Local Jewish community — both the elderly and youngsters — enjoy celebrating traditional Jewish holidays. Such events attract large audience. The holidays became an important tool in the strengthening of national identity.
There is a Jewish school in Vilnius, named after the great Yiddish writer Sholom Aleichem. It is a state school, i.e. funded by the state. In addition to general curriculum, there are Judaic subjects — Tanach, Hebrew, history Jewish people — that play essential role in the teaching program. The school has almost 200 pupils. There are Sunday schools in Kaunas, Shiauliai, Klaipeda.
There is also a private religious school in Vilnius, supported by Chabad Lubavich community. This community has a rabbi. There are also very small misnagdim communities in Vilnius and Kaunas. They are visited by a rabbi from London several times in a year. Synagogues are open in Vilnius and Kaunas, whereas Klaipeda has a prayer home.

REVIVAL OF CULTURAL LEGACY

The Jewish Community of Lithuania attaches exceptional importance to the revival of cultural legacy. This work is extremely complicated not only due to the lack of funds, but also due to the fact that there is only a handful of Judaica specialist left in Lithuania. Nonetheless huge work is being accomplished. First of all, we must mention events, organized on certain occasions. Among them the most significant in scale and impact on society was the 200th jorcait of the Gaon of Vilnius. It would not be an exaggeration to claim, that the whole Lithuania lived under the influence of this great scholar for the entire week of celebrations.
Various conferences are organized. Their proceedings are usually published. In the course of the past ten years there were four large international conferences alone, and many more small ones. The Program in Judaic studies is open at Vilnius University. Courses on Jewish history and Holocaust are given in four universities in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipeda (presented by Lithuanian scholars).
For ten years the Community has been holding the Jewish lectorium. Each Sunday people gather to listen to lectures, which often conclude with concerts. Sometimes these concerts are performed by litvaks — emigrants, who come back to visit their homeland.
Another cultural institution is the Jewish Cultural Club that reaches out to the Jewish and non-Jewish intellectuals.
The Community affiliates a very active children and youth club Ilan, as well as a club for the elderly Abi men zet zich.
There is a Judaica sector at the National Mazhvydas library. It catalogues Judaica publications in Yiddish and Hebrew which survived the Holocaust (the sector has in its disposition 50.000 books, as well as numerous newspapers and magazines).
Recently the Community opened a web site dedicated to the cultural heritage of Lithuanian Jews. Its URL is: http://litvakai.mch.mii.lt. The site is in Lithuanian and English.
An important role in our cultural life plays the fourlingual (in Yiddish, Lithuanian, Russian and English) newspaper Jerusalem of Lithuania.
This summer will welcome the Fourth Annual Vilnius Program in Yiddish (more information at www.yiddishvilnius.com). Before the Catastrophe Vilnius was a center of Yiddish culture, therefore this program bears huge importance for us.