Turk Senol Abbasoglu teaches English at Paulius Širvys Progymnasium in Zarasai “I always try to talk to the children in a friendly way we not only learn English but also talk about life and travelling these children are wonderful,” Senol smiles He moved to Lithuania two years ago and settled in his wife’s hometown of Zarasai he did not hesitate and learned Lithuanian on his own “I had no choice but to learn Lithuanian as soon as possible as I also had to communicate with my wife’s parents,” Senol says The teacher says he quickly adapted to the job in school The students ask me so many questions and I like it after every test we have a movie day – we watch English films and eat popcorn,” he shares the headmistress of the Pauliaus Širvys Progymnasium in Zarasai says Senol saved the day when the previous English teacher left His colleagues are also very positive about him and it would be fun to have more teachers like him Senol must receive a pedagogical education Although he has pedagogical-psychological certificates The Zarasai District Municipality does not have any incentive programme to attract teachers and is not able to finance his education head of the Education Department at the Zarasai District Municipality it is now considering following other cities in developing incentive measures This is worrying because you don’t know when someone will decide to leave The municipality’s strategic plan foresees that a procedure should be prepared to attract teachers we would like to attract young professionals,” she said the number of foreign teachers working at the educational institution in Lithuania has increased over the last two years foreign teachers cannot completely solve the problem of teacher shortage “It can help a school when there is a shortage of a particular specialist but it is not a panacea that we can resort to and say that we no longer need to train teachers in our universities because we will bring them in from somewhere else so this is only a partial solution to this problem,” he noted Some schools in the country employ teachers from France All of them teach Lithuanian students foreign languages '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/mad-magazine-and-the-holocaust\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=mh7XO51I_Wdo34BFxntM0.7yni8x8dkC0l9b3eAja94-1746533360-1.0.1.1-p2ukTz6A1fUN6s5zArkXoe7NYVnXd_iQK.P.XWhydO4" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); Abraham Jaffee, the American cartoonist who held the Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a comic artist, and drew for The Moshiach Times of Tzivos Hashem, passed away. Full Story Abraham Jaffee, the American cartoonist who held the Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a comic artist, and drew for The Moshiach Times of Tzivos Hashem, passed away. Full Story By Mordechai Lightstone – Chabad.org award-winning cartoonist noted for his longstanding work for “MAD Magazine” before retiring at the age of 99 He spent his childhood quite literally being shuttled between two worlds having discovered that their household help in Savannah had cooked non-kosher food in her kitchen taking him and his three brothers back to her birthplace in Lithuania A small shtetl surrounded by lakes and rivers near the Latvian and Belarusian borders Zarasai is perhaps best known as the hometown of Yudel Penn an artist of Chassidic origins and mentor for Marc Chagall Jaffee describes his time in Zarasai as somewhat idyllic Left to roam the countryside with his brothers—Harry Bernard and David—they explored the lakes and backwoods of their new home “It was like something out of Huckleberry Finn,“ says Jaffee “A bunch of kids would get together and figure out what to do: We’d find a stick and ball and play lapta,” a Russian bat and ball game “If we wanted to go fishing someone would cut down a branch grab a few hairs from a horse’s tail and make a fishing rod.” It was also in Zarasai that Jaffee discovered his artistic skills we learned about various stories from the Torah I was fascinated by the story of Noah’s ark So I carved an ark out of wood with little animals that could stand around it.“ Al and Harry carved Shabbat candlesticks and a kiddush cup out of wood for their mother to use on Shabbat the two elder Jaffee boys would make lanterns illustrated with various biblical personalities they’d learned about “My brother Harry and I would spend the whole year sketching and planning what we’d do to improve the design of lanterns,” retells Jaffee But not all was enjoyable for the Jaffee boys Al found himself obligated to help fill in for the void in his brothers’ lives Al had trouble relating to his mother’s religiosity He would later tell Pape his memories of waking up Shabbat morning to find his mother had left for the day making the miles-long walk to the synagogue while her children still slept at home “I always felt she could have asked our Polish neighbors to drive us into town,” laments Jaffee made the trip to bring his family back to America only to have Mildred bring the children back to the shtetl again the next year Morris managed to bring three of his four sons back to America unable to live in what she felt was a treife medina as the Nazi war machine rolled through Europe Morris arranged for someone to smuggle David—the remaining brother—to safety half a world away from Al and his brothers With Morris working extra hours to pay for the needs of his children the survival mechanisms that come into play when you’re down and out.” Jaffee (then formally known as Al to avoid some of the anti-Semitism he encountered in the armed services) began working professionally as an illustrator—first for Stan Lee (born Stanley Lieber and co-creator of Spider-Man) at what would become Marvel Comics The comic-book industry was intensely Jewish at the time Unable to get jobs at the tonier Madison Avenue ad agencies senior writer for Tablet magazine and author of Stan Lee notes there was a deeper expression of Jewish identity in the industry Jews were able to share a familiar world “where human beings trying to figure out how to do good in a universe and ultimately understand that they need each other to survive.” with its ironic sense of humor and a healthy dose of Yiddish vocabulary scattered throughout its page Al brought