(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Reorganization of Jewish communal affairs in the Lithuanian communities is now taking place as a result of new orders issued by the Lithuanian government.
The orders were issued following the decision of the present Liberal government to dissolve the Rabbinical Council formed by the previous government with the advice and cooperation of the Agudath Israel.
The functions of the former Rabbinical Council were delegated to various other bodies. The Ministry of the Interior was intrusted with the registration of vital statistics and with the payment of the rabbis’ salaries. The annual government subsidy for rabbinical salaries amounts to 25,000 litas. Under the new instructions, rabbis will have the right to appoint religious teachers. The cabinet is now preparing a law which will authorize the municipal governments to carry on the registration of vital statistics, but will also allow Jews to register with the local rabbis.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
