#JewishVilnius
#VilniusConfessions
I am comming back with my posts after quite long period of time. To be precise after 5 months of silence. Why I made this break I am not sure and I can not tell the truth.
But I am full of ideas and of knowledge that I want to share with someone.
And I will prove you that you can stay in Vilnius for 365 days and you will never be bored of the city and you will always find some interesting things to do. And after those 365 days you can star all over again :) :) True.
Let's continue our Vilnius journey. And I am really sorry that my English is not perfect, and, actually, it never was :)
Guilty :)
If you want to know the basics of Jewish Vilnius you should definitely take a tour with a local guide or study the history of Jews in Vilnius on your own.
To be sincere, this topic was very difficult to me and I was consiouosly trying to avoid it. Even I was scared a little bit of that aspect of history of Lithuania.
Why?
The roots of the fear lay back in my school times, when I was in the 7th class we visited the Oswiecim (Auschwitz) museum. The place is somwhere deep in my memory and it haunts me. I think that all schoolchildren, but those older, should be taken to a visit to that museum.
And one more thing. I always used to think that I am little afraid of the Jews, although I never met any Jew in my life. I don't have any aquinatnces Jews. So why? Where these feelings come from?
Finnaly I've decided to take a Jewish tour in Vilnius.
November 17 was the first day in this autumn season with a morning with a minus temperature. So the morning was foggy and cold.
The tour was for beginners and it was the very basics of Jewish Vilnius.
But a tour guide Gabija Luneviciute (Savaitgalio ekskursijos on FB) covered the most essential and the most important points. Gabija is journalist and she guides Jewish tours for 3 years.
The tour started in the French squire just where the Gaono str. and the former Jewish quarter begins.
She told us that it is believed that the first Jews came to the GDL in XIV c. after famous letters of the Grand Duke Gediminas inviting merchants from all over the Europe to come to the GDL and to settle there. Although the are no written documents confirming the fact of Jews settlment in Vilnius. It is known that it was issued the priviledge forbidding jews to practice merchancy and etc. Why? Probably Christian citizens of Vilnius did not wish to have any competition. First written information about Jewish community is that from the 2nd half of XVI c.
We continued on Gaono str. and stopped at the corner of Gaono str. , Stikliu str. and Zydu str.
Street name plate in other language (Jewish street)
Gabija told us about Jewish synagogues. It is documented that before WWII there were over 130 synagouges in Vilnius (she found the number - 137). But Jewish synagogues are such sophisticated buildings like Vilnius baroque churches.
We continued on M. Atokolskio str. Gabija told us about
Markas_Antokolskis (in LT) The former Mesiniu str. was renamed to M. Antakolskio str. after his death.
The Great Synagogue and Vilna Gaon
We walked trought the yard and came to the monument of Vilnius Gaonas Elijahu.
Gabija told us about
Vilna Gaon Elijas_Ben_Saliamonas_Zalmanas and explained us why Vilnius was called Jerusalem of the North.
We found out a little bit about
Hasidic Judaism (in LT).
She told us about
Great_Synagogue_of_Vilna destroyed in 1961.
She also mentioned about the plans how to preserve that valuable place. The place should be ready as place of commeration in 2020 ( 300th anniversary of birth of Vilna Gaon Elijahu).
The Great Synagogue site nowadays
Some future plans were discussed here:
http://m.diena.lt/naujienos/vilnius/miesto-pulsas/buvusios-didziosios-sinagogos-vietoje-atsiras-erdve-menininkams-860567
and nowadays issues and future plans here:
https://www.15min.lt/m/id/aktualu/lietuva/archeologas-noredami-sunaikinti-didziaja-vilniaus-sinagoga-sovietai-ja-issaugojo-56-1002908
Documentary The Holocaust Escape Tunnel (2017) depicts some archelogical researches on the site.
Further researches will be carried out in summer 2019
https://gvf.lt/blog/2019/03/05/sia-vasara-bus-tesiami-archeologiniai-tyrimai-didziosios-sinagogos-vietoje/
PS. It is interesting coincidence that on that Saturday, after comming back from the tour I turned on a TV and my eyes catched a programme Menu sala on TV8 just accidentally. The 13th episode was about Jewish heritage in Vilnius and Lithunia. Both episodes 12 and 13 could be found on
tvplay.tv3.lt/menu-sala/menu-sala.
Just in front of the Great Synangogue of Vilnius there was
the Library of Mathias Strashun (in LT).
And Gabija told us about who was
Mattityahu Strashun (in LT).
Vokiečių str.
We continued our tour to Vokieciu str. Former Mesiniu str. started where now M. Antokolskio str. goes and crossed Vokieciu str. and continues as noways Mesiniu str. Most buildings on the left side of Vokieciu str. (direction towards the Town Hall) were built in the soviet times.
Gabija told us that at Vokieciu str. 14 there was legendary vegeterian restaurant of
Fania Lewando and her husband Lazar Lewando (in LT).
The book published in 1930 in
Yiddish is translated into Lithuanian and
translated into Lithuanian and published by Alma Littera.
We continued to Mikalojaus str. and here Gabija told us about many words in slang Lithuanian who are Yiddish
more about borrowed words - here) in LT).
Next, we came to Zemaitijos str. which former was called M. Strasuno str.
A signboard of a Kerosene (Lamp oil) shop before WW II in Polish/ Yiddish on Žemaitijos str.
A signboard of Grocery shop before WW II in Polish/ Yiddish on Žemaitijos str.
We stopped in front of the former Jewish library in the Large Ghetto (Zemaitijos str. 4). Zemaitijos str. 4 is on the
Lithuanian Heritage List (in LT).
Gabija told about the
Vilna Ghetto.
She mentioned
librarian Herman Kruk.
While standing in the backyard of the buildings in front of the building No 4 we've heard the history of
Fania Bransovskaja (in LT) for the forst time in my life.
The Star of David on the wall of Žemaitijos str. building
(nobody knows when it was inscribed or by whom)
(#VilniusGraffiti ?)
Gabija made an interview with Fania once and she has met Ms Fania personally.
Also, Gabija and the fellows from the tour recommended to watch a documentary by Edita Mildazyte
Fanios Vilnius. So I did it.
Also they recommented to watch a movie by Audrius Juzenas
Vilniaus getas (2005). Also I did it.
Finnally we came to Ligonines str. and we have heard the history of the former Jewish Hospital.
One of fellows from the tour recommended me to read
Jerichas 1941-metais. Vilniaus-geto-istorijos by Igor Argamante.
We opened one of the door in the former Jewish hospital and we appeared just in the front
Vilnius Choral Synagogue.
FYI: it is opened for visiting on working days 10:00 - 14:00. Entrance fee - 1 eur.
We finished our tour tour near
the Jewish Center with the poem Vilnius of
Moyshe Kulbak translated into Lithuania.
The tour lasted for 2 hours and 30 mintes. And it was really really informative. After the tour I will improve my knowledge and I will be ready to pass my knowledge to others.
