The Sabbath begins at 3:57 P.M. on Friday, November 15 and concludes at 5:16 P.M. on Saturday in the Vilnius region. Saturday is also International Tolerance Day. 頑張って ください！
Today Jews around the world will celebrate the Sabbath together under the auspices of the Global Sabbath Project, which includes World Challa-Making Day. The Lithuanian Jewish Community invites everyone to come and make challa bread together beginning at 3:00 P.M. today, Friday, November 15. Besides making bread, we will also learn about the Sabbath, enjoy some live music and share Jewish cooking traditions. The best loaf will be chosen as the winner.
Time: 3:00 P.M., Friday, November 15
Place: Bagel Shop Café, Lithuanian Jewish Community, Vilnius
Rabbi Warren Goldstein sends special Sabbath Project greetings to LJC:
An estimated 4,000 people gathered on the evening of November 14 during the Lithuanian capital’s first snowfall to protest against Remigijus Žemaitaitis, who was inaugurated as MP inside the parliament earlier that evening.
Conservative Party and Liberal Union MPs left the chamber when Žemaitaitis took an oath to uphold the Lithuanian constitution.
Žemaitaitis catapulted to infamy in the early spring of 2023 by making anti-Israel and anti-Semitic statements on his facebook page. His party’s parliamentary faction and then the party as a whole expelled him. Lithuania’s Constitutional Court found he had violated oath of office by calling for the murder of Jews.
He used the notoriety to form his own political party called Nemuno Aušra, or Dawn of the Nieman River, which placed third in recent elections to parliament, placing close to the Conservative Party in second place.
Initially pledging not to include Nemuno Aušra in any future coalition, the Social Democratic Party who took first place in elections reneged on that promise. Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda said he wouldn’t approve any Nemuno Aušra MPs as ministers in a coalition government. Žemaitaitis said he would fill three ministerial posts promised him by the social democrats with non-party members.
A sister protest was held in Kaunas across the street from the municipality’s Christmas tree display currently being set up. An estimated 500 people attended that protest. There was also a small protest in Tauragė.
More information available here.
The annual Darna festival to celebrate the International Day of Tolerance will be held at two adjacent locations this year: the Lithuanian Jewish Community and the Cvi Park Israeli street-food kiosk and performance space across the street. The festival will include live music, poetry and photography exhibits.
Besides the usual food, drink and friends, this year’s festival will also include musical performances by students from the Sholem Aleichem ORT Gymnasium, National Opera and Ballet Theater soloist Julija Stupnianek-Kalėdiene and then that soloist’s own program performed together with Giedrė Muralytė and Lina Žutautaitė. Poetry by Indrė Valantinaitė and Tina del Mar on cello will also feature, and Toma Čepaitė will perform on the traditional Lithuanian stringed instrument the kanklės. Violinist Dalia Dėdinskaitė, cellist Gleb Pyšniak and accordionist Tadas Motiečius will perform together as Arts Lituanica. Walter Delahunt and his band of friends from Canada will also perform. Accomplished DJs will round out the night.
Dear members and friends,
You’re invited to a Havdalah ceremony to usher out the Sabbath Saturday evening.
This is a multisensory experience involving scents, the lighting of candles, wine and prayers sung together with cantor Shmuel Yaatom to make the coming week blessed.
Time: 5:30 P.M., Saturday, November 16
Place: Lithuanian Jewish Community, Pylimo street no. 4, Vilnius
Shavua tov!
by Feliksas Puzemskis
In his statements Remigijus Žemaitaitis often talks about his cooperation with the chairman of the Klaipėda Jewish Community. The question arising to many people is how I can remain in contact with representatives of the Nemuno Aušra party led by a politician who has been recognized as an anti-Semite by the Constitutional Court of Lithuania.
I would like to reiterate the position of the Klaipėda Jewish Community condemning Remigijus Žemaitaitis’s anti-Semitic statements and sowing of ethnic discord.
As chairman of the Klaipėda Jewish Community, I am not able not to be in contact with the director and deputy mayor of the municipality of Klaipėda, but I would like to point out that all of my contacts with representatives of the ruling majority of the Klaipėda municipality have been regarding economic and practical issues affecting our Community.
