In The Choral Synagogue Of Vilnius

Marcel, our tour coordinator, has discovered that pretty much everything is possible in Eastern Europe if you provide the necessary "kessef".

And so it is that we start the day with our own Shacharis at the Vilnius ''Choral Synagogue".  Built in 1903 it was the only shul to survive the war, being used as a storehouse for medical supplies.

In its day, it would have been a magnificent building, built in moorish style with a large cuppola and a vaulted ceiling with finial adornments. 

Today, the paintwork is looking rather shabby and the chandeliers have been abused with compact fluorescent lamps of differing colors.  The tzedekah box is firmly secured to the wall with chains and a two padlocks.  No visitors will be making off with this one!

Our Cantor for the morning, Rev Ephraim Tzvi, adds brightness and colour to the service and uses the wonderful acoustics to the full.  The ladies of the party come in at the end of the service to marvel (at the building).  Our guide points out the large board at the front of the shul which contains a comprehensive index of all the shtetls in Lithuania, all lost in the war.

Our first destination for the day is then the section of Vilnius we were unable to see yesterday because of the rain. 

The starting point is the Cathedral. There is a debate about entering, to view the architectural gems inside.  The Rabbi says no.

So we head to Vilnius University, an architectural gem in its own right and noted by the men of the party as comprising almost completely female undergraduates.  We are told by the guide this is because most of the men have gone for work in London!

The university has a number of Jewish features, including the Yiddish Institute and the astrological courtyard, where our guide explains that many of the mathematical problems the astrologers struggled with in the 18th century were solved by the Vilna Gaon who was equally interested in the spatial as the spiritual.

Of particular note though is the philology faculty - a richly decorated building with a faux tomb on the floor representing the death of many of the Baltic languages.

Our guide explains there are only two Baltic languages left :  Latvian and Lithuanian.  Estonian?  No, this is part of the Scandinavian group.  Polish? No, explains our guide disdainingly.  These are Slav languages.

What we increasingly realize is the pride with which Lithuanians regained their independence from Russia in 1990, keen to stress that they're an independent nation in their own right.   We shall see shortly how this has also been of value from a Jewish perspective.