Jewish – Page 41 – tangential travel

June 11, 2017June 11, 2017

Pakruojis 17

The restored synagogue at Pakruojis

I visited this time last year when it was under construction

June 2016

Pakruojis & Siaulenai

I visited Pakruojis to see the wooden synagogue in the city. As you can see from the images, it is currently being restored. We previously saw that the wooden synagogue in Ziezmariai is also under …

Source: elirab.me/pakruojis-siaulenai/

June 2017

On the road to Pakruojis

Outside

With Laima

Inside

►

Some of the information panels

Oldest surviving synagogue in Lithuania

Rav Kook in nearby Zeimelis

Surrounding buildings

►

Pakruojis – Wikipedia

Pakruojis ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a city in Lithuania. It is situated on the Kruoja River, which has a dam above the city. Forty three buildings of the manor, mentioned in 1531 still survive.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakruojis

June 9, 2017June 9, 2017

Krekenava

Krekenava Cemetery

►

The town and synagogue

Laima and I meet history teacher Ruta Adamkeviciene, who kindly shows us the few Jewish sites remaining

►

New book by David Sandler

KRAKENOWO ~ A TOWN IN LITHUANIA ~ the story of a world that has passed

The reprint of the booklet printed by the South African Krakenowo Sick Benefit and Benevolent Society in 1961 to celebrate its diamond Jubilee. All articles in Yiddish have now been translated into English.

Contact: David Sandler

sedsand@iinet.net.au

The first two articles – click Krakenowo link below to read.

Krekenava – Wikipedia

Krekenava is a town (population 2,003) in Panevėžys district municipality in northern Lithuania, on the bank of Nevėžis.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krekenava

Can we squeeze under?

On way back to Kedainiai, we visit the other Holocaust site on the outskirts of Kedainiai.

►

Kedainiai Railway Station

►

June 6, 2017

Atzalynas Gimnazija Kedainiai Visit 2017

The Keidaner Family tree on Laima’s classroom wall – an unique work of art!

The complex of two synagogues and the tree featuring the names of Keidaners, including my 3rd great grandfather Zalman Tzoref in the centre.

created by student Karolina Silvestraviciute

►

Keidaner Family Tree

Activities at the school including my presentation, a visit to the science lab and participation in classroom activities.

►

English teacher Laima Ardaviciene inspires us all, seen here talking to a journalist

Another amazing contribution by Laima and her students for the TEC – Tolerance Education Centre program.

See link below

2016-2017

Kėdainių Atžalyno gimnazija – Tolerancijos ugdymo centras
Kedainiai Atzalynas Gymnasium – Tolerance Educational Center

Source: tolerance2016.weebly.com/2016-2017.html

Our tour of the local regional museum.

►

Images from the Jewish cemetery

►

June 4, 2017

Stakliskes, Prienai & Marijampole

Giedre Guzaviciene and Arūnė Levuškinienė, teachers at Kalvarija Gimnazija meeting me in Marijampole

Stakliskes

►

Stoklishok KehilaLink

Stoklishok, Lithuania

Source: kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/stoklishok/Home.html

Prienai

►

Pren KehilaLink

Pren, Lithuania

Source: kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/pren/Home.html

►

Marijampole

►

Mariampol KehilaLink

Marijampole, Lithuania

Source: kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/mariampol/Home.html

June 3, 2017

Solomo Aleichemo ORT School Vilnius

Students sing Zog Nit Keynmol for me:

►

Pre-Internet Viral: Songs of the Vilna Ghetto – Lithuanian Jewish Community

by Geoff Vasil

Source: www.lzb.lt/en/2017/05/31/pre-internet-viral-songs-of-the-vilna-ghetto/

The Bar & Batmitzvah Ceremonies:

The Choral Synagogue:

►

The Community Centre:

►

Report by Geoff Vasil with my images

Annual ORT Sholem Aleichem Gymnasium Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony – Lithuanian Jewish Community

Source: www.lzb.lt/en/2017/05/31/annual-ort-sholem-aleichem-gymnasium-barbat-mitzvah-ceremony/

Vilniaus Šolomo Aleichemo ORT gimnazija

„Paskutinė mano valia skirta įpėdiniams: tarpusavyje gyventi draugiškai, nekaupti savyje priešiškumo, palaikyti vieniems kitus sunkiu laiku, prisiminti šeimą, užjausti vargšą… Vaikai, didžuokitės mano taip sunkiai užsitarnautu žydišku vardu.“

Source: www.jewishschool.lt/

World Ort Videos:

ORT Videos

We feature videos made especially for this project by schools belonging to the World ORT network. See below. To find out more about World ORT, the world’s largest Jewish education and vocati…

Source: Http://elirab.me/ort

June 3, 2017

Israel-Litvak Roots

IGRA Meeting on 12 June in Raanana, Israel

Israel-Litvak Roots
From: Elena Bazes

Monday, June 12th in Ra’anana, Israel

Join us for the next meeting of the Israel Genealogy Research
Association (IGRA).

