Europe Tag

Hanukah was bursting out all over the Shavei Israel Jewish world - communities that Shavei Israel works with have held candle lightings, sung songs, eaten Hanukah donuts and, in general, illuminated the dark December skies with Hanukah joy. Check out this amazing selection of photos...

In 1827, Czar Nicholas I of Russia published a harsh “Recruitment Decree” which required the 25-year conscription of Jewish boys between the ages of 12 and 25. These children were taken away from their families and became known as cantonists, and for the next 29...

Karate Judaism is a Jewish movement that recognizes only the Bible as a source for legal authority. Tracing its origins to Baghdad in the 8th century CE, today, there only are an estimated 30,000–50,000 Karaites left, most living in Israel, with smaller communities in Turkey,...

[caption id="attachment_9203" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Only pre-war synagogue that is still open in Vilna"][/caption] Vilna was one of the most famous Jewish cities in pre-World War II Europe, known around the world for its Torah institutions and scholars, especially the fabled Vilna Gaon. Before the war, the city...

Jewish students at Vilna Jewish school perform the classic "A Yiddishe Mama" - in fluent Yiddish! [youtube]http://youtu.be/ICanEsD_3gw[/youtube] Here's the translation: I’d like to ask of you a question, tell me who knows With which dear possession does G-d bless everyone It cannot be bought for money, it’s given only for...

Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund was in Vilna last month and visited a Jewish kindergarten – a moving testament to the unprecedented revitalization of Jewish life in what was once known as “The Jerusalem of Lithuania.” Here are some pictures: [nggallery id=148]...

Shavei Israel Chairman Michael Freund visited Vilna in June, 2012. Here are some of the pictures he shot during the trip. He also met with the Lithuanian Prime Minister. [nggallery id=147]...