Everything about Litvish totally explained
Lithuanian Jews (known in
Yiddish and
Yeshivish as
Litvish (adjective) or
Litvaks (noun)) are
Ashkenazi Jews with roots in the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania (present-day
Belarus,
Lithuania,
Latvia and the northeastern
Suwałki region of
Poland).
Lithuania was historically home to a large and influential Jewish community that was almost entirely eliminated during
the Holocaust: see
Holocaust in Lithuania. Before
World War II there were over 110
synagogues and 10
yeshivas in
Vilnius. About 4,000 Jews were counted in Lithuania during the 2005 census. There are still strong communities of Jews of Lithuanian descent around the world, especially in
Israel, the
United States and
South Africa.
Etymology
The word
Litvish means "Lithuanian" in
Yiddish. (
Latvian Jews were known as
Lettishe). Of main
Yiddish dialects in Europe, the
Litvishe Yiddish (
Lithuanian Yiddish) dialect was spoken by
Jews in
Lithuania,
Latvia, and
Belarus, and in the northeastern
Suwałki region of
Poland.
Ethnicity, religious customs and heritage
The characteristically "Lithuanian" approach to
Judaism was marked by a concentration on highly intellectual
Talmud study. Lithuania became the heartland of the traditionalist opposition to
Hasidism, to the extent that in popular perception "Lithuanian" and "
mitnagged" became virtually interchangeable terms. In fact, however, a sizable minority of Lithuanian Jews belong(ed) to Hasidic groups, including
Chabad,
Slonim,
Karlin (
Pinsk) and
Koidanov. With the spread of the
Enlightenment, many Lithuanian Jews became devotees of the
Haskala movement in
Eastern Europe, and today many leading academics, scientists and philosophers are of Lithuanian Jewish descent.
The most famous Lithuanian institution of Jewish learning was
Volozhin yeshiva, which was the model for most later
yeshivas. "Lithuanian"
yeshivas in existence today include
Ponevezh,
Telshe,
Mir,
Kelm, and
Slabodka. In theoretical Talmud study, the leading Lithuanian authorities were
Chaim Soloveitchik and the
Brisker school; rival approaches were those of the
Mir and
Telshe yeshivas. In practical
halakha the Lithuanians traditionally followed the
Aruch HaShulchan, though today the "Lithuanian" yeshivas prefer the
Mishnah Berurah, which is regarded as both more analytic and more accessible.
In the nineteenth century, the Orthodox Ashkenazi residents of the Holy Land was broadly speaking divided into
Hasidim and
Perushim, who were Lithuanian Jews influenced by the
Vilna Gaon. For this reason, in modern day Israeli
Haredi parlance the terms
Litvak (noun) or
Litvisher (adjective), or in
Hebrew Litaim, are often used loosely to include any non-
Hasidic Ashkenazi Haredi individual or institution. Another reason for this broadening of the term is the fact that many of the leading Israeli
Haredi yeshivas (outside the Hasidic camp) are successor bodies to the famous yeshivot of Lithuania, though their present-day members may or may not be descended from Lithuanian Jewry. In reality, both the ethnic makeup and the religious traditions of the
mitnagged communities are much more diverse.
The Vilna Gaon
Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman of Vilnius ZT"L was one of the most influential Rabbinic authorities of all time and is the most widely recognized Jewish spiritual leader associated with Lithuania. "The Vilna Gaon" was born in Vilnius and his place of burial is there as well. He led the fight against
Hasidism at its inception, believing it to be a pseudo-Messianic personality cult which threatened traditional Torah learning. Though he didn't succeed in crushing the movement, his influence greatly tempered its more extreme forms, so that he's ironically described by many as the real founder of the Hasidic movement.
Culture
Litvaks have an identifiable mode of pronouncing Hebrew and Yiddish which is often used to determine the boundaries of
Lita. Its most characteristic feature is the pronunciation of the vowel
holam as [ey] (as against Sephardic /ō/, Germanic [au] and Polish [oy]).
In the popular preception, Litvaks were considered to be more intellectual and stoic than their rivals, the
Galitzianers, who thought of them as cold fish. They, in turn, disdained Galitzianers as irrational and uneducated. Ira Steingroot's "Yiddish Knowledge Cards" devote a card to this "Ashkenazi version of the Hatfields and McCoys." This difference is of course connected with the Hasidic/mitnagged debate, Hasidism being considered the more emotional and spontaneous form of religious expression.
