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A curious thing happened around 1923, when Jonas Jablonskis, known as the father of the Lithuanian literary language, was teaching at the Faculty of Humanities of Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas.

Later, the story was told by various people differently. Here is the story as recalled by journalist and ethnographer Leopoldas Rozga: “J. Jablonskis was angry that only four out of almost seventy students had the courage to go to the blackboard to write down and identify the stress on more difficult words. However, once a short unfamiliar student with dark complexion in the last bench rose up and not only wrote down words on both sides of the blackboard without mistakes as Professor Jablonskis had requested, but also completed the word-stress exercise correctly. When the situation repeated itself again and again during the third and the fourth lectures, Professor Jablonskis apologized and politely inquired about the ethnicity of the student. When he found out that the student was Jewish, the teacher allegedly shamed the audience that if a non-Lithuanian student could know the Lithuanian language so well, then why would only four Lithuanian students out of the entire crowd dare undertake blackboard work? Jablonskis went on to invite the student to become his secretary.

This student was none other than the philologist and researcher of the Lithuanian language, the future lexicographer Chackelis Lemchenas himself. Lemchenas had greatly contributed to the bringing of the Jewish and Lithuanian cultures closer to one another and enriching both peoples as they learn from each other. The same professor gave a letter of recommendation to his student Chackelis Lemchenas, when his student was sent out to teach Lithuanian in Ukmergė and, later, at the Jewish gymnasiums in Kaunas and Šiauliai. By the way, Lemchenas was one of the first to compile an anthology of Yiddish literature in the Lithuanian language. He even translated some of Sholem Aleichem’s works that were included in the anthology.

I remembered this story about Jablonskis and Lemchenas because it splendidly illustrates a unique feature of the Jewish tradition – the need to tirelessly study and teach. As a people, the Jews are eternal teachers and eternal students. It stems largely from Judaism, which is closely linked to the Jewish tradition, and which provided learning with a religious status. And it was not an abstract ideal, but a factor with real effects. One of the stories from the Talmud discusses whether and if so then how to legitimize a testimony given by a person, who cannot even sign.  The conclusion of the story is simple – an illiterate person was surely raised in a non-Jewish milieu, therefore, his/her dependence in the community can be questioned with all potential implications.

To Learn and Teach

Thus, from the perspective of the Jewish tradition, learning is not just a private matter, but a condition for successful integration. Of course, the Jewish community, like any other, cannot escape ignorance, neglect or mundane narrow-mindedness. However, for centuries the core of the Jewish mentality has consisted of great respect to wisdom and the wise, while the desire to learn, so to speak, became a feature of national character. The Polish anecdote that “mandatory reading in schools should be on the list of pains of our nation” could never be confused with Jewish humour, which is always saturated with particular respect to learning. The respect is also reflected in the language of the Jewish Scriptures. The Hebrew word for parent “Horeh” and the word for teacher “Moreh” have the same root. In this regard, a teacher is not merely a person with the formal status; in the school community he/she plays a similar role as parents do in the family.

It is therefore not surprising that principal of the Vilnius Sholom Aleichem Jewish secondary school Miša Jakobas has deliberately set himself the goal that school pupils should feel at home, even more comfortably than at home. Only then, according to M.Jakobas, one can expect that the teaching and learning process will be effective. It is also true that not everything is that simple. “My real job is to teach children,” M.Jakobas says. “It requires not only expertise, but also health, energy and patience. However, in fact, it is easier to work and communicate with children than with adults. Today, parents distance themselves from their kids, they know little about their children’s problems. They obviously spend far too little time with their children. Therefore, we as teachers have to educate and teach not only the children, but also their parents. And this requires even more health and patience.”

Indeed, parents and adults in general require not less, but often more attention than children. And this demand of attention is sometimes rather complicated. It became evident once again when emotions flared over the new Amendment to the Law on Education. In compliance with the law, since the beginning of the next school year minority schools will have to dedicate more hours to teach the Lithuanian language, just as many hours as to teach their native language.

