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 Gymnazija in Kedainiai Lithunia, asked whether I could give a talk on Chanukah via Skype to her students,  I would normally have sourced one of the many brilliant articles by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and shared this with them, speaking from my home.

As I only live a minute’s drive from our CHABAD Shul in Noranda, I came up with the idea of enlisting the assistance of Rabbi Shalom White and doing it at the Shul. I also asked a young and talented friend,  Dylan Kotkis, to join us. Dylan has a friendly and outgoing personality together with a beautiful singing voice. He is a 15 year old student at Carmel School, Perth’s Jewish Day School.

Due to the 7 hour time difference between Perth and Kedainiai, 1pm (7pm here) was the best time for Laima and her students, so we held the meeting in the Shul’s library.  A minyan was taking place in the sanctuary at the same time.

Here are some photos and video clips taken  both from the Kedainiai and from the Perth ends.  I synchronised and edited the videos and combined the footage taken by Laima and myself.

Rabbi White, Dylan and I  spoke about the festival and Dylan took the Lithuanian students on a tour of the shul. Dylan sang Maoz Tzur for them.

Photos taken at Atzalyno Gimnazija

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Photos taken on the Perth side

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Screenshots and photos of  the signs the Lithuanian students presented.

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My bond with Atzalyno Gimnazija, a school in Kedainiai

The Internet by Dylan Kotkis

The Great Challah Bake – Perth – 3 videos

Some of the crowd

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The three videos

Thursday 10 November 2016

Perth’s Jewish community kicked off its third annual Shabbat Project with a well attended Great Challah Bake at The Jewish Centre.

200 women attended.

Bianca Singer’s instructions, drosha and great Jewish music were heard via headphones on a silent disco – a world first!

A special challah cover was given as a home gift to all who attended.

Video: elirab.digital (me)

Music: Yaakov Shwekey

http://www.theshabbosproject.org

More videos to follow after Shabbat!

The Perth KehilaLink:

perth-kehilalink

 

Commemorating Kristallnacht

Königsberg Synagogue
Königsberg Synagogue

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Lore Zusman was born in Königsberg 90 years ago.

Here are her memories of the Königsberg Synagogue, Kristallnacht and a book presented to her mother after the synagogue was destroyed on Kristallnacht in 1938.

Rabbi Reinhold
Rabbi Reinhold Lewin
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The back of the photo
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The Rebbetzin & son

 

 

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Königsberg / Kaliningrad KehilaLink with links to the synagogue and Kristallnacht.

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Hear Erika Sternberg’s story on Kristallnacht in Breslau. Click on her image.

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Commemoration in Perth – 9 November 2016

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Just received: An email from Susan Taube of the USHHM

I was only 12 years old when the Nazis ransacked Jewish homes and buildings in my neighborhood on Kristallnacht, “The Night of Broken Glass.”

They took my father away to Buchenwald. My mother, sister, and I didn’t know if we would ever see him again. Our front door was smashed, our books torn apart, our dishes shattered. And with my father gone, we were left to pick up the pieces.

This week marks the 78th anniversary of that terrible night—and though decades have gone by, my memories of it have not faded.

Will you join me in commemorating Kristallnacht by viewing photographs and listening to testimonies in the Museum’s collection?

Photo: Susan Taube has been a volunteer at the Museum since its founding. US Holocaust Memorial Museum

LEARN MORE

Kristallnacht marked an ominous turning point in the Nazi persecution of Jews, and the Museum preserves artifacts and testimonies of the event so that its story can always be told.

We must remember—both to honor the innocent people who suffered that night, and to recognize our responsibility to help those facing hatred and violence today.

Please take a few minutes to explore some of the remarkable evidence in the Museum’s collection from Kristallnacht.

Sincerely,

Susan Taube
Holocaust survivor and Museum volunteer

Photo: Shattered storefront of a Jewish-owned shop destroyed during Kristallnacht. Berlin, Germany, November 10, 1938. National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD

 

Building Bridges with the TECs in Lithuania

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Here is my update on the TECs – Tolerance Education Centres in Lithuania and how we can help build bridges.

If you know the name of your shtetl, please contact me and I will help you to connect with those who are working with TECs and Lithuanian school students and their teachers. Travelling to the region and meeting with local students has been the most rewarding of my experiences in the past six years.

There are growing numbers of Lithuanians, Poles and those within other communities in the FSU who now learn about their history and about the rich Jewish life that once existed in these towns, which are now devoid of Jews. The internet now offers the best opportunity ever for them to engage with Jewish people from abroad.

There is a further benefit: we can educate our children and grandchildren here in the Litvak diaspora. So little seems to be availble within the school curriculum, even though private Jewish Day School fees are so high.  “Too hard” or “we are covering it” is what I hear! And then there is also the no response…… and another year passes!

It is a real shame that our cultural heritage is in danger of fading away and dying!

Educating about our Jewish cultural history remains my passion and I hope and that there are enough of us out there to make a difference!

 

There are now 119 Tolerance Education Centres in Lithuania.

Here is the list:

TEC Institutions In Lithuania

Here is an example of three of these projects and how visitors to Lithuania can engage teachers and students involved in these projects.

TEC Institutions’ Projects

 

TEC News From Lithuania

 

Herzlia – Atzalyno Bridges

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