Dear friends,
Allow me to share Nida‘s article published last Saturday in the largest Lithuanian daily “Lietuvos rytas”. I hope English speaking friends will forgive the language J Hopefully Google translator will be of some assistance.
The article is about the Shabbos Project which took place for the first time ever last weekend in Vilnius. Shabbos was organized by Lita Lives team representing amazing South African Litvak community.
For Nida and I it was a huge honor to be part of this great Project.
Best,
Darius
LITVAKSIG Digest for Sunday, October 18, 2015.
1. Seduva remembers and honors its Jewish past
From: Carol Hoffman
Seduva remembers and honors its Jewish past. The cemetery has been
renovated and documenting with over 400 tombstones. Lithuanian Prime
Minister Algirdas Butkevicius said at the unveiling ceremony, “Seduva
should be proud of the long history of its Jewish community that dates
back to the fifteenth century. Jews lived here, created, traded, the
Jewish community of Seduva has always put great emphasis on culture
and active social life.”
The Seduva Jewish Memorial Fund Project “Lost Project” was spearheaded
by Sergey Kanovich. At the opening ceremony he thanked all who
attended and added, “Even if no single Jew is left in Seduva and
Lithuanian towns, we remain neighbours – laid to rest in cemeteries,
buried in pits, and plastered behind the walls of our former homes. We
are eternal neighbours; the Lithuanian land took in my ancestors and
this land belongs to you. You are the masters of this land and of the
memory resting in it. Let us not forget the past. Let us not forget
what went well in order to remember how to be good to a neighbour. Let
us not forget what went wrong in order to remember what should not be
done. Only such memory – both bright and painful – will not allow us
to forget each other. Only the memory, though possibly belatedly, will
teach us not only mutual respect but also love for both our close ones
and our distant ones.”
Read more: http://en.delfi.lt/lithuania/society/seduva-unveils-monument
-for-towns-jewish-population.d?id=69233916
Present at this auspicious occasion was LitvakSIG board member Grant
Gochin.
Darius Degutis, former Lithuanian Ambassador to South Africa and to
Israel is quoted,
“Most respectful and unique accomplishment by Litvak Sheduvians from
South Africa – rebuilding the memory of Sheduva Jews, remembering
those perished in the Shoa… and at the same time still supporting
local Lithuanian community of today. Closing the circle: Sheduva 100
years ago – South Africa – Israel – and back to Sheduva after 100
years… Incredible mixture of emotions – sadness and sorrow,
gratitude and appreciation, but most importantly huge belief in the
future!”
Carol Hoffman
LitvakSIG President
A project to excavate what remains of the synagogue and later to create a memorial space at the site.
seligman.org.il/vilna_synagogue_home.html
Synagogue-memorial-inaugurated-in-rokiskis