Incidentally, when representatives of the Nemuno Aušra joined the coalition governing Klaipėda, one municipal specialist allowed himself to perform actions which did incite ethnic discord against the Jews of Klaipėda. This is yet another example of how Remigijus Žemaitaitis’s anti-Semitic rhetoric is encouraging anti-Semitism.
Feliksas Puzemskis, chairman
Klaipėda Jewish Community
by Stasys Gudavičius, November 11, 2024, Verslo žinios
“I believe that a mistake was made, and the coalition has weeks to prove this wasn’t a mistake,” Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda told reporters Monday.
He reported he had met with the Social Democrat Party’s pick for prime minister Gintautas Paluckas, Social Democrat Party leader Vilija Blinkevičiūtė and Democratic Union chairman Saulius Skvernelis Monday morning.
Full story in Lithuanian here.
by Ingrida Steniulienė, November 13, ELTA
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said statements by Nemuno Aušra party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis are insulting and offensive to her as a person.
“He called for killing Jews, that’s how it seemed to me,” Kukliansky said Wednesday during questioning at a hearing of the Vilnius District Court.
She was testifying in a case against Žemaitaitis for sowing hatred against Jews and for supporting, denying or belittling international crimes.
“He is inciting [hatred] against certain groups of people without knowing history. I can’t understand this in any other way,” she told the court. Kukliansky is an attorney by profession.
Photo: Josvydas Elinskas/ELTA
by Ingrida Steniulienė, November 13, 2024, ELTA
Prosecutor Justas Laucius has asked a Lithuanian court to empower prosecutor general Nida Grunskienė to make a request to the Lithuanian parliament for removing parliamentary legal immunity for Remigijus Žemaitaitis, the leader of the party Nemuno Aušra who faces trial for sowing ethnic discord with anti-Semitic statements he made on social media and to the press.
The prosecutor asked the Vilnius District Court Wednesday to take into account Žemaitaitis is to give his oath of office as a member of parliament Thursday and will gain legal immunity granted to all MPs in Lithuania.
Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky attended the hearing and gave testimony. She spoke with reporters after the hearing and noted Jews do not now feel safe in Lithuania. She refuted claims Žemaitaitis made earlier about his own statements, including his posting without preamble of an anti-Semitic Lithuanian song calling on children to beat Jews to death with sticks which he later claimed was a citation of Lithuanian folklore.
by Liova Kaplan
Being a musician, a pianist and a piano teacher, I also like singing and songs. Different songs–happy and sad, French and German, Yiddish and Russian, classic and folk songs, etc.
But one children’s song, a Lithuanian folk song which unfortunately I have heard many times growing up in Lithuania makes me very angry and sad. Many generations of Lithuanians have been raised hearing and often singing this folk song.
A Jew is climbing a ladder
Suddenly he is falling
Children! Take a wooden stick
And kill the Jew!
Over 30 NGOs have urged Lithuania’s Social Democrat Party to exclude the Nemunas Dawn party, whose leader lost his seat in parliament over anti-Semitic remarks, from the next ruling coalition following recent elections.
“As we live in a time of war, the common European values and the support of our Western allies are the cornerstone of our security.” Laura Tatarelyte, executive director of the European Movement, wrote in the open letter. “Therefore, we cannot afford to undermine our mutual trust and the country’s reputation in the eyes of the international community where any manifestation of anti-Semitism is strongly condemned.”
The open letter was initiated by the European Movement and the Lithuanian Center for Human Rights, and was signed by more than 30 NGOs.
by Justina Vaišvilaitė-Braziulienė, November 11, 2024, delfi.lt
Leading candidate for prime minister Social Democrat Gintautas Paluckas said he assured German partners Lithuania’s next Government will be free of anti-Semitism. The deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party (LSDP) said he answered all questions concerning the potential coalition partner Nemunas Dawn raised by German Social Democrats over the weekend.
“This morning we also spoke with the chair of the German Social Democrats and we discussed this situation. No doubt they are watching this, given we are strategic partners and have serious bilateral commitments. I explained the situation as it actually is, so they don’t get the impression from inaccurate quotes on social media and in the media,” Paluckas told reporters at the Lithuanian parliament Monday.
“There is not and there will not be any anti-Semitism in the Social Democrat-run Government and coalition,” he said when asked to elaborate on the factual situation he presented to the Germans.
