Bussed to a restaurant on Pilies where I picked up my credit card that I’d been missing since the first night Dad arrived.

Worked in CoffeeInn before meeting with Indra Lukos who is studying for her masters in anthropology at a university in Kaunas. She is considering writing her thesis on the ways heritage travel can impact ones identity. She reached out after finding my blog. We had a very nice discussion, I found her questions very thought provoking.

Rushed to my lecture, which was incongruent as usual. Afterwards, I was approached by a Lithuanian student who was interested in my thoughts on the election. He was shocked that I didn’t support Trump, who he thought would clean our country of criminal Mexicans and terrorist Muslims.

Walked to the Jewish Cultural and Information Center for another Yiddish Literary Circle, conducted entirely in Yiddish by Professor Katz. We read from ‘Der Shulhoif’, a collection of short stories by Vilnius native Chaim Grade– a leading Yiddish writer of the 20th century. The story was based in Rudninku Street, one block from where we sat. It felt like reading Peter Pan while in Neverland.

Professor Katz then showed us a book that he’d received from a recently deceased woman who claimed to be a lover of Grade’s. It has a handwritten dedication from Grade with romantic undertones.

Afterwards, a few of us walked next door for drinks (I had dinner). I spoke at length with Professor Katz about the developing crisis within the Vilnius Jewish community. I tried my best to write up a synopsis of the conflict. It is truly the most interesting case of Jewish community drama that I’ve yet to experience, and the Birmingham Jewish community is by no means devoid. Accusations of Soviet ties have been made publicly by both sides:
http://rabbikrinsky.blogspot.lt
http://www.lzb.lt/en/2016/11/02/why-does-rabbi-krinsky-seek-to-divide-the-lithuanian-jewish-community-and-our-believers/