with him the quick wit and sardonic bite of the stories that he heard in Zarasai about Motke Chabad the famed Chassidic jester and prankster beloved among Lithuanian Jews But Al also remained wary of certain aspects of overt religiosity still scarred by what he described as his mother’s “ultra-religious” practices that ultimately cost her life “Al was very critical of certain things when we first started,” Dr “But he would constantly tap into the knowledge of his youth to inspire his artwork.” While some of the other artists needed some guidance in depicting Jewish life children have clamored to see Jaffee’s illustrations in The Moshiach Times the magazine published by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement’s youth organization Al Jaffee reinvented a character called “the Shpy.” Part-fumbling secret agent and part-Torah scholar “the Shpy,” clad in a trench coat with his hat pulled over his eyes and an attaché case filled with every conceivable gadget is tasked with doing battle against the Yetzer Hora The MAD magazine illustrator’s involvement with The Moshiach Times tells a more personal story—one that highlights the trauma and triumph of 20th-century Jewry and Jaffee’s own Jewish journey I had to draw a character I could get into,” explains Jaffee in an interview with Chabad.org the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory—launched Tzivos Hashem with the goal of educating and empowering Jewish children around the world to explore and grow in their Judaism “We knew right away we wanted to create something that would welcome the children who joined,” says Rabbi Yerachmiel Benjaminson “So we put together this kit with an ID card they launched a magazine called The Moshiach Times Dovid Sholom Pape had been involved with various youth-oriented projects in the past including editing a guide to the 12 pesukim—the 12 Torah passages chosen by the Rebbe to inspire children “The Shpy” came to life through Jaffee’s pencil; perhaps Jaffee recentered himself as a Jew through this depiction “The Shpy was such a good character for an artist,” he says Jaffee pulled down the character’s hat over his eyes and gave him a wispy beard not unlike the one he used for his own self-caricature in his signature A cavalcade of other characters followed from Jaffee’s pen such as “Kalman the Kosher Cowboy,” “Feivel of Fliggelfinger,” “the Duke of Candleshtick” and “Agent 613.” the relationship between Jaffee and Pape deepened and help him wrap tefillin or shake the lulav and etrog during the holiday of Sukkot They joked about the secret identity of “the Shpy” or about the real-life ramifications of his unique headwear “You have no idea how many fathers have come home to see their old Shabbat hats sporting two fresh holes in them,” Pape quips to which Jaffe responds in his deep voice with a loud “oy” and a laugh Pape arranged for Kaddish to be said for her Illustrating the hero six times a year was essentially a labor of love for Jaffee he would take great pains to lovingly sketch each line he began illustrating with both hands—holding a pencil in his right hand while steadying it with his left “I enjoy working on ‘the Shpy,’ ” acknowledges Jaffee Perhaps recalling his childhood in far-off Zarasai he notes that the character “is not like Superman or some other hero; he’s someone the kids can relate to He stands up to the Hamans and the bad guys of the world What was so singular about the Shpy was that he was a regular guy doing battle every day with the evil inclination He was able to use the tools in his attaché case and find a way using his mind to apply them to the problem at hand He was an illustration of the good inclination inherent within each man Jaffee still sees that as his goal as well Sign up for the COLlive Daily News Roundup and never miss a story Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) How beautiful to read of the special relationship Rabbi Pape shared with him The shpy was always the first article read by my children and now grandchildren Recently as I read the latest shpy episode to my grandson I remarked out loud in wonderment how Rabbi Pape thought of all of these stories over all the years A remarkable magazine and a great zchus for the Mr The rebbe said to get the best people – and he was one of them what a terrific contribution Mr Jaffee made to my generation In the 1960’s I would save my pennies every month to buy the new issue of Mad Magazine for 25¢ (cheap) This articles insight to his upbringing shows he was much more than a funny guy He was special and made the world a better place What an amazing person and special fellow Jew Šlyninka mill in Zarasai Šlyninkos just a few minutes outside Zarasai in Lithuania's northeastern lake area It is the oldest water mill left in the country and one the few operating water mills left but the majority operate for demonstration purposes only 1 Most water mills have been converted into restaurants and hotels but this one keeps on operating with some authentic equipment The mill is open for visitors and sells organic grain and flour produced on the premise The history of water mills goes back thousands of years to Greek and Roman times but the one in Zarasai has an undershot water wheel This technique has been around for more than 2000 years and consist of a structure that includes a water wheel (or turbine) that drives a mechanical process daughter and granddaughter of the former mill caretakers Stasys explains that the mill has gone through quite a bit of history This water mill was one of seven build in the area by the then landowner The mill's operation was rented out to local operators asking Regina's father to take care of the mill After the restoration of Lithuania's independency Regina's parents who had looked after the upkeep and management of the mill purchased the operation Now the mill operates nearly every day when it receives grain from farms nearby The mill is turned off when children visit as not to scare them with the noise of the operation The owners offer educational programmes for children so that they can learn about the technique of milling in a historical setting Stasys has plenty of unique stories about the mill and allows visitors to visit the three floors of the building Part of the mill is now operated with