Natalja Cheifec’s discussion club #ŠALOM invites you to the next discussion at 5:30 P.M. on November 14 via the Zoom platform.
To register and receive Zoom login credentials, click here.
Remember to indicate your questions of interest on the registration form.
A belated happy birthday to Emanuelis Zingeris who marked another year back on October 27. Lithuania’s only Jewish member of parliament, Emanuelis is also a qualified philologist, a signatory to the Restoration of Independence Act back in 1990 and a founder of the Jewish cultural club which became the Lithuanian Jewish Community, as well as serving as chairman in the early years of the latter. We wish you all the very best. Mazl tov. Bis 120!
Artist, musician and composer Arkadijus Gotesmanas celebrated his birthday Monday. The entire LJC and chairwoman Faina Kukliansky wish him endless creativity and many more years of productivity in life as well as on the stage. Mazl tov. Bis 120!
Writer and thinker Arkadijus Vinokuras celebrated a birthday last week and the entire Community wishes him all the best. Mazl tov. Bis 120!
A very happy milestone birthday to Kaunas Jewish Community member Roza Tulchina! Community members and chairman Gercas Žakas celebrated her birthday with flowers, gifts and well-wishes including greetings from Lithuanian Jewish Community chairwoman Faina Kukliansky. Mazl tov. Bis 120!
Šiauliai city and district police arrested a city resident November 6 alleged to have taken the remains of an Israeli flag from the Šiauliai Jewish Community building after removing and destroying it, Šiauliai district police reported.
Security cameras captured the vandal removing the flag from its mount outside the Jewish community building, casting it aside and then leaving. Later the same figure appeared to return, destroy the flag and carry off the remains. Desecration of flags of other nations, the EU and certain international organizations is a crime under article 128 of the Lithuanian criminal code.
Officers from the city and district police forces were patrolling the city and observed the suspect from the video camera around noon that day. They arrested him. The 52-year-old man had a criminal record including theft, robbery and counterfeiting of official documents. The charge could carry a maximum two-year prison sentence.
by Geoff Vasil
Last Thursday night into Friday morning gangs of Hamas supporters hunted down and assaulted Israeli fans of the Tel Aviv Maccabi FC soccer team in Amsterdam. There were multiple people wounded, some seriously. The masked gangs waving Palestinian flags demanded statements of “Free Palestine” from two of their victims as they were being beaten, including one non-Israeli caught up in street violence.
The organized pogrom against Jews in the Dutch capital came on the eve of Kristallnacht, the Nazi SA’s nation-wide pogrom in Germany in 1938.
While the public has come to expect violence between fans of rival soccer clubs in Europe, these attacks were something else. Earlier in the evening Israeli fans had chanted anti-Arab slogans as they left the sporting venue and boarded trains for their hotels, but Israelis didn’t initiate any violence. Sources close to Israeli intelligence report taxi drivers in Amsterdam supplied information to the organized violent gangs on where Israeli fans had travelled and the locations where they were staying.
Israel sent several airplanes to rescue Israeli citizens from the violence in Amsterdam. El Al reported they evacuated 2,000 Israeli citizens. Dutch King Willem-Alexander said “our history has taught us how intimidation goes from bad to worse,” adding that the country could not ignore “anti-Semitic behavior,” the BBC reported. Amsterdam police didn’t intervene to stop the hunting down of Jews and brutal assaults by knife-wielding Hamas terrorists.
Rabbi Andrew Baker, director of the International Jewish Affairs Department of the AJC and representative of the OSCE for fighting anti-Semitism, has sent a letter to Lithuanian Social Democrat MP Gintautas Paluckas, favored to serve as Lithuania’s next prime minster, warning of irreparable harm which would ensue from forming a governing coalition with Remigius Žemaitaitis and his party Nemuno Aušta. The letter was also sent to Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda.
Letter:
Dear Mr. Gintautas Paluckas,
The American Jewish Committee and I personally have been strong supporters of a democratic and independent Lithuania since the formation of the Sajudas independence party and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. We were among the first and strongest advocates in Washington for a NATO enlargement that would welcome Lithuania into the defense alliance at the very time when many others cautioned against crossing Russia’s “red lines.” For all these years since we have been stalwart promoters of a strong and close bilateral relationship between the United States and Lithuania.
