Tag: Kedainiai

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Kedainiai 2018

Rooted in Keidan

Rooted in Keidan

This post covers this year’s visit to my ancestral town of Kedainiai – Keidan in Lithuania and the activities of Laima Ardaviciene, English teacher at the Atzalynas High School. Each time I visit, there are so many new surprises in store for me! Thank you Laima!

70 Years After Destruction, Memory of Lithuanian Community Lives in Diaspora Descendents of Jews From Keidan Proudly Recall Roots People from my grandfather’s hometown in Lithuania were known to be…

Source: allequalalldifferent.weebly.com/rooted-in-keidan.html

Preserving Jewish memory – Bringing history to …- Mind Map

Preserving Jewish memory – Bringing history to …- Mind Map

Educational projects, Academic process, Meeting Keidaners 

Source: www.mindomo.com/mindmap/preserving-jewish-memory-bringing-history-to-life-349664be0856419193573b426f451039

Dan Fink – Rooted in Kedainiai

Video

Dan Fink

Source: youtu.be/UWwTFIiMGg8

Kedainiø „Atþalyno“ gimnazija

K�dainiø „Atþalyno“ gimnazija

Source: atzalynas.kedainiai.lm.lt

Springtime – arriving at school
Keidaner Family Tree on Laima’s class room wall
New artwork
Virtual Meeting – Atzalynas Gimnazija, Kedainiai and Jerusalem Efrata College

Dr Ben-tsion Klibansky

Short Video

Video Player
One of the MA students

Short-Video

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The Video taken from the Israeli side

Virtual Meeting – Kėdainių „Atžalyno“ Gimnazija and Jerusalem Efrata College

A virtual meeting between students of the English teacher Laima Ardaviciene.at Atzalynas Gimnazija, Kedainiai and students of the lecturer Dr. Ben-Tsiyon Klib…

Source: youtu.be/menN7r4qsmM

An interview with Simonas

 

Morning Tea
Tea with the Director of the school, Gintaras Petrulis, teachers and students
Urte sings a Lithuanian folk song

about a soldier and a girl

Video

Atzalynas Gimnazija song

Source: youtu.be/5GQHA4ZYYpY

 

Tour of the school

With Mantas and Arnas

The Atzalynas students with Laima at the Museum groundbreaking ceremony in Seduva

With Laima and Edwin Glasenberg  – framed sketch featuring a joint project between Atzalynas School and the Seduva High School
With Laima and student Giedrius
Tour of Old Kedainiai with Algirdas Juknevicius and two students, Mantas and Arnas, to help translate.

The complex of the two former synagogues

With Laima and Algirdas

 

Video

Video Player

 

Video

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Rebuilding the old bridge

Thank you, Algirdas

With Arnas, Mantas and Laima

       

Restoration of synagogue under way

Kedainiai. Past & Present

Video by Laima Ardaviciene

Kedainiai. Past & Present

Kedainiai. Past & Present

Source: youtu.be/R-CKRm7uxy0

Recital in the former synagogue

Featuring Rachel Elezi – New York

   

The Holocaust Mass Grave and Memorial 

The Jewish Cemetery
An aerial photo of the Kedainiai Jewish cemetery. Laima’s students have been cleaning and documenting the matsevot.
Oak Trees Planted for Keidaners

 Memorial in Josvainiai near Kedainiai    

  

Josvainiai

Josvainiai – Wikipedia

Josvainiai is a small town in Kėdainiai district, central Lithuania. It is located on the Šušvė River 10 km southwest from Kėdainiai. In the town there is a Catholic church, secondary school, post office and public library.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josvainiai

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Chanukah In The Park

With Mickey Shaked
Rabbi Shalom White lighting the first candle

The lighting of the first candle was watched by students at the Atzalynas High School in Kedainiai, Lithuania. I used skype and my iPhone to stream this back live to Laima Ardaviciene and her class. This is the second year in a row we have engaged Laima and her class on Chanukah.

Viewing it all from the classroom in Kedainiai, Lithuania

I introduced my friend Heiny Ellert to the class. Heiny, 95, is a Holocaust survivor from Neishtot-Tavrig, today Žemaičių Naumiestis, in Lithuania.

With Heiny Ellert earlier this year

See Heiny Ellert’s Testimony

Heiny Ellert’s Testimony

Heiny Ellert, a Lithuanian Holocaust survivor, tells his story to Eli Rabinowitz. Accompanying him is his wife Toby, also from Lithuania, but who escaped to …

Source: youtu.be/118HN2_NYHs

Žemaičių Naumiestis

Žemaičių Naumiestis

Žemaičių Naumiestis Town in Lithuania Žemaičių Naumiestis is a town in Klaipėda county, Šilutė district municipality. It is located in western Lithuania between Klaipėda and Kaliningrad Oblast. The…

Source: elirab.me/zemaiciu-naumiestis/

The miracle of Chanukah and the miracle of survival for Heinry Ellert!

