Vilnius And The Beginning Of A Personal Journey...

Vilnius, Lithuania

July 9-11, 2014

The first Baltic tribes established themselves on Lithuanian territory in the 2^nd century BC , but it wasn't until AD 1009 that the word “Lithuania” was first used and a wooden castle was built on Gediminas Hill in Vilnius. Centuries of fighting followed, but by the end of the 15^th century and into the 16^th the country was thriving...only to be fought over by Sweden and Russia in the 18^th century who both wanted control of Vilnius. Political and religious dissent against Russian control of the country marked the 19^th century and the century that followed saw continued fighting and bloodshed as Lithuania was subject to both Russian and German occupation. Between 1941 and 1944, the Nazis organized the mass murder of over 200,000 Jews, 94% of the Litvak population and, after the war, with the Russians back in control, 250,000 Lithuanians were sent to Siberia. Opposition to Russian occupation was widespread and frequent military presence was evident in an attempt to squash any movement for independence. Although the Lithuanian flag was officially raised in 1988, the Russian government continued to send in troops; ultimately, the Moscow putsch collapsed and in September, 1992, the three Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were recognized by the United States and admitted into the UN as sovereign nations.

This is a country with a population which, for generations, was subject to occupying powers and the killing of hundreds of thousands of people...a country that dearly paid the price for freedom. My paternal grandmother emigrated from Lithuania well over 100 years ago and, for me, the days here were a continual exploration of whatever I could see and feel that would bring me back in time and discover a part of where I came from.

Old-town Vilnius is absolutely charming with a sophisticated European feel that I, honestly, wasn't expecting. I spent many hours walking through what was once the Jewish Ghetto; the cobble-stoned streets that had known gaiety and joy, only to be darkened in 1941 when the ghetto became closed, forced labor for the Germans was in place, and the deportation and annihilation of a thriving Jewish community began in earnest. Where once the city had 100 synagogues and was called the  "Jerusalem of the West", now there is only one, the Choral Synagogue that I had the privilege of visiting and praying in.

There are over 40 churches in Vilnius, many of them quite beautiful inside and out, so being known as the "City of Churches" is quite fitting. The architecture here is a composite of the old and the new; one feels the history of the past adorned with the flair of modernity. There's spirit here among the young people; they are the future; a generation born in freedom with the determination to succeed.