The Ninth Fort Museum will screen a short documentary (by Karolina Vilkelienė, 2026) about the Grosse Aktion during the commemoration there. The commemoration at the Ninth Fort will conclude with a candle-lighting and stone-laying ceremony on the actual killing field.

The event is free and open to the public.

Time: 6:30 P.M., Wednesday, October 28
Place: Ninth Fort Museum, Žemaičių highway no. 73, Kaunas

Šiauliai Jewish Community Visits Kupiškis

Šiauliai Jewish Community Visits Kupiškis

Members of the Šiauliai Jewish Community and guests from Germany took a trip to Kupiškis, a town with a deep and rich Jewish legacy. There they visited the Kupiškis museum and learned about the town’s cultural and historical heritage. Then they took a guided tour of Kupiškis’s central square where once three synagogues operated. Two of the synagogue buildings remain standing. They learned about Kupiškis before the Holocaust, Jewish life, traditions and history there, and that Lithuanians and Jews lived next to one another in peace before the Holocaust.

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Anti-Semitism in England’s Schools

Anti-Semitism in England’s Schools

by Ben Bloch, October 20, 2026

Report set to reveal vast scale of anti-Semitism in English schools

A landmark report is set to detail the vast scale of anti-Semitism in English schools and colleges, Sky News can reveal.

The review, conducted by former schools inspector Sir David Bell, will on Wednesday set out 27 recommendations to create change, which the government is poised to accept in full.

It will call for teacher training and resources to tackle anti-Semitism in schools, strengthened guidance on political impartiality, and giving students the tools to recognize and confront online anti-Jewish hatred and conspiracy theories.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Sir David said he was “very struck” by the evidence of rising anti-Semitism in schools, but also the extent to which it actually goes underreported.

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Rabbis Visiting Lithuania Delighted by Warm Welcome

Rabbis Visiting Lithuania Delighted by Warm Welcome

They say every cloud has a silver lining. Last summer in Vilnius, an antisemitic incident occurred in which an aggressive man spat on three rabbis from Israel who had done nothing to provoke him. Unexpectedly, that incident became the start of a new acquaintance and cooperation.

The unpleasant event brought the international Orthodox Jewish organization Dirshu closer to the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvak) Community, which came to the aid of the attacked rabbis.

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Australia Delays Release of Report by Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism

Australia Delays Release of Report by Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism

Photo: Richard Dobson/News Corp Australia

Commissioner Virginia Bell has defended her push to delay the release of her final report of the anti-Semitism inquiry, saying she did not want to cause a “distraction” for the Jewish community on a “solemn” day of remembrance.

On Wednesday [August 26], the final day of the Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Royal Commission’s public hearings, Bell said the findings would be released on December 18. Commissioner Bell said she is required to present her final report to the Governor General and the governors of all states no later than December 14, but will request a “short extension.”

“December 14 is the anniversary of the massacre. It will be a solemn occasion marked by memorials,” she said. “I’m aware of concern within the Jewish community that delivery of the report on the anniversary would be a distraction. I fully understand that concern and to avoid that distraction, I have asked for a short extension of the term with a view to the submission of my final report on Friday, December 18.”

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