Eli Rabinowitz will be speaking on “In the Footsteps of Zalman Tzoref:
Tracing 200 Years of Litvak Family History and Legacy”.
This presentation follows Zalman Tzoref’s footsteps and goes beyond!
In 1811, Tzoref left Keidan, Lithuania for Jerusalem where his mission
was to rebuild the Ashkenazi community in the Old City. Eli will
discuss Tzoref’s life and achievements through his 20,000 descendants.

In 2011, Eli returned to the town, now called Kedainiai, and
re-established his family connections with Tzoref’s birthplace. He
will also speak on how he has become active in building bridges in
this town.

Eli Rabinowitz, born in Cape Town, has lived in Perth Australia since
1986. An economist by profession, Eli is involved in a wide range of
Jewish community activities, including filming events, research,
education, arranging exhibitions and lecturing on Jewish cultural
heritage and family history. Eli writes and manages 75 Kehilalinks
websites for JewishGen, and blogs on Jewish life, his extensive
heritage travel and photography. He also arranges customized Litvak
heritage tours and has published stories in various genealogical
publications.

Location: Bet Fisher, 5 Klausner Street, Ra’anana

Doors open at 19:00 Meeting begins at 19:30.

Cost: IGRA members-Free Admission Non-members-NIS 20

To join IGRA, go to http://genealogy.org.il/membership/

Elena Biegel Bazes
IGRA Publicity Chairperson

Home – Israel Genealogy Research Association

The Israel Genealogy Research Association (IGRA) is bringing new technology, new energy and new excitement to genealogy in Israel, and across the world. In order to receive increased access to the Israel Genealogy Research Association’s web site, and to stay informed on the society’s activities, be sure to register for this site. Registration is free. Press the big “Register Now” button to the right to register now!

Source: genealogy.org.il/

LitvakSIG | About LitvakSIG

LitvakSIG is the primary internet resource for Lithuanian-Jewish (Litvak) genealogy research worldwide. SIG stands for Special Interest Group.

Source: www.litvaksig.org/about-litvaksig

May 29, 2017

Warsaw – Day 3

Warsaw Spire – Wikipedia

The Warsaw Spire is a complex of Neomodern office buildings in Warsaw, Poland constructed by the Belgian real estate developer Ghelamco. It consists of a 220-metre main tower with a hyperboloid glass facade, Warsaw Spire A, and two 55-metre auxiliary buildings, Warsaw Spire B and C.[3] The main tower is the second tallest building in Warsaw and also the second highest in Poland.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Spire

►

Warsaw Uprising Museum – Wikipedia

The Warsaw Uprising Museum (named Warsaw Rising Museum, Polish: Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego),[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] in the Wola district of Warsaw, Poland, is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The institution of the museum was established in 1983, but no construction work took place for many years. It opened on July 31, 2004, marking the 60th anniversary of the uprising.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Uprising_Museum

►

Warsaw Old Town – Wikipedia

The Warsaw Old Town (Polish: Stare Miasto, and collectively with the New Town, known colloquially as: Starówka) is the oldest part of the capital city. It is bounded by the Wybrzeże Gdańskie, along with the bank of Vistula river, Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. It is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in Warsaw.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Old_Town

►

Church in Wilanow

With Michael and Ruth Leiserowitz

May 29, 2017July 11, 2018

Warsaw Day 2

A brilliant tour of Polin with my host Michael Leiserowitz, official guide.

POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews – Wikipedia

POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (Polish: Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich) is a museum on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The Hebrew word Polin in the museum’s name means, in English, either “Poland” or “rest here” and is related to a legend on the arrival of the first Jews in Poland.[1] The cornerstone was laid in 2007, and the museum was first opened on April 19, 2013.[2][3] The museum’s Core Exhibition opened in October 2014.[4] The museum features a multimedia narrative exhibition about the living Jewish community that flourished in Poland for a thousand years up to the Holocaust.[5] The building, a postmodern structure in glass, copper, and concrete, was designed by Finnish architects Rainer Mahlamäki and Ilmari Lahdelma.[6]

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POLIN_Museum_of_the_History_of_Polish_Jews

With Lisa & Samuel Kassow & Michael Leiserowitz

Temporary Exhibition – Jukebox, Jewkbox

Jukebox, Jewkbox! – history of popular music written on gramophone records

Newsletter

Source: www.polin.pl/en/news/2016/07/06/jukebox-jewkbox-history-of-popular-music-written-on-gramophone

The Resource Centre

Aleks and Magda

Praga – Wikipedia

Praga is a district of Warsaw, Poland. It is located on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praga

Praga

The streets of Warsaw

May 28, 2017

Warsaw Day 1 – Tour 17

My first day in Warsaw on this tour with my hosts Michael & Ruth Leiserowitz.

