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

Lithuania, Land of Catholics, Crosses, Pagan Symbols and a Jewish Genius

The Lithuanian flag is tricolour (three colours). The green and red are the colours traditionally used in folk costumes. Yellow was added to symbolize the dawn. 

 Lithuania may have a difficult language, but it has people who speak Russian or English, in some places German. 

The country offers all sorts of great things to eat, and something for everybody of al sort of cultures to enjoy.

First, what is it and what it is not. The Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia make a great set of close places to vist with contrasts. The Estonian language is nearer to Finnish. The Latvians and Lithuanians have a pair of different overlapping languages. 

The Estonisans have mostly no religion. The Latvians are more than half Protestants. The Luthuanians are Catholic with lots of Catholic places to see.

Let's start with the capitl of Lithuania, Vilnius. Historic.

Wikivoyage has some interesting comments and insights into attitudes amongst different sections of the population. 

Vilnius, colourful capital of Lithuania.

Chapel over the Gate of Dawn, in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

Jewish cemetery of Vilnius. . Monument created from gravestones destroyed during the wars.

The white interor or St Peter and St Paul church in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. Wikivoyage article on Vilnius

Vilnius. Open Air Museum of the Centre of Europe.

Hill of Crosses. Vilnius. Lithuania.

Iron fox sculpture. Lithuania.

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

It was 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 a lovely thought, well expressed, even though we are reading it 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.

For fun, around Vilnius are a statue of Frank Zappa, no connection with Vilnius except fans who wanted his statue, a Toy Msueum, and a Museum of Illusions.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Vilnius

https://www.jmuseum.lt/en/vilna-gaon-elijah-ben-solomon-zalman-2/i/156/vilna-gaon-elijah-ben-solomon-zalman-1720-1797/

vilna Gaon Quotations

https://www.torah-box.net/jewish-ethics-and-learning/jewish-thinking/10-quotes-and-tips-from-the-vilna-gaon_1354.html

Please share links to your favoure posts from my blog.

Hill of Crosses, Lithuania.

World Tourism Day 27 September

World Tourism Day 27 September was established by the United Natons. It is on Sept 27 every year because that is the end of the summer holiday season in the northern hemisphere and the start of the Spring season in the southern hemisphere.

So who benefits most? The southern hemisphere (spellcheck turns that into mis fire) with the holiday season ahead, or the north with the season over and therefore the need for a tourism  boost?

What happened to world tourism day?

Flag of Lithuania.

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA

 I was alerted to World Tourism Day by Vilnius, Lithuania, which emailed me a press release.

Full marks to their tourist board.

I marked the date in my calendar. I planned and scheduled a blog. But then the world went quiet. What a missed opportunity.

Slogan:
One billion tourists; one billion opportunities.

http://www.un.org/en/events/tourismday/

World tourism day was eclipsed by the eclipse of the moon.

INDIA

However, after the event I learned that tourists got in to see the Taj Mahal in India for free.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/On-World-Tourism-Day-30000-tourists-to-see-Taj-for-free/articleshow/49121352.cms

Vilnius was famous for the Vilna Gaon or genius. Now tourists can enjoy self-guided tours listening to the city's 'talking statues'.

Vilnius Tourism and Convention Bureau
Vilnius g. 22
LT-0119
Vilnius
tel: +370 5 262 9660
www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en
www.vilnius-events.lt
You need the word en on the end to get the website in English.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Vilnius Talking statues - The Mermaid, Queen, Frank Zappa, poet, doctor, and more. But where's the Vilna Gaon or Vilna genius?

Flag of Lithuania. From Wikipedia.

Lithuania's prominent town of Vilnius has produced a great idea, a map and a trail of talking statues from all periods of history, taking you around the city. So you don't walk aimlessly but have a destination, a sense of achievement, learn along the route. A city gets you the visitor (or resident) to pass landmarks, historic quarters and as you go the shops and restaurants or open spaces. Well done, Vilna tourist board.

The Statues
But who are the statues of other famous citizens of Vilnius? Frank Zappa; a Jewish doctor; The Mermaid; Barbara, Duchess and Queen of Poland; Adam Mickiewicz national poet of Lithuania and Poland, and more.
It's something for you to do, even with the map, which you can start any time of day.

The Vilna Genius
When I was researching for a novel featuring one of my ancestors from Ukraine, and trying to include several countries and cities in Europe and worldwide to interest the widest possible audience for my book, I came across the Vilna Gaon or genius. (I am not saying that the map of talking statues is a stroke of genius, I am just saying it is excellent.)

The Vilna Gaon was the intellectual, rival, and enemy, of the illiterate Hasids who were singing and dancing in the streets and forests in their warm coats in winter and big hats. The Hasids were communing directly with God through nature, instead of sitting sensibly in synagogue listening to the learned Gaon who presided with wise words over funerals.

The saintly Gaon, however, on learning that his rival was dead, forbade his own followers from dancing on the grave. He wisely said that the dead should be respected. Past rivalry should be forgotten. (Forgotten - I am still talking about it centuries later. Forgiven, but not forgotten.)

I think this is a great story. It explains a lot about why groups of people don't get on. If you look at the psychological systems such as Briggs Meyers, it's simply the introvert versus the extravert, the intellectual book reader living in the past and future versus the sensor living in the here and now.

The Gaon lives on a literature. The Hasids live on in their headgear. (For years I was afraid to approach Hasids. When I did, I found that they won't shake hands with a woman, however, they will speak to you and they are a very jolly crowd.)

The Vilna Gaon is the sort of character you can promote in conferences and long, learned magazine articles. The Hasids are a group who can dance in the streets at festivals.

Back to the Gaon. Mention Vilna to anybody who has studied Jewish history for any reason and they will immediately associate Vilna with the Vilna Gaon. I looked to see where is the Vilna Gaon. A character of interest to the American Jewish visitor. Wikipedia comes up with the instant answer.

Attracting Tourists
Anybody connected with the travel trade will remember that when the Americans stopped visiting London the hotels were suddenly in trouble. Why? Because a hundred room hotel with two bedroom suites occupied by the rich and retired, suddenly found that a ten per cent drop in takings was the difference between profit and loss.

Maybe nobody in a group of 20 visitors or a hundred visitors is interested. But the owner of the travel agency had a granny from a European city. Your Jewish owned or staffed travel company can also send dozens of people to a city, or nobody.

If you visit Vilnius, and know about the Vilna Gaon, you will have no trouble finding where he was and then seeing the other statues.

http://www.mmcentras.lt/uploads/files/dir551/dir27/dir1/0_0.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilna_Gaon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilna_Gaon_Jewish_State_Museum

Adam Mickiewicz is the national poet of more than one country (because borders have changed through history). Adam was and is national poet of Lithuania and Poland. Was Adam Mickiewicz also Jewish? If not, was he ever Jewish, or of Jewish descent? It seems he was a staunch Catholic, rumoured to have a Jewish mother so possibly of Jewish origin with Jewish sympathies or connections and definitely a political alliance.

If you are trying to write a historical novel, and work out the sympathies of your real life or imaginary hero, or a minor or famous character of the era, here's a site which summarises the issues neatly.
http://www.jewornotjew.com/profile.jsp?ID=1143

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, researcher, speaker.