Heroes of Vilnius - the Jerusalem of the North (Lithuania)

The capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, was known as the Jerusalem of the North. Two local heroes are recalled by statues and monuments. Starting with the earliest, we have the renowned Vilna Gaon. The word gaon means guru or genius.

He was known as the Baal Shem Tov. Baal means master. Shem means name in Hebrew. Tov means good.  Master of the good name. It doesn't mean that he had a good name but he was a master of studies of God. (Think of MA in religious studies, but higher than that, more like a professor emeritus.)

Wikivoyage makes brief mention of the vilna Gaon museum, the Jewish Vilna genius, who is buried in a Vilnius cemetery, as is mentioned, but he has a longer article elsewhere in Wikipedia. 

Quotations From The Vilna Gaon

 Wikiquote has two quotations from him which I found quite negative. One quotation was about telling his wife to stay home and avoid gossipping.

A commenatary explained that women in those days were not obliged to attend synagogue at all. Why? Because women were fully busy looking after the home and family, children. (In that era married women went from one pregnancy to the next throughout their childbearing years).

 However, another website produced lovely timeless sayings that his wife and mother should get along, and woman should be good to their neighbours.

'I ask my wife to honor my mother, (as it is written in the Torah), especially a widow, because it is a great sin to cause her sadness, even with a small gesture.

 I also ask my mother that there be peace between you two. 

A woman should make her neighbor happy with good things'. 

What lovely thoughts, well expressed, even though we are reading in translation. 

The Vilna Gaon Museum has a page on him, and a shop selling publications, books, bookmarks, magnets and postcards.

Also see the street named after the Vilna Gaon with a statue of the Vilna Gaon.

See the bust of the Vilna Gaon in Vilnius.

Also in Vilnius you can see a statue of local hero, a member of parliment, friend of the poor, who enabled them to  consult a doctor when needed, and friend of children. 

Zemach Shabad

The name Zemach is Hebrew for blossom or flower.

His charming statue shows him helping a little girl who holds a kiten.

Wikimedia reveals

Zemach Shabad, a kind Jewish doctor, who treated poor people for free, and helped orphans.  He was a member of the Polish parliament, a friend of Einstein.  He lived from Feb 5th 1864 until January 20th 1935 He died aged 61, and 30,000 people attended his funeral.

Contrasting the interests of youngsters in Vlnius in olden times with modern, cosmopolitan Vilnius, for fun, around Vilnius see a bust of Frank Zappa, guitarist, no connection with Vilnius except fans who wanted his statue, The Frank Zappa statue is in front or a spray mural depicting a band playing. 

Another statue shows John Lennon.

Useful Websites

Go Vilnius