Lithuania

Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. Some 120 children were attending in 2000. By 2002 the number had almost doubled. School supported by both JDC and the Ronald S Lauder Foundation. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday night in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 40 children attended to congregate together, learn Jewish traditions, have a meal and play Jewish related games. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday night in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 40 children attended to congregate together, learn Jewish traditions, have a meal and play Jewish related games. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Jewish kindergarten in Vilnius. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

A Jewish man in Vilnius fills out forms for Swiss gold funds in the Jewish community center of Vilnius. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Site of the Great Synagogue of Vilnius, of which nothing remains. In the courtyard of the synagogue, the great sage, the Gaon of Vilna,used a small prayer house. The Gaon, leader of the Misnagdim movement, was vociferously against the Hasidic movement, which was growing in importance in the 17th century. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Memorial for all those murdered (Jews and non-Jews) in the infamous Ninth Fort, just outside Kaunas. The camp was run by the German SS. Tens of thousands of Jews had been imprisoned in the nearby Kaunas (Kovna) Ghetto. Most perished there. Others were brought here and shot. October, 2000 Lithuania Kaunas

Memorial for all those murdered (Jews and non-Jews) in the infamous Ninth Fort, just outside Kaunas. The camp was run by the German SS. Tens of thousands of Jews had been imprisoned in the nearby Kaunas (Kovna) Ghetto. Most perished there. Others were brought here and shot. October, 2000 Lithuania Kaunas

Friday night in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 40 children attended to congregate together, learn Jewish traditions, have a meal and play Jewish related games. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday night in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 40 children attended to congregate together, learn Jewish traditions, have a meal and play Jewish related games. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday night in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 40 children attended to congregate together, learn Jewish traditions, have a meal and play Jewish related games. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Dr Bronfman, director of the Lithuanian National Library's Jewish collections. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Hebrew class in the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. The school, the first to reopen in Lithuania afer the Holocaust, went into operation in 1991 with a dozen students. When I took this picture, 120 students attended. By 2002, nearly 200 children were attending. The school is supported by JDC and the Lauder Foundation. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Arthur Balteruvich in Hebrew class in the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. The school, the first to reopen in Lithuania afer the Holocaust, went into operation in 1991 with a dozen students. When I took this picture, 120 students attended. By 2002, nearly 200 children were attending. The school is supported by JDC and the Lauder Foundation. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Hebrew class in the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. The school, the first to reopen in Lithuania afer the Holocaust, went into operation in 1991 with a dozen students. When I took this picture, 120 students attended. By 2002, nearly 200 children were attending. The school is supported by JDC and the Lauder Foundation. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Meeting of the Lithuanian ghetto survivor's club in the community center of Vilnius. Simon Alperovich, president of the community, is standing. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday night in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 40 children attended to congregate together, learn Jewish traditions, have a meal and play Jewish related games. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday night in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 40 children attended to congregate together, learn Jewish traditions, have a meal and play Jewish related games. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday night in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 40 children attended to congregate together, learn Jewish traditions, have a meal and play Jewish related games. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Celia Jasmina, who is confined to a wheelchair, receives a meals on wheels delivery 6 days a week, along with 4 hours of help each day. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Dr Bronfman is the head of the Lithuanian National Library's Jewish collections. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Dr Bronfman, head of the Lithuanian National Library's Jewish collections, shows off a rare book in the library's Yiddish collection. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Dr Bronfman, head of the Lithuanian National Library's Jewish collections, shows off a rare book in the library's Yiddish collection. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Meeting in the Lithuanian Ghetto Survivors' Club inside the Vilnius community center. Nearly 1,000 of Lithuania's 7,000 were Holocaust survivors. The club was a center for self help, financial aid and companionship. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Meeting in the Lithuanian Ghetto Survivors' Club inside the Vilnius community center. Nearly 1,000 of Lithuania's 7,000 were Holocaust survivors. The club was a center for self help, financial aid and companionship. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Filling out a form for financial aid in the Lithuanian Ghetto Survivors' Club inside the Vilnius community center. Nearly 1,000 of Lithuania's 7,000 were Holocaust survivors. The club was a center for self help, financial aid and companionship. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Woman requesting aid from Mr Josefas, head of the Lithuanian Ghetto Survivors' Club inside the Vilnius community center. Nearly 1,000 of Lithuania's 7,000 were Holocaust survivors. The club was a center for self help, financial aid and companionship. January, 1970 Lithuania Vilnius

