VILKAVISKIS
A small town in Southern Lithuania
Where the Jewish Community is no more
A small town in Southern Lithuania
Where the Jewish Community is no more
Yossi Ankorion
Family Album
Family Album
Madame Michelle Racine
Visits Vilkaviskis
Visits Vilkaviskis
In August 2009 Madame Michelle Racine, the neice of Sonia Gaskel visited Vilkaviskis for the first time.
Here are pictures of the visit kindly provided by Algis.
Here are pictures of the visit kindly provided by Algis.
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| At the entrance to the town. |
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| Michelle with Antanas at the Regional Museum 4 | Michelle with Antanas at the Regional Museum | Michelle with Antanas at the Regional Museum 2 | Michelle with Antanas at the Regional Museum 3 |
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| In from of the Municipal Building this was once the Hebrew Gymnasium |
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| Michelle meeting the Honorable Mr. Algirdas S Bagušinskas, Mayor of Vilkaviskis 2 | Michelle meeting the Honorable Mr. Algirdas S Bagušinskas, Mayor of Vilkaviskis |
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| At the Holocaust Monument. | Michelle at the Vilkaviskis Railway Station. |
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| Visiting the Jewish Cemetery | Visiting the Jewish Cemetery 2 | Visiting the Jewish Cemetery 3 | Visiting the Jewish Cemetery 4 | Visiting the Jewish Cemetery 5 |
Already this year Vilkaviskis will be born here įamžintas contemporary Dutch creators of the ballet, the famous ballet-dancer and choreographer Sonia Gaskel memory. About this Vilkaviškio the district mayor Algirdas Bagušinskas chatted with first visited Lithuania Gaskel S. closest relative - her niece Michelle Racine, living in Paris. "My life dream was to visit the town where my grandparents were born, my mother Gaskelytė Hindi, and her sister - Dutch famous ballet developer Sonia Gaskel. And from the mother, and aunts, I have been a number of Vilkaviškio heard of, but completely unimaginable, as it is. I know that before the Second World War more than 60 percent. of the population were Jews, and now they completely ceased, "- jaudindamasi spoke of Racine. The idea perpetuate the memory of the famous choreographer had learned this spring that Sonia Gaskel Vilkaviskis was born in 1904 there lived a Jewish grain Merchant Gaskelio Solomon and his wife Anna Karnovsky family. Families left Vilkaviškio in 1914 and went to the Ukraine, then, before the Second World War, returned to the city. Sonia Gaskel from Ukraine, gelbėdamasi pogrom against the Jews, 1921's went to Palestine, and the 1925's was in Paris, where began his career as a cabaret dancer. Later, she founded the Ballet of the capital of the French group, has choreographed the work. 1939's, already being famous and of course, S. Gaskel married man for the Dutch and moved to the Netherlands. It is in this country, S. Gaskel earned the highest honor. World War II, she was forced to hide. Ballet lessons from it and attended the famous Hollywood star Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993), the four times she was nominated for "Oscar" awards and in 1954 it won for the film "Roman Holiday". Of their teachers gave the actress a photo with dedication. This photo, signed "Odričkos' behalf, M. Racine Vilkaviškio brought to the edge and gave the museum. 1961, Amsterdam S. Gaskel brought together Dutch National Ballet troupe, which became the country's current National Ballet and the basis of which it is headed until 1968. From liver cancer in the famous choreographer died in Paris in 1974, her request was servicepersons kremuoti, moved to Amsterdam and scatter, so the fans can visit the graves of famous creators. When it became widely known that this woman's birthplace - Vilkaviškis, visited the Kingdom of the Netherlands Ambassador to Lithuania Annemieke Ruigrok. The Ambassador said that Mr Holland Gaskel name very well known, the memory of this year, spent a solid monograph, September Amsterdam Theater opens a retrospective exhibition of the Institute. Its exhibits and the fairy tale about the childhood years Gaskel S. Vilkaviskis. "You have and enjoy and be proud that such a celebrity was born Vilkaviskis. They know the name of our country, every culture, at least as far as concerns the man. It would be very nice if the Dutch contemporary ballet and the developer would įamžinta its own ", - said the term of Lithuania has now completed the ambassador. Page 2.>>
