Description:
Between the 1880s and the 1920s a million Litvak Jews migrated throughout the world from Lita their home in the western edge of the Russian Empire This book is the story of the legacy of that migration The questions answered are Where did they come from How did they get to where they are What are some of the lasting values they we share the world over In what way do we differ depending on the countries in which various members of my family have lived One common response in a course based on this material was I now know why my family was the way it was The book will enable you to better know why you are the way you are and enable your children and grandchildren to understand their background It is my thesis that there is a distinctive Litvak cultural heritage that can be traced through the maintenance of that culture through the several generations and the significant impact it has had on the countries in which the immigrants settled The Jewish inhabitants of Lita were called Litvaks Litvakes in Yiddish to distinguish them from non Jewish Lithuanians as well as from other Jews In their home they formed a distinct culture that differed in its variant of their language of Yiddish as well as the character of their religion As followers of the Vilna Gaon in the late 18th century in opposition to the spread of Hassidism Litvaks maintained a unique commitment to rabbinical Judaism and intellectual study They were also unusual in the degree to which arduous and sharp witted Talmudic study was widespread The religious tradition continued to evolve in Lita In response to the challenges of both Hassidism and the Haskalah Enlightenment the ethically oriented musar movement became widespread within the Lithuanian yeshivot Orthodox Judaism evolved out of traditional Judaism However relatively few of the traditionally religious chose to emigrate In the late 19th century particularly centered in Vilna Lita was a major source of the Jewish
