In XIII century the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
was born in the Belarusian lands - a multi-lingual, multi-ethnical commonwealth that has
produced a unique Renaissance Culture in the following centuries. Jews arrived to Belarus
already in XIII c. when a system of towns was already well established here. Ever since
Jews were a vital ingredient of a multicultural ethnos that has been thriving in the Grand
Duchy of Lithuania and later Belarus. Jewish
artists of Belarus have left a precious heritage of their paintings documenting for
us a unique inner world of the Jewish Belarus.
The article about Litvaks (Belarusian and Lithuanian Jewish ethnos) by Saul Issroff. The article has appeared originally in Shemot, Vol. 3, No 3.
LitvagSIG - a site about litvaks and for litvaks. Unfortunately, folks over there have chosen to believe that modern Lithuania is the same state as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (the state in which litvaks were formed as an ethnical entity). And yet in 1940, when Vil'na was given from Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic to Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic by Stalin, there were around 5% of Vilna citizen, who spoke Lithuanian. Even later, when USSR had fallen apart, Vilna (Vilnius) citizen were considering options of joining Belarus, joining Poland, standing as an independent state and different degrees of autonomy in the Lithuania.
Mayne Zikhroynes (Remembrances) by Yekheskl Kotik. Translated by Lucas Bruyn. Read here about life of Litvaks in Belarus from one of the first Yiddish writers. Yekheskl (Ezekiel) Kotik (1847-1921), was born in Kamenets-Litovsk, Belarus He is mainly known for his two-volume memoirs "Mayne Zikhroynes" (1913-1914). In the first volume of his memoirs the author describes his childhood in Kamenets; in the second volume his life in Belarus and several cities in Russia proper.
The History of Belarusian Jewry by Alex Friedman, School of History, Belarusian State University, Minsk.
The Paris School: Jewish artists from Belarus.
The Art School of Iehuda Pen in Vitebsk.
Mark Chagall -
artist from Vitebsk.
Some notes on Judazantism - a reformation religious movement started in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Federation of Jewish Communities of Belarus - dozens of contact addresses in different regions of Belarus.
Shtetlinks website from Jewishgen genealogical service contains nice descriptions of the history of some of the Belarusian Shtetls - small towns and villages around Belarus with predominantly Jewish population.
Hassids in Belarus of Early 20th Century. Read the story of Kurenetz shtetle.
Jewish Human Relations Club "The Friends House" in Vitebsk, Belarus.
Yom Hashoah. The Ivye
Project: A Lost World Remembered. A dance/theater
What do Simon Kuznets, Lev Vygotski, Robert Pinski, Marc Chagall, Simon Peres, Yitzhak Shamir, Menahem Begin, Oskar Milash and Kirk Douglas have in common? They all come from Belarus. Take a look at this site listing Famous Belarusians.
Jews on the walls of Belarusian cities - an article in "Nasha Niva" (in Belarusian) about participation of Jews in military self-defense in Belarus by Henadz' Sahanovich.
guide and genealogy in Poland
The Khazaria Info Center - a site about a historical Judaic Khazaria state which existed in the South lands of current Russia and Ukraine. Of possible interest.
Barys Malkin - a page about Belarusian artist maintained by his son.
Szmuel Kapinsky - saving 120
Jews from the Vilna Ghetto during World
Simcha - Belarusian-Jewish Youth Theatre
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abroad. VG brings you the most extensive compilation of the information about Belarus on
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