Marc Chagall, one of the most famous early modernist and Jewish artists, died on 28 March 1985 at the age of 97. Born into a Litvak Hasidic family near Vitebsk, he remained deeply connected to Jewish life in his art. Marc Chagall had several links with Vilnius and Lithuania.
Tag Archives: Jewish Heritage
Shtetl of the Week: Butrimonys
I spotted a Jewish joke on a wall in the Butrimonys eldership building a few years ago. Today, I return as part of my Shtetl of the Week series to explore the town’s past and the traces that remain.
Shtetl of the Week: Pumpėnai
Many visitors who come to Lithuania to explore their Jewish roots ask to see the towns where their families once lived. These journeys often lead to small former shtetls that today seem quiet, but once had active Jewish communities. Last week I received a request to guide visitors to Pumpėnai and Krekenava, two towns inContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Pumpėnai”
Shtetl of the Week: Kuršėnai
This week’s shtetl is Kuršėnai, Kurshan in Yiddish. I first visited Kuršėnai in October 2025. I wanted to “greet” the memorial stele marking the former synagogue, erected by the Jakovas Bunka Foundation, and to take a closer look at this small town that I so often pass through, but rarely stop in. The view ofContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Kuršėnai”
Shtetl of the Week: Daugai
This week’s Shtetl of the Week is Daugai (Doig). It is a small town in southern Lithuania on a peninsula in Lake Daugai. Welcome to Daugai Jews settled here from the late 16th century. By the 18th century a community had formed. Jews here ran shops, workshops, flourmills and farms. They had a synagogue (orContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Daugai”
ANYKŠČIAI || ANIKSHT
Jews in Anykščiai surprised locals with the town’s first gas station and its only bus Anyone who has visited Anykščiai can easily list at least five, or even all ten, of its most popular sights. The town truly offers plenty to do: culture, entertainment, nature, and wellness services, all supported by an infrastructure comparable toContinueContinue reading “ANYKŠČIAI || ANIKSHT”
Shtetl of the Week: Seda
This week we travel to Seda, a small Žemaitija town. Seda’s synagogue (credit: Yad Vashem, photo from FB page Lietuva senose fotografijose) Its’ history reaches back to the early 1500s, and perhaps even earlier. Once an important border trade center with Livonia, it grew around a manor, a parish founded in 1508, and a busyContinueContinue reading “Shtetl of the Week: Seda”
Shtetl of the week: starting a new series with Dusetos
In the “Shtetl of the Week” series, I explore and share traces of Jewish heritage in former Lithuanian shtetls. Each week focuses on one town, highlighting surviving sites, personal stories, notable Litvaks, artistic contributions, cemeteries, and Holocaust memorials, offering a glimpse into the life, memory, and legacy of these communities.
How to plan a Jewish Heritage or Family roots trip to Lithuania
For more than ten years, I am helping visitors from all over the world discover and reconnect with Lithuania’s Jewish past. In this conversation, she shares how to plan a Jewish heritage or family roots trip to Lithuania, what a typical three-day journey looks like, and how even independent travellers often find deeper meaning through her personalized itineraries.
Commemorating 100 Years of YIVO in Vilnius
YIVO (Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut) was founded in 1925 in Vilnius as a Jewish scholarly institute dedicated to researching Eastern European Jewish culture, language, and history. During World War II, the institute relocated to New York, where it continues to preserve more than 400,000 books and millions of documents, manuscripts, and photographs about Jewish life inContinueContinue reading “Commemorating 100 Years of YIVO in Vilnius”
Litvak Shtetls 