This is a second year in a row that:

Maoz Tzur Sung in Perth Heard in Keidan

Maoz Tzur Sung in Perth Heard in Keidan

Just think of this – when was the last time Maoz Tzur was heard in Keidan, Lithuania, sung by a Jewish kid? Maybe 75 years ago! When Laima Ardaviciene, the English teacher at Atzalyno Gymnazi…

Source: elirab.me/maoz-tzur-sung-in-perth-heard-in-keidan/

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TILTAI-BRIDGES-בריקן

A ceremony was held on Wednesday to thank those in Kedainiai, Lithuania who organised the recent cleaning of the Jewish cemetery and the matsevot.

Tzvi Friedl, Natan Katzel, Jill Rabinowitz and I  joined those at the meeting at the Atzalynas School in Kedainiai  just after 8pm Perth time. We joined online from CHABAD Perth, Australia. We thanked those involved in undertaking this huge mitzvah. There are no Jews living in Kedainiai today.
Here is the report from teacher Laima Ardaviciene in Kedainiai – translated from the Lithuanian below:

Valentinas Tamulis, governor of the town of Kėdainiai and Rimantas Žirgulis, director of the Kedainiai Regional Museum, visited Kėdainiai Atzalynas gymnasium. During the meeting the members of the gymnasium community thanked them for their cooperation in carrying out project TILTAI-BRIDGES-בריקן activities related to the Jewish community in Kedainiai. The students shared a recent presentation about the old Kedainiai Jewish Cemetery. Eli Rabinowitz (Australia), rooted in Kedainiai, and Rabbi Natan Katzel joined the meeting virtually and thanked the headman of Kėdainiai for his contribution to the old Kedainiai Jewish cemetery in honor of the Kedainiai Jewish people, Jewish music was played by Tzvi Friedl. Further cooperation activities were discussed during the meeting. The guests were presented with the Kedainiai drawings.

Atžalyno gimnazijoje lankėsi Kėdainių miesto seniūnas Valentinas Tamulis ir Kėdainių krašto muziejaus direktorius Rimantas Žirgulis. Susitikimo metu gimnazijos bendruomenės nariai padėkojo už bendradarbiavimą vykdant projektą TILTAI-BRIDGES-בריקן apie Kėdainiuose buvusią žydų bendruomenę. Gimnazistai pasidalino pastaruoju metu sukurtu pristatymu apie senąsias Kėdainių žydų kapines. Susitikimo metu prisijungė Eli Rabinowitz (Australija), kuris kėdainiečių žydų vardu padėkojo miesto seniūnui už jo indėlį tvarkant senąsias Kėdainių žydų kapines, padėkos žodį tarė ir rabinas Natan Katzel, o muzikiniu kūriniu pasidalino Tzvi Friedl. Susitikimo metu buvo aptarta tolimesnė bendradarbiavimo veikla. Svečiams buvo padovanoti gimnazijos mokinių piešti Kėdainių miestą vaizduojantys piešiniai.

We made three videos:

Participants in Kedainiai:

Valentinas Tamulis, the headman of Kėdainiai                    
Rimantas Žirgulis, the director of the Kėdainiai Regional History Museum
Gintaras Petrulis, the director of Kėdainiai Atžalynas gymnasium
Rasa Cicėnienė, the assistant of Kėdainiai Atžalynas gymnasium
Lina Blinstrubienė, the assistant of Kėdainiai Atžalynas gymnasium
Giedrius Galvanauskas, a student
Aistė Vosilytė, a student
Šarūnė Makaraitytė, a student

More about the project – Building Bridges In Kedainiai

Building Bridges In Kedainiai

Kedainiai Atžalynas gymnasium students continue the Project: TILTAI-BRIDGES-בריקן . We thank Valentinas Tamulis, the mayor of Kedainiai, and Rimantas Žirgulis for organising cleaning activities in the old Jewish cemetery. Not a single tombstone is covered by a growing tree or a bush now. All the matsevot remind us about the Jewish community that lived in Keidan. We are presenting the recent view of the Old Jewish Cemetery of Keidan.

Source: elirab.me/bridges/

The video of the cemetery

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Building Bridges In Kedainiai

Atzalynas High School, Kedainiai

Drawings by Julija Chomenko featured in the video below.

Julio completed her schooling  at Atzalyno High School last year.

From Laima Ardaviciene, teacher:

Kedainiai Atžalynas gymnasium students continue the Project: TILTAI-BRIDGES-בריקן . From the bottom of our heart we thank Valentinas Tamulis, the headman of Kedainiai, and Rimantas Žirgulis for organising cleaning activities in the old Jewish cemetery. Not a single tombstone is covered by a growing tree or a bush now. All the headstones remind us about the Jewish community that lived in Keidan. We are presenting the recent view of the Old Jewish Cemetery of Keidan.

Why BRIDGES?

Tiltai-Bridges-בריקן
​      Kedainiai Atzalynas gymnasium

Source: bridges2015.weebly.com/why-bridges.html

Keidaners in Israel

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 grandfat…

Source: elirab.me/atzalynas-gimnazija-kedainiai-visit-2017/

 With Viktorija Orlovaite in 2014
Her sketch of the two synagogue complex
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More From Lithuania

The International Commission for the Evaluation
of the Crimes of the Nazi and Soviet Occupation Regimes in Lithuania

Extract from the newsletter

Kėdainiai “Atžalynas” gymnasium Tolerance education Centre administrates an international project on Jewish festivals

Since 2012 Kėdainiai “Atžalynas” gymnasium Tolerance Education Centre has been administrating a project aimed at educating students about the Jewish community history in Kėdainiai region. A special guest from Australia Eli Rabinowitz visits the gymnasium every year to share his knowledge and insights. The project is conducted in English, thus the students not only broaden their outlook, but use the foreign language and develop their English skills.