Principal of Sholom Aleichem secondary school M.Jakobas himself speaks the Lithuanian language fluently with a slight Samogitian dialect. He believes that the ones who plan their future in Lithuania must learn the state language well. It is true that when the school was established, parents wanted the language of instruction to be Russian or English. However, the principal of the state-run secondary Jewish school defended his position strongly and consistently. Now pupils of the Vilnius Sholom Aleichem secondary school learn four languages: Lithuanian, Hebrew, Russian and English, and all subjects are taught in the Lithuanian language. Therefore, the first national minority school, which decided that the Lithuanian language should be the main language of instruction, has no problems with the national-level examination. The pupils also have no problems with the possibility of integrating in Lithuania’s society.

And it is only natural because M.Jakobas, who has been the principal of the secondary Jewish school for the past two decades and who himself is a graduate of a Lithuanian secondary school  in Telšiai, represents the tradition, in the context of which it is difficult to positively evaluate indifference to knowledge or an aggressive refusal to learn anything. Before the Second World War, Vilnius, beyond any doubt, was the most famous centre of traditional Jewish culture. In Vilnius, Jewish intellectuals were exposed to various cultural and ideological influences, but the Polish language and culture were taught in both religious and secular Jewish schools. During the inter-war period, the Lithuanian language was taught at Lithuanian Jewish schools besides Hebrew. And it was not due to some directive that came down from above, but a natural desire to expand horizons and to integrate in society more successfully. This attitude of mind was dictated by the millennia-old Jewish tradition of learning, to which the principle “I do not know and do not want to know” was alien.

Unwillingness to learn something new, indifference to knowledge and to learning is one of the greatest enemies of a small nation, such as the Jews or Lithuanians. Perhaps the teen slang word “Zen” could be translated into Modern Hebrew, but its implications, meaning and emotional attitude would be absolutely alien to the millennia-old Jewish tradition of learning, to the survival of the Jews and to their finding meaning in life. Legendary Jewish sage and scholar Moses Maimonides, whose personality formed in a multicultural milieu of the Iberian Peninsula, wrote in “The Guide for the Perplexed” that appeared approximately at the same time, when the future King Mindaugas was born on the other side of the world in Europe: “To study and teach - that is the true path for the perplexed. For learning and teaching are two sides of the same coin. You cannot teach before you have learnt yourself, because you would not know or understand what to teach. And without teaching you will not fully understand what you have learned.” Words of wisdom, I believe that both Jew Chackelis Lemchenas and Lithuanian Jonas Jablonskis would agree with.

And, of course, Miša Jakobas, a Jew and Samogitian, agrees with these words, the principal of the Vilnius Sholom Aleichem secondary school who tutors with care his tiny little island of light, which is located in exiguous premises of a former kindergarten and has no sports hall, but joins pupils and their parents of varied ethnical background into one friendly family, a school where the endeavour to teach and learn is valued more than anything else.

The Vilnius Sholom Aleichem secondary school was founded on 2 October 1989 and is the only Jewish state-run school in Lithuania. Basic school subjects are taught in the Lithuanian language, and the Jewish subject matter typically focuses on the Hebrew language, Jewish history, the transmission of Jewish tradition and religious instruction.

The Vilnius Sholom Aleichem secondary school is secular, but Jewish religious holidays are observed and celebrated here, besides, pupils and teachers are allowed to take off school during all Jewish holidays. The Israeli Ministry of Education supports the school, three Israeli teachers teach all Judaica subjects every year at school. Israel provides the school with significant methodological and financial support.

School pupils actively participate in various events: eighth year pupil Jakovas Braveris won second place in the Mathematical Olympiad in Vilnius, tenth year pupil Monika Eidintaitė also won second place in English language debating tournament for representatives from Vilnius schools, this summer eleventh year pupil Moisejus Braveris will go to Israel to participate in the International Bible Contest, and tenth year pupil Karmela Blank took part in the Olympiad in Informatics for Lithuanian high school students and was the only girl among fifty participants, tenth year pupil Kotryna Reimerytė was among the top ten contestants of the History Olympiad for Vilnius city high school students.

Miša Jakobas has served as principal since 1999. He has been awarded with the Cross of the Knight of the Order for Merits and with the silver badge of the Order for Merits.

By Ginas DABAŠINSKAS

Translation from the Lithuanian language