In the community restaurant in Vilnius, where some 45 people ate a hot meal each day, courtesy of the community, JDC and the Claims Conference. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the community restaurant in Vilnius, where some 45 people ate a hot meal each day, courtesy of the community, JDC and the Claims Conference. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the community restaurant in Vilnius, where some 45 people ate a hot meal each day, courtesy of the community, JDC and the Claims Conference. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Los Angeles Jewish Federation mission participants with a high school class in the Vilnius Sholem Aleichem high school. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Office in the Jewish community center of Vilnius. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Kitchen of Celia Jasmina, who lives in the suburbs of Vilnius. She cannot care for herself, and JDC sponsors a meals on wheels program for some 25 elderly Jews in Vilnius. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Boris Petritch delivers meals on wheels to this man (name forgotten) who is blind and cannot care for himself. The community sends a woman to clean and care and shop for him. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Yiddish singing group in the Vilnius community center on a Saturday night. Young people were learning to sing Yiddish songs-- something young Jews had little access to during the communist decades. October, 2000 Lithuania Viln ius

Yiddish singing group in the Vilnius community center on a Saturday night. Young people were learning to sing Yiddish songs-- something young Jews had little access to during the communist decades. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Yiddish singing group in the Vilnius community center on a Saturday night. Young people were learning to sing Yiddish songs-- something young Jews had little access to during the communist decades. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Members of the audience during a performance of Yiddish songs at the Vilnius Jewish community center. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

62-year-old Boris Olshanitzki is a retired computer engineer and delivers 40 meals on wheels each day in Vilnius. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Preparing meals on wheels deliveries in Vilnius. Some 40 homebound elderly Jews were fed daily by JDC and the Claims Conference. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Tobijas Jafetas, a retired attorney and survivor of the Kovna ghetto, reviews papers of a community member, Gerson Kupersmidt, who hopes to receive Swiss reparations for his time in the camps. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the office of the Jewish Agency for Israel in the Vilnius Jewish community center, a representative interviews a Jewish family regarding their interest in moving to Israel. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the office of the Jewish Agency for Israel in the Vilnius Jewish community center, a representative interviews a Jewish family regarding their interest in moving to Israel. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening get together for Jewish youth in the Vilnius JCC. Children learn to conduct their own Friday night services, congregate, and spend time with other Jewish children. None of this could happen during the forty years of communist rule. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

The Vilnius Jewish community pays a small cafe in the center of town to close its doors each afternoon and feed around 50 elderly, poor Jews. Since the community cannot afford to build its own soup kitchen, it proved to be a cost efficient program. Program supported by JDC and the Claims Conference. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Bronislawa Blumenberg in her apartment in Vilnius. A recipient of a meals on wheels program for the Jewish elderly poor. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

62-year-old Boris Olshanitzki delivers a hot meal to a community member who is legally blind. The communtiy sends by a companion for four hours each day as well as a woman to clean and fetch the groceries and post. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the apartment of Celia Jasmina, wheelchair bound community member who cannot leave her apartment and depends on the community for food and help. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilonius

Celia Jasmina, who is confined to a wheelchair, receives meals on wheels delivery six days a week in Vilnius, along with someone who does her shopping for her and keeps her company for four hours each day. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Members of the Ghetto Survivors club in their office in the Vilnius JCC. Several hundred elderly Jews in Lithuania belong to the club, which is staffed by volunteers. They make sure all members are looked after by the community and have applied for all possible restitution funds. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the Vilnius Jewish community center. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening in the Vilnius JCC, where around 35 elementary and high school age children gather to perform skits, conduct services, and learn a bit about Jewish traditions. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Interior of church in Vilnius. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Synagogue interior, Vilnius. During the communist period, there was only one synagogue remaining. After 1990, the synagogue was restored. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Jewish family in Vilnius in the office of a representative of the Jewish Agency for Israel. They are enquiring about moving to Israel. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening gathering of Jewish youth in the Vilnius Jewish community center. Around 35 youth attend, conduct their own Friday night service, learn Jewish traditions and get to be with other Jewish youngsters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening gathering of Jewish youth in the Vilnius Jewish community center. Around 35 youth attend, conduct their own Friday night service, learn Jewish traditions and get to be with other Jewish youngsters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening gathering of Jewish youth in the Vilnius Jewish community center. Around 35 youth attend, conduct their own Friday night service, learn Jewish traditions and get to be with other Jewish youngsters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening gathering of Jewish youth in the Vilnius Jewish community center. Around 35 youth attend, conduct their own Friday night service, learn Jewish traditions and get to be with other Jewish youngsters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Arthur Balturuvich, 11 years old, in Hebrew class at the Sholom Aleichem school in Vilnius, where nearly 120 children were attending in 200 and 180 by 2002. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Learning Hebrew at the Sholem Aleichem Jewish school in Vilnius, where 120 attended in 2000 and nearly 200 in 2002. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Interior of the sole operating synagogue in Vilnius, which was restored in the 1990s. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Interior of the sole operating synagogue in Vilnius, which was restored in the 1990s. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Monument in the Ponar forest just outside of Vilnius, where tens of thousnands of Jews were murdered by the Nazis. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

