Jewish Travel. Lithuania

Jewish Travel
Division of EMCO Travel, LLC

Since 1993

Toll-free 877-466-2934. Phone 727-254-4373
Fax: 203-653-5586
email: info@JewishTravelAgency.com

The project “Discover Lithuanian Jerusalem” contains journeys back into the highs and lows of the Jewish history combined with general sightseeing and acquaintance with the present-day vibrant Jewish Communities. In our tours we seek to present the Jewish history of each particular city or shtetl in the context of the history of that region.

The Jewish meaning of the Hebrew name Lita (Yiddish – Lite) exceeds far the borders of present Lithuania. It includes many of the lands that were once part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania such as south western Latvia, vast territories of Belarus, former Suvalk province part of which today belongs to Poland, and, of course, ethnic Lithuania itself.

The Lithuanian state was established in the 13th century as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It attained its height of power in the 14th-15th centuries, when its borders reached even the Black Sea. But later different kinds of foreign rule governed the country, except for a brief period of independence between the World Wars. The modern history of independent Lithuania began in 1990, when it became free from the Soviet Union.

It is believed that the first Jews appeared in Lithuania in the 14th century. At that time the largest Jewish communities were in Brest, Trakai, and Grodno. Later Vilnius (Vilna) evolved into the country’s greatest Jewish community, especially after the lifetime of the Vilna Gaon, when the city was reputed Yerushalaim d’Lita, the Lithuanian Jerusalem, one of the most important centres of Jewish culture, education and scholarship. Active Jewish communities existed not only in the big cities, but also in small settlements, shtettls, throughout Lithuania, Latvia and Belorussia. In the early 20th century Litvaks, Lithuanian Jews, constituted a remarkable part of country’s population. The Great Vilna Synagogue, the world famous Yeshivas of Volozhin, Radin, Slobodka, Telz, Ponevezh, the Romm family Printing House, the Jewish Academic Institute (YIVO), outstanding historians, writers and poets, numerous newspapers and magazines in Hebrew and Yiddish, brought honour to Lithuanian Jewry all over the world. The tragedy of the Holocaust beset Lithuanian Jews during WWII, when 94% of them were murdered. Although today the Jewish community of Lithuania numbers about 5000 people, it has great vitality and numerous active cultural and educational institutions, such as the State Jewish museum, the Yiddish Institute in Vilnius University, two Jewish schools, Jewish kindergartens, the community newspaper “Lithuanian Jerusalem,” etc.

E&M Travel in cooperation with our local Lithuanian tour operator, Jerulita, offers its tailored itineraries for individual Jewish travelers as well as the personalized tours for individuals, groups and study missions. We have years of experience in helping people in their genealogical researches. The tours are conducted in English, Hebrew, German, French, Russian and other languages. Our highly qualified Government-licensed guides are available to accompany clients from the moment of their arrival till their departure.

Please let us know if you are interested in organizing or expanding travel to our region. We will be happy to welcome you in Lita - the home of generations of our ancestors for hundreds of years.

EMCO Travel LLC, DBA Jewish Travel Agency is registered with State of Florida as Seller of Travel Registration No. ST36902
California Travel Seller # 2079011-40
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