he house where the family lived Gaskelių, is not preserved, since the Second World War Vilkaviškis highly affected by the bombing. Under the old maps it is known exactly where the house stood in the vicinity of the planned local Gaskel S. Memorial unveil plaques. Vilkaviškio the edge of the museum director Anton Žilinskas September are invited to the exhibition of S. Gaskel life and work of the opening in Amsterdam. There he plans to consult with the Dutch Theater Institute and the Amsterdam Jewish Museum, the exhibition of the famous creator atkeliautų and her mother in Lithuania and is exhibited Vilkaviskis and perhaps Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater in Vilnius. "These celebrities need to perpetuate the memory. I think that should make a movie, photo album release, because we have a number of materials on Jewish life Vilkaviškis, this year the "Yad Vashem" Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, I take more than a hundred unique and extraordinary images of the pre Vilkaviškio gyvenusias and Jewish families, "- said a . Zilinskas. In the place where relatives were visiting the house of a former teacher from the Paris of Racine said that experiencing incredible feeling. The woman was impressed that the carefully managed and supervised by the Jewish Cemetery Vilkaviskis that remained were a Jewish grandparent care homes, which now operates the city clinic, as well as the Jewish Gymnasium - this building is now located in District Administration. M.Racine aplankė ir žydų masinio naikinimo vietą Vilkaviškio pakraštyje, taip pat geležinkelio stotį, iš kur gimtąjį miestą spėjo palikti daugybė jos tautiečių. "In Vilkaviškio still be back, atsivešiu here and their children, because they have to get to know their grandparents home. It is gratifying that we are not forgotten, that the stored memories of the nearly four hundred years here gyvenusius Jews, though they long ago no longer exists. I believe that the future city and the famous perpetuate my aunt "- Vyle M. Racine.
he house where the family lived Gaskelių, is not preserved, since the Second World War Vilkaviškis highly affected by the bombing. Under the old maps it is known exactly where the house stood in the vicinity of the planned local Gaskel S. Memorial unveil plaques. Vilkaviškio the edge of the museum director Anton Žilinskas September are invited to the exhibition of S. Gaskel life and work of the opening in Amsterdam. There he plans to consult with the Dutch Theater Institute and the Amsterdam Jewish Museum, the exhibition of the famous creator atkeliautų and her mother in Lithuania and is exhibited Vilkaviskis and perhaps Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater in Vilnius. "These celebrities need to perpetuate the memory. I think that should make a movie, photo album release, because we have a number of materials on Jewish life Vilkaviškis, this year the "Yad Vashem" Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, I take more than a hundred unique and extraordinary images of the pre Vilkaviškio gyvenusias and Jewish families, "- said a . Zilinskas. In the place where relatives were visiting the house of a former teacher from the Paris of Racine said that experiencing incredible feeling. The woman was impressed that the carefully managed and supervised by the Jewish Cemetery Vilkaviskis that remained were a Jewish grandparent care homes, which now operates the city clinic, as well as the Jewish Gymnasium - this building is now located in District Administration. M.Racine aplankė ir žydų masinio naikinimo vietą Vilkaviškio pakraštyje, taip pat geležinkelio stotį, iš kur gimtąjį miestą spėjo palikti daugybė jos tautiečių. "In Vilkaviškio still be back, atsivešiu here and their children, because they have to get to know their grandparents home. It is gratifying that we are not forgotten, that the stored memories of the nearly four hundred years here gyvenusius Jews, though they long ago no longer exists. I believe that the future city and the famous perpetuate my aunt "- Vyle M. Racine.
Below is the link to Algis's article abour Michelle's visit
A very rough translation of Algis's article !