The two groups differed not only in their attitudes and their pronunciation, but also in their
cuisine. The Galitzianers were known for rich, heavily sweetened dishes in contrast to the plainer, more savory Litvisher versions, with the boundary known as the "
Gefilte Fish Line."
Jews in Lithuania today
Interest among descendants of Lithuanian Jews has spurred tourism and a renewal in research and preservation of the community's historic resources and possessions. Increasing numbers of Lithuanian Jews are interested in learning and practising the use of Yiddish.
The beginning of the 21st century was marked by conflicts between members of Chabad-Lubavitch and secular leaders. In 2005, Chief Rabbi Sholom Ber Krinsky was physically removed from the Synagogue by two men hired by the community's secular leader Mr. Alperovich, who then declared a new
Chief Rabbi. For more detail, see
Chabad-Lubavitch related controversies: Lithuania.
Among notable contemporary Lithuanian Jews are the brothers
Emanuelis Zingeris (a member of the Lithuanian
Seimas) and
Markas Zingeris (writer),
Arkadijus Vinokuras (actor, publicist), Gercas Žakas (football referee), Bilas (
Gidonas Šapiro) (pop-singer from
ŽAS),
Dovydas Bluvšteinas (music producer),
Leonidas Donskis (philosopher, essayist),
Icchokas Meras (writer), Grigorijus Kanovičius (writer),
Aleksas Lemanas (singer), Rafailas Karpis (opera singer, tenor).
Current leaders of the Haredi "Lithuanian" community
The following rabbinical leaders are of Lithuanian ancestry or are associated with Lithuanian-style yeshivas:
Famous Jews with Lithuanian origin or parentage
Roman Abramovich, Oligarch and owner of Chelsea F.C.
Moshe Arens, former Israeli defence minister and foreign minister.
Ehud Barak, Israeli Chief of Staff, foreign minister, prime minister, defence minister and Labour leader
Erran Baron Cohen, English-born trumpeter and composer (great grandfather born in Kaunas)
Sacha Baron Cohen, English-born entertainer (great grandfather born in Kaunas)
Menachem Begin, Israeli Prime Minister from Brest-Litovsk
Dan Bern, American folk singer, poet, painter
Sydney Brenner, biochemist, Nobel laureate 2002.
Marc Chagall, Russian-born French painter.
Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist.
Aaron Copland, US composer, original family name was Kaplan.
Bob Dylan, US singer-songwriter, author, musician and poet.
Romain Gary, French writer.
Philip Glass, US minimalist composer.
Leopold Godowsky, composer and pianist.
Nadine Gordimer, 1991 Nobel Prize for literature.
Aron Gurwitsch, philosopher in the field of phenomenology.
Laurence Harvey, British actor.
Jascha Heifetz, acclaimed 20th century violinist born in Vilnius.
Moe Howard (born Harry Moses Horwitz), Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz) and Curly Howard (born Jerome Lester Horwitz) of the Three Stooges, a US comedy trio.
Al Jolson, singer-songwriter, dancer, entertainer
Ronnie Kasrils, South African communist leader, minister of Intelligence Services
Aaron Klug, biophysicist, Nobel laureate 1982.
Tony Leon, South African former opposition leader
Emmanuel Levinas, philosopher.
Peggy Lipton, US actress.
Jacques Lipchitz, sculptor.
Emmanuel Lubezki, 3 time Academy Award nominee, cinematographer.
Sergio Lubezky, Latin American photographer.
Gideon Mer, Israeli scientist who worked on malaria research.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, original family name was Milikowsky.
P!nk, (Alecia Moore), US musician, mother is of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry.
Maury Povich, US talk-show host.
Willy Ronis, photographer.
Joe Slovo, South African Communist and MK leader, minister of construction in Mandela's government
Chaïm Soutine, painter.
Moshe/Michael Tchaban Lithuanian born singer-songwriter.
Vilna Gaon, preeminent religious leader and Talmudist.
Meir Vilner, Israeli communist leader, the last of the signatories of Israel's declaration of independence to pass away
Mary Louise Weller, US actress and model.
L.L. Zamenhof, founder of the Esperanto language.
Paul Zukofsky, violinist and conductor from New York
The following have roots in Latvia:
Isaiah Berlin, philosopher.
Chaim Bermant, novelist and journalist.
Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet film director
Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, musicologist.
Abraham Isaac Kook, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Mandate Palestine
Bernard Levin, journalist
Max Weinreich, Yiddishist
Ruth Vinn Hendler Lack, Holocaust survivor, community activist, Fmr Dir of Houston Holocaust Museum
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on 'Litvish'.
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