Jewish East End of London - Alderney Road Cemetery, Mile End

JEWISH EAST END OF LONDON PHOTO GALLERY & COMMENTARY

London's East End Synagogues, cemeteries and more......

My personal journey through the Jewish East End of London

A visit to Jewish Vilnius and the Karaite town of Trakai, Lithuania - February 2006

With its mixture synagogues and Churches of all denominations Vilnius was known as the Jerusalem of Lithuania. For centuries its varied peoples and religions co-existed in relative harmony. Jews came to Vilnius in the 14th century as economic migrants. Their immigration was encouraged by the Grand Dukes of Lithuania who regarded them as assets that would bring prosperity with them. Vilnius was a centre of non-Chassidic learning in the Jewish World and the home of the Vilna Gaon - Rabbi Elijah Ben Solomon Zalman, 1720 -1797. He was the foremost non Chassidic scholar of his day and regarded as a genius (the meaning of the word 'Gaon'). Vilnius once contained 105 synagogues. Now only The Choral Synagogue remains. As of Feb 2006 a dispute between competing rabbis seeking its leadership led to its closure. Before the War Lithuania was home to hundreds of thousands of Jews. Now only some 2500 remain. Very sad.

Karaites, a Turkic tribe of Jewish origin that do not accept the validity of Rabbinic commentaries (The Talmud) on the Torah, came to Lithuania in the 14th century. Before the War approximately 2500 Karaites lived in Lithunania. Now, according to the guide who accompanied me on my visit, only around 65 remain. The Karaities mainly lived in the village of Trakai, some 15 miles or so from Vilnius. See the photos below.

Jews and Karaites were murdered on mass by the Nazis during World War Two. The subsequent Soviet occupation was a blight on the lives of all surviving Lithuanians. It was wonderful to be present on Lithuania's independence day on 16 February to witness the joy the people felt as they celebrated their hard won freedom

A visit to Vilnius is a must for all interested in Jewish culture and history. The 'Old Town' is the centre of all that is picturesque. Wonderful Baroque buildings are everywhere, while houses painted in a patchwork of pastel colours light up the Winter streets. There is no readily available map listing Jewish sights/Jewish walking tours (or if there is I didn't find one!) so you will have to discover your own way around using the scattered information available. Make sure you keep both eyes open for plaques on walls.....and bars serving 'warm wine''.....try it you'll like it.....

Some photos of Jewish Vilnius and the nearby Karaite village of Trakai are below.

Double click the photos to enlarge