This year the project focused on Jewish festivals. In winter Eli Rabinowitz held a virtual conference to introduce a festival for the students and in summer, during the visit to Lithuania, the guest continued with stories about other traditional Jewish celebrations.

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Atzalynas Gimnazija Kedainiai Visit 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 grandfat…

Source: elirab.me/atzalynas-gimnazija-kedainiai-visit-2017/

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From Keidan to Ra’anana to Orlando

 Kedainiai June 2017

Original article in Lithuanian

http://www.rinkosaikste.lt/naujienos/aktualijos/gimnazistams-kdainietik-akn-turinio-ydo-paskaita

Google Translated

with a little help from me!

Gimnazistai – kėdainietiškų Jewish Roots Lecture

Akvilė KUPČINSKAITĖ – 19:00 June 13th. 2017

“Atžalyno Gymnasium was visited by a Jewish guest from Australia, who has  kėdainietiškų roots. Eli Rabinowitz met with the academic staff at the high school, attended project activities and visited the Kėdainiai Regional Museum. 

Report

The guest to Kėdainiai was invited by Atžalyno High School English teacher Laima Ardavičienė. Since 2012, Laima has been working on a project in which high school students learn in more detail about the history of the Jewish community in our country. Every year, the high school is visited by Eli Rabinowitz and they share their experiences and insights. The project is carried out in English, so that students not only broaden their minds, but also enhance their English language skills.

This year the theme was Jewish holidays. When we celebrate Christmas, Jews celebrate the Chanukah festival. Eli Rabinowitz arranged a virtual conference and introduced the festival. Guests who come to Lithuania continue the story of the other traditional Jewish holidays.

The Modern generation does not have time to read long stories. Eli Rabinowitz

Not for the first time

Eli Rabinowitz has visited Kėdainiai each year since 2012. The first time was to to search for his ancestors. In his opinion, Jews should actively search their roots. According to Eli, 95 percent of South African Jews came from Lithuania. Eli has travelled extensively throughout Central and Eastern Europe and has recorded traces of Jewish culture here, taking many pictures and videos. Since 2011, he has taken 18000 photos, using these images in slideshows, which is a good format to convey his experience to the younger generation.

“Young people do not have time to read or hear long stories.  Students all over the world prefer stories in short video clips, and other multimedia material “, – said Eli Rabinowitz.

Partisan Song – Vilna ghetto

Earlier this year Eli Rabinowitz was invited to present his project to a large South African high school. There, the students sang the Partisan Song in Yiddish, but did not understand the meaning of this song and the inspiration behind it.

“The song was written in 1943 in the Vilna ghetto by a 20-year-old Jew, Hirsh Glik, who was later killed. It has since then become the anthem of the Holocaust Survivors and is sung regularly. I want this song to spread to young people, so that they recite, sing and understand the meaning”- says Eli Rabinowitz.

The song has also been translated into Lithuanian. A student at Atzalyno  recites it as a poem, with a viola playing in the background and images of old Kedainiai.

“To know one’s history is important for us all, because if you do not know where you come from, you do not know where you are headed”, – says Eli  Rabinowitz wisely.

 

 

12 June 2017

Litvak Roots Lecture in Ra’anana

On June 12th, Eli Rabinowitz spoke in Ra’anana on “In the Footsteps of Zalman Tzoref: Tracing 200 Years of Litvak Family History and Legacy”. The presentation followed Zalman Tzoref’s life. He left Keidan, Lithuania and traveled to Jerusalem where his mission was to rebuild the Ashkenazi community in the Old City. In 2012, Eli returned to the town and re-established his family connections with Tzoref’s birthplace.

Eli Rabinowitz 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.

Orlando Florida 26 July 2017  5pm – 6:15pm

In the Footsteps of Zalman Tzoref: Tracing 200 Years of Litvak Family History and Legacy
Venue: Walt Disney World Swan Resort
Room: Swan 2
At the last two IAJGS conferences a movie about Tzoref was shown. This presentation follows in the movie’s and Tzoref’s footsteps and goes beyond! In 1811, Avraham Shlomo Zalman Tzoref, inspired by the Vilna Gaon, left Keidan, Lithuania for Jerusalem where his mission was to rebuild the Ashkenazi community in the Old City. Tzoref was murdered in 1851, but the story certainly does not end there. We reflect on Tzoref’s life and achievements through his 20,000 strong Salomon descendants, who for 200 years have made their mark as part of his enduring legacy. In 2011, exactly 200 years after Tzoref left Keidan, I return to the town, now called Kedainiai, and re-establish my family connections with his birthplace. Within a few years, I have become active in building bridges in this town in a most unusual way!

 

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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

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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

 

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