MOSCOW, Sept. 16 (JTA) – A new synagogue has been dedicated in the Lithuanian city of Klaipeda. The synagogue includes a small soup kitchen to offer meals to needy Jews twice a week, and a Torah scroll the community received from a British synagogue. The Lithuanian seaport, formerly known as Memel, had a Jewish community before the war of 10,000 that was totally destroyed during the Holocaust. The town is now home to about 300 Jews who have long awaited the opening of a synagogue, according to the community leader Boris Smoliaras. Most of Klaipeda’s current Jewish residents came to the town after the war from other parts of the Soviet Union.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
