Jews have lived in Lithuania since the 14th century when they were invited by its then-rulers to help develop the nation’s economy. Lithuania’s yeshivot were renowned throughout Europe during the 18th century for their high caliber of Torah study. The country later became a center of Jewish socialist activity in the 19th century before much of the community was destroyed during the Holocaust.
With a Jewish population currently numbering between 2,700 to 6,500. Lithuania’s remaining Jews, most of whom live in the capital, Vilnius, live peacefully with their non-Jewish neighbors, though anti-Semitism has occasionally reared its head.
February 19, 2019