Lithuanian Jewish Community

The Lithuanian Jewish Community (Lithuanian: Lietuvos žydų bendruomenė, abbreviated LŽB) is an organization in Lithuania uniting Lithuanian Jews.[1][2] Its registered office is in Vilnius; as an umbrella organization, it unites 27 different Jewish organizations.[3] The Jewish Community of Lithuania is the Lithuanian affiliate of the World Jewish Congress.[4]

History

On August 25, 1988, it was officially decided to establish the 'Lithuanian Jewish Cultural Society'.[5]

In March 1989, the founding meeting of the society took place.[6][7][8] Simon Alperovitch was appointed as executive director.[9]

On November 17, 1991, the founding conference of the Lithuanian Jewish Community took place in Vilnius, where a resolution was adopted to re-establish the Lithuanian Jewish Cultural Society with the name Lithuanian Jewish Community.[10]

In 2012, it was proposed that certain monies anticipated as Holocaust compensation in Lithuania through the 'Good Will' scheme might be used to fund Lithuanian Jewish Community projects.[11][12][13]

In 2019, threats received by phone and letter resulted in the closure of the LŽB headquarters and the Choral Synagogue in Vilnius.[14] However, a few days later, following security guarantees, the LŽB welcomed the reopening of both the synagogue and their headquarters.[15]

Facilities

The LŽB Building houses a number of Lithuanian Jewish heritage facilities, including the State Jewish Museum, the Israel Center of Culture and Arts, the Center of Yiddish Culture and Music, and the Zalman Rejzen Foundation Supporting Jewish Culture, Education, and Science[2][16] (named for Zalman Reisen).

Leadership

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Community in Lithuania". World Jewish Congress. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b Beker, Avi (1998). Jewish Communities of the World. Lerner Publications. ISBN 978-0-8225-1934-8. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Lithuania". European Jewish Congress. 5 December 2025. Archived from the original on 16 October 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Community in Lithuania". World Jewish Congress. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  5. ^ Schrader, Esther. "Vilnius: An Exodus From the Rebirth : Lithuania: Despite a tiny flowering of Judaic culture from the rubble of Soviet repression, Jews make plans to emigrate to Israel while they can". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2025-01-23. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  6. ^ "26 YESHIVA Vaisių g. THE LITVAK LANDSCAP - Kaunas" (PDF). www.visit.kaunas.lt. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-03-26.
  7. ^ "Vilnius Private Jewish Heritage Walking Tour". Nordic Experience. Archived from the original on 7 October 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Rejoining the Chapters Of Yiddish Life's Story (Published 1989)". www.nytimes.com. 30 August 1989. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  9. ^ "World Jewish Congress mourns passing of Lithuanian Jewish community leader Simon Alperovitch". World Jewish Congress. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  10. ^ Jelena Subotić (2019). Yellow Star, Red Star: Holocaust Remembrance after Communism. Ithaca, NY & London: Cornell University Press. pp. 167–174. ISBN 9781501742408.
  11. ^ "COMPENSATIONS TO JEWISH SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST AND THE SOVIET TERROR IN LITHUANIA WILL BE PAID OUT BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR | Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the United Kingdom". uk.mfa.lt. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Lithuania". United States Department of State. Archived from the original on 17 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Parliamentary Lithuanian Mirror". Public Relations Division of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2026 – via www.google.co.uk. Dr. Simonas Alperavičius. The head of the Lithuanian Jewish Community assured that the community would use the compensation only for the religious, cultural, health care, sport, education, science and...
  14. ^ "Lithuanian Jews indefinitely shut community center, lone synagogue after threats". The Times of Israel. 7 August 2019. Archived from the original on 28 January 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026 – via www.google.com.
  15. ^ "Lithuanian synagogue reopens after government vows to guarantee security". The Times of Israel. 8 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Lithuania – Conference of European Rabbis". rabbiscer.org. Archived from the original on 10 December 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  17. ^ Zuroff, Efraim. "The Blogs: Lithuanian Jews are still avoiding their country's Holocaust distortion". blogs.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  18. ^ "WJC and Lithuanian Jewish community mark 75 years since liquidation of Vilnius Ghetto: "We must continue to strengthen Jewish life in Lithuania"". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved 19 January 2026.


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