Lithuania Trip Photos

May 9 - 17, 2001

by Nancy Lefkowitz

 

ROLL 3

Vilna

This open area was a part of the Vilna Ghetto

Vilna Street Person - only one seen

This area was between two sections of the Vilna Ghetto

Looks so calm today!

In the Vilna Ghetto

Hard to believe what had happened here.

In the Vilna Ghetto

Now filled with modern cars. Hard to even imagine the horrors and cruelty that happened here.

Monument Marker of the Vilna Ghetto

Today it looks so peaceful! As they were walkingJoel asked Fania if she knew that the Vilna Ghetto was here when she went to school at the Vilna University that was just two blocks away. Fania stopped in her tracks and said that she had no clue. In those days no one spoke about the Ghetto, the Shoah, or what had happened! It was a dark secret, even though the children knew that the Shoah had occurred. The parents spared the children the details, and so kept quiet. Fania said the "if, when we get to Kovno, where I grew up, and you asked me where the Kovno Ghetto was, I would not have any idea!"

Apartment house staircase in the Vilna Ghetto

Monument Marker of the Vilna Ghetto

No hint of the horrors!

Monument Marker of the Vilna Ghetto

Building of the Vilna Ghetto Jewish Council, the "Judenrat"

Formerly the Building of the Vilna Ghetto Jewish Council, the "Judenrat"

Memorial in the former Courtyard of the Jewish Council

Sculpture by Mexican Artist known to Esther

In the former Courtyard of the Jewish Council

In the former Courtyard of the Jewish Council

Marc Schumann, Esther Bejar-Sherman, Lottye Brodsky, Brenda Freshman, Marc Schumann

Waiting to get into the Vilna Synagogue

Lottye Brodsky, Brenda Freshman, Joel Alpert, Esther Bejar-Sherman, Fania Jivotovsky, Leon Menzer and Marc Schumann

The only remaining Shul in Vilna

Vilna had about 120,000 Jews and hundreds of synagogues at the eve of World War II. There is now one remaining synagogue and about 3500 Jews.

Finally Inside The Shul in Vilna

Yurburgers Inside The Shul in Vilna

Dinner Entertainment that night - Ethnic Lithuania costumes

Food was very good and the place was nearly empty except for us. An excellent meal in a very nice place cost about 30 Litas, or about $8. Vilna is not on the list of hot venues to visit!

 

They were really very good, as was the food!

Chaim Bargman (Tour Guide), Nancy Lefkowitz and Lottye Brodsky at Dinner

Esther Bejar-Sherman and Gary Schumann

On the Road to Kovno the next morning

Weather was very pleasant in the 60s, dry and the sky was filled with beautiful clouds.

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