The new Jewish cemetery of Vilnius, so called because the old one had been destroyed during the war. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Selection of Yiddish brochures and newspapers in the Jewish department of the Lithuanian National Library. A dozen Yiddish newspapers were published weekly in Vilnius before the war. None are today. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Dr Bronfman, director of the Jewish Department of the Lithuanian National Library. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. There was no Jewish school during the communist period in Lithuania, but the school reopened in 1990, with help from JDC and the Lauder Foundation. By 2000, when I took this picture, some 120 students attended. Two years later, the number had jumped to over 180. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. There was no Jewish school during the communist period in Lithuania, but the school reopened in 1990, with help from JDC and the Lauder Foundation. By 2000, when I took this picture, some 120 students attended. Two years later, the number had jumped to over 180. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Saturday evening at the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Around 35 young people attended to conduct a Havdalah service, learn about Judaism, and be together. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

Performance of Vilnius Jewish youth of Israeli folk dancing. Since these children grew up in homes in which their parents could not participate in Jewish activities, it is the youth who are bringing Judaism back to life in Vilnius-- and throughout Eastern Europe. October, 2000 Lithuania Vilnius

In the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. The director is Misha David. There was no Jewish school during the communist period in Lithuania, but the school reopened in 1990, with help from JDC and the Lauder Foundation. By 2000, when I took this picture, some 120 students attended. Two years later, the number had jumped to over 180. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Social gathering of the veterans oft the Soviet Army in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Several hundred Jews in Lithuania had fought in the Red Army, and they maintained their club inside the community center, where they met regularly and looked after each other. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Social gathering of the veterans oft the Soviet Army in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Several hundred Jews in Lithuania had fought in the Red Army, and they maintained their club inside the community center, where they met regularly and looked after each other. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Shabbat afternoon at the social gathering of the veterans oft the Soviet Army in the Jewish community center in Vilnius. Several hundred Jews in Lithuania had fought in the Red Army, and they maintained their club inside the community center, where they met regularly and looked after each other. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

In the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. The director is Misha David. There was no Jewish school during the communist period in Lithuania, but the school reopened in 1990, with help from JDC and the Lauder Foundation. By 2000, when I took this picture, some 120 students attended. Two years later, the number had jumped to over 180. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

In the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. The director is Misha David. There was no Jewish school during the communist period in Lithuania, but the school reopened in 1990, with help from JDC and the Lauder Foundation. By 2000, when I took this picture, some 120 students attended. Two years later, the number had jumped to over 180. October, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

In the Sholem Aleichem school in Vilnius. The director is Misha David. There was no Jewish school during the communist period in Lithuania, but the school reopened in 1990, with help from JDC and the Lauder Foundation. By 2000, when I took this picture, some 120 students attended. Two years later, the number had jumped to over 180. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

One of the many courtyards in the old Jewish quarter of Vilnius, where impoverished Jewish families once lived. Read Chaim Grade's short stories and novels for tales of poor Jews who lived in such quarters. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Stie where the great rabbi, the Goan of Vilna, once lived, wrote and prayed in the 18th century. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening gathering for parents of students in the Sholem Aleichem school. They are learning to prepare-- and eat-- gefillte fish. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening gathering for parents of students in the Sholem Aleichem school. They are learning to prepare-- and eat-- gefillte fish. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Friday evening in the Jewish youth club of Vilnius. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Poetry reading at the weekly Friday afternoon shabbat lunch for veterans of the Soviet Army in the Vilnius Jewish community service. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius

Poetry reading at the weekly Friday afternoon shabbat lunch for veterans of the Soviet Army in the Vilnius Jewish community service. May, 2002 Lithuania Vilnius