modern Swiss equipment but they hope to have the water turbines going again soon Once inside the mill on quickly notices the bags with wheat are waiting to be turned into flour and a hoisting wheel to move the sacks to the lower floor all the equipment that is required to operate a water mill The site around the mill has some romantic vistas and one feels quickly walking down memory lane back into a world that has nearly disappeared There are walking paths through the unspoiled surrounding area and the owners operate a shop selling various flour types including organic flour milled in the water mill Bread is baked from the various grains milled by Regina's husband The owners also operate a small restaurant on the premises specialising in authentic Lithuanian cuisine You can contact the mill by telephone: +370 686 23348 The Sartai Horse Race is a centuries-old tradition in the northeastern town of Dusetos The horses used to race on frozen Lake Sartai but the competition was moved to the nearby Dusetos Hippodrome several decades ago due to security concerns The last time the Sartai Horse Race was held was in 2019 the Covid pandemic or unsuitable weather have prevented the event director of the Zarasai Municipality Administration “There’s a 90-percent chance it will not happen which needs at least ten days of temperatures below minus five degrees to form And there are no good forecasts from meteorologists on that point yet,” Sakalauskas said In order to ensure that the century-old race can take place under any weather the Dusetos Hippodrome requires a major reconstruction It is owned by the company Lietuvos Žirgynas which is almost 90-percent owned by the Ministry of Agriculture head of the Livestock and Animal Welfare Division of the Ministry of Agriculture suggests that the local authorities should do so “If the Zarasai municipality sees an interest the government has already invested in other racetracks so having another racetrack constructed with taxpayer money makes no sense,” says Šileika retorts that it would make even less sense for the municipality to invest money in a venue it does not own adding that he plans to appeal to other members of the government the funding for the event is still unclear has not yet confirmed how much it would contribute financially Director of the National Horse Racing League says that this uncertainty is causing a lot of problems for athletes we cannot announce and invite guests from neighbouring countries – Estonians Swedes – because we simply don’t know many things about how to prepare for this competition it’s a year-long plan to prepare an athlete for a racehorse,” says Kerytė The future of the competition is uncertain as there are no plans for permanent infrastructure “While we are hoping and praying for good weather the Ministry of Agriculture is hoping that it will be warm and that nothing will have to be done once again I would like to ask the ministry,” Kerytė says there is nothing more to say than that we are losing one of the biggest Lithuanian festivals which has been held for more than 200 years and attracts 30,000 to 50,000 spectators which has a very deep tradition and which no other country in the world has,” she adds As the Ministry of Agriculture is not yet talking about revamping the Dusetai Hippodrome one of the options proposed is to move the Sartai Horse Race to another venue a representative of the Zarasai Tourism and Business Information Centre this would completely destroy the meaning of the festival “Moving the Zarasai races elsewhere would not be as popular and would not be as much of a trademark these traditions have been a factor in the subconscious of the people who used to come here all the time with their relatives parents and children and take part in a winter festival,” Keršys insists Regardless of whether there will be a horserace or not the town of Dusetos will have a winter festival with horse parades and various events aimed at remembering centuries-old traditions The Sartai Horse Race is the oldest traditional annual horse race in Lithuania held in Dusetos and dating back more than 200 years ago Due to wars and unsuitable weather conditions the competition is on: which town has the prettiest is that more are opting for natural spruces eschewing geometrical perfection that can only be achieved with artificial frames remain a must – with the darkest month of the year upon us Christmas trees must shine and sparkle in the dark Take a look at the Christmas trees across Lithuania: The map (accessible here) also provides the total data The city of Vilnius currently leads the country in confirmed cases No cases have so far been recorded in the districts of Zarasai and Pakruojis the largest number of Covid-19 cases has been recorded among people aged 50-59 (351 cases) has been diagnosed among children aged up to nine years The map was developed in cooperation with the Centre of Registers and is updated once daily 11 kilometresBriedžių Takais trail stretches across Gražutė Regional Park Starting the hike from the Blessed Virgin Mary Church and the Old Jewish Cemetery of Salakas along the way 10 kilometresThis circular trail will take you on a walk through forest paths and hills of Verkiai Regional Park During your journey you will come across the old villages of the Vilnius region as well as learn of the unfinished construction of the Vilnius Hydroelectric Power Plant 7.3 kilometresLocated in Žagarė Regional Park this trail is the longest boardwalk in Lithuania Taking a walk there you will experience Mūšos Tyrelio marsh 6.3 kilometresThe trail is divided into six circular routes these walkways cross a hilly landscape with sandy pine forests alongside the banks of Nemunas River 6 kilometresThe informative first half of the route will take you to the Naujosios Rėvos hill-fort continuing through a forest path to the village of Šilėnai 5 kilometresThis circular route will take you through the historical town of Salakas On your way you can visit the Visitors Centre of Gražutė Regional Park and view several interactive exhibits as well as reach the observation tower and enjoy the sights of Lake Luodis 4,2 kilometres longStarting from Lekėčiai Forestry this circular walkway will lead you through the forest to such memorable spots as the Great Spring of Lekėčiai