Inside Lithuania’s Community of International Jewish Students

Pictured: Sivan Najar (right), LSMU odontology student

Fourth year odontology student Sivan Najar is one of the hundreds of Israelis currently studying at LSMU. For her, studying abroad at a university with a significant Jewish community was crucial.

She told us: “When you are far from home, you like to have customs and holidays that remind you of home, such as the Shabbat.”

There are other benefits too, especially when it comes to your studies. Sivan told us of how Israeli students often look out for each other:

“Upper year students will transfer material and summaries to new students which really helps with approaching a new period of study. The social life has a big influence as well, as there are dinners and meetings with other Israeli students.”

Given the strong community bond Sivan has come to depend on, it’s perhaps surprising to learn she didn’t know a single person in Lithuania before arriving here to start her studies. The same is true of another Israeli student we spoke to, Omri Azarzar. Omri told us: “I didn’t know any other people here, but I heard from people that it’s very nice here. Now, I know many Israelis in Kaunas [the Lithuanian city where LSMU is located]. It’s very important for me to keep in touch with them as it reminds me of my home.”

In just 30 years since the first Israeli students arrived in Lithuania and at LSMU, the Jewish community has grown significantly. Many of the current professors at LSMU were in fact part of that initial wave of international students from the early 90s, while the positive word-of-mouth passed down through generations will likely continue to inspire Israeli students to make the trip to Kaunas.

Both Omri and Sivan have plans to return to Israel after their studies are completed, using their skills to enrich their native country. Should they be successful, there can be little doubt that their positive experience of studying in Israel will encourage the next generation to move abroad for university too, continuing the cycle of academic pilgrimage.

Lead image: Omri Azarzar (left), LSMU student