Michael is an official guide at POLIN and Ruth is an eminent German historian.

Ruth Leiserowitz – Wikipedia

Ruth Leiserowitz (born Ruth Kibelka, December 25, 1958, in Prenzlau, Brandenburg) is a German historian. Her work and study primarily deal with the wolf children, a group of German children orphaned at the end of World War II in East Prussia. Since 2009, she has been the deputy director of the German Historical Institute in Warsaw. In 2014, she was awarded the Cross of Merit First Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by German president Joachim Gauck.[1]

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Leiserowitz

Michael and Ruth work with me on the the Kaliningrad and Sovetsk KehilaLinks Jewish websites for Jewishgen.org

Kaliningrad, Russia

Source: kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kaliningrad/Home.html

Sovetsk, Russia

Source: kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/sovetsk/Home.html

Visit their Jews of East Prussia site:

Seiten zur jüdischen Geschichte in Ostpreussen – Jewish History in East Prussia

Source: www.judeninostpreussen.de/

Two updated important booklets for Warsaw and the Jewish Warsaw map.

Our first stop is Wilanow Palace

Wilanów Palace – Wikipedia

Wilanów Palace or Wilanowski Palace (Polish: pałac w Wilanowie, Polish pronunciation: [ˈpawat͡s vvilaˈnɔvjɛ]) is a royal palace located in the Wilanów district, Warsaw. Wilanów Palace survived Poland’s partitions and both World Wars, and so serves as a reminder of the culture of the Polish state as it was before the misfortunes of the 18th century.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilanów_Palace

►

The Palace of Culture and Science

Palace of Culture and Science – Wikipedia

Constructed in 1955, the Palace of Culture and Science (Polish: Pałac Kultury i Nauki; abbreviated PKiN) is a notable high-rise building in Warsaw, Poland. It is the center for various companies, public institutions and cultural activities such as concerts, cinemas, theaters, libraries, sports clubs, universities, scientific institutions and authorities of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Motivated by Polish historicism and American art deco high-rise buildings, the PKiN was designed by Soviet architect Lev Rudnev in “Seven Sisters” style and is informally referred to as the Eighth Sister.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Culture_and_Science

►

Warsaw – Wikipedia

Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa [varˈʂava] ( listen); see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Poland. It stands on the Vistula River in east-central Poland, roughly 260 kilometres (160 mi) from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometres (190 mi) from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population is estimated at 1.750 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 3.101 million residents,[3] which makes Warsaw the 9th most-populous capital city in the European Union. The city limits cover 516.9 square kilometres (199.6 sq mi), while the metropolitan area covers 6,100.43 square kilometres (2,355.39 sq mi).[4]

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw

►

The Nozyk Synagogue

Nożyk Synagogue – Wikipedia

The Nożyk Synagogue (Polish: Synagoga Nożyków) is the only surviving prewar Jewish house of prayer in Warsaw, Poland. It was built in 1898-1902 and was restored after World War II. It is still operational and currently houses the Warsaw Jewish Commune, as well as other Jewish organizations.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nożyk_Synagogue

►

May 9, 2017May 11, 2017

Zog Nit Keynmol – The Poem

Here is an idea for your school students or youth group:

Recite the poem, Zog Nit Keynmol, written by Hirsh Glik 20, in the Vilna ghetto in 1943.

Do it in your own language!

And then SHARE it with us!

The song is the anthem of the Survivors. With their rapidly diminishing numbers, we want our youth to continue the legacy.

Be creative like Giedrius Galvanauskas of Atzalynas Gymnasium in Kedainiai, Lithuania.

Inspired by his English teacher, Laima Ardaviciene, Giedrius used a Lithuanian translation, background music on (1) viola and (2) piano, with a backdrop of old images of his hometown, Kedainiai, and even added English subtitles.

The viola was played by Tzvi Friedl of Perth Australia.

Translated by Roza Tzvi Ben Litay and Sergey Kanovich

Wouldn’t it be great if you recited it in your own language and chose photos from your heritage town and then shared it around the world?

The viola version

The piano version

Here is Aaron Kremer’s English version by Freydl Mrocki of Shalom Aleichem College, Melbourne, Australia.

Tzvi Friedl on the viola

Atzalyno Gimnazija, Kedainiai, Lithuania

The students take me on a multicultural tour of Kedainai, the last stop being the two former synagogue complex, one of only a handful in Lithuania. The centre is run by Rimantas Zirgulis, director …

Source: elirab.me/my-bond-with-atzalyno-gimnazija-a-school-in-kedainiai-2/