 |
| Fruma's shop in Vilnius, circa 1935 |
After breakfast we had a Jewish Heritage Tour of Vilnius
with a pre-arranged guide named Jurate.
For the next three hours we walked through quite a bit of the older part
of Vilnius, because Jews comprised more than 30% of the urban population and
could be referenced at all major buildings.
Sights included the one remaining
synagogue, the location of the walls of the smaller and bigger Jewish ghetto,
and the first Lithuanian monument dedicated to Chiune Sugihara. Jurate seemed to have more energy for walking and
touring, but we were brought to the town square where we broke for lunch.
 |
Lithuanians take great
pride in their coffee designs. |
 |
| disquieting facade of a Vilnius theater company |
As usual, we all scattered to restaurants that served our
favorite cuisines.
One group of students
joined Dr. O'Sullivan for authentic German food. Who knew you could find this in Vilnius? Students enjoyed it very much.
 |
| outside of the only remaining historical synagogue in Vilnius |
Although our walking tour had ended, our
exploration of Jewish heritage in Lithuania continued with a visit to the
“Center for Tolerance,” Lithuania’s Jewish State and Holocaust Museum, which
contained a lot of information on the history of Lithuanian Jews. There was an exhibit of 20
th century paintings, and beautifully crafted silver ritual objects like candelabras, goblets, and spice boxes. The museum also demonstrated the plight of the Lithuanian people under both German and Soviet rule. Some of our students noted that, despite the dark period of the Holocaust, the museum's very existence is a testament to the will of the people to survive.
This museum was a great preparation for that night's
event. Prof. Myers had arranged a
meeting with the leaders of the Vilnius Jewish community and some college
students.
 |
| can you believe these are doors to the university?! |
We met at the Jewish Community
Center, an attractive, well-guarded building topped with a large white statue
of Moses. We were greeted and served an
assortment of cookies, chips, cheeses, coffee, and wine. Amit, the president of the organization of
Jewish college students in Lithuania, opened with a powerful speech declaring
that the center was most important to the study of Lithuanian Jews because
"it is the living part of the culture." We were then greeted by a woman named Faina,
the head of the Jewish community of Vilnius and Lithuania. She told us her personal history and the
responsibilities of her organization, one of which is to educate Lithuanian
non-Jews about the Jewish historical experiences. We then met Shimon, the community's executive
director, who was one of the first beneficiaries of the JCC’s establishment
after the Soviet era.
 |
| gone in no time |
Amit then divided us into small groups and assigned one
of her college student friends to each group. We all made introductions and spoke about
ourselves. After about ten minutes, the
Lithuanian students moved to the next small group. As a result, we had individual welcomes from
each of the students and had the chance learn about each other. As thanks for arranging the meeting, Amit
presented Prof. Myers with a grafo sakotis (tree cake), a Lithuanian favorite.
Our meeting concluded around 8 pm, but the socializing
was by no means finished. We dispersed for a quick dinner, and within an hour, many
of our students met the Lithuanian college students for an exclusive tour of
Vilnius night life. Since it was the
evening of the national holiday and the college students had just completed
their final exams, they were eager to party all night long. Some of our students happily joined in them,
parting at different hours – some after the sun rose in the morning, just in
time for the next day’s activities.
 |
our hostel's dog ~
at least he was alert the next day! |
