Bridges - January - February 2011

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L I T H U A N I A N A M E R I C A N N E W S J O U R N A L

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BRIDGESLithuanian American News Journal

ISSN: 87508028 – Published 10 times peryear (Jan./Feb. & Jul./Aug. combined).

Address of publication is:

LAC, Inc./BRIDGES,3906 Lakeview Dr., Racine, WI. 53403

BRIDGESis the official publication of the

Lithuanian American Community, Inc.

National Executive Board2715 E. Allegheny Ave., Phila., PA 19134

Tel: 800- 625 -1170Fax: 856-428-6014

E-mail: Lithuanian [email protected] Consultants

Jeanne Dorr EditorGema Kreivenas Art Director/ProductionRimas Gedeika Treasurer & Subscription

ManagerCopyright ©2011 Lithuanian American Community, Inc. All rightsreserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced without writ-

ten permission of the publisher. All statements & opinions, includingproduct claims, are those of the organization/advertiser makingthose statements or claims. The publisher does not adopt, or putforth, any such statement or claim as his own, & any such statementor claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher.

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BRIDGESJeanne Dorr4 Shrewsbury Yard,Riverton, NJ 08077-1038E-Mail: [email protected]

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c o n t e n t s

*front/back cover: Headlines from various newspapersfrom the personal files of Jeanne Dorr.

Lithuanian-AmericanCommunity

C ONTACT I NFORMATION :

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in this issue2 editorial

Letter from the Editor

Jeanne Dorr

3 reflectionsNapoleon’sSoldiers are Buriedin Vilnius

4 from lithuaniaSpeech by H.E.Dalia Grybauskaite,President of theRepublic of Lithuania

5 reflections“Bloody Sunday” Jeanne Dorr

7 educationExCEL! Jeanne Dorr

9 reflectionsProclaiming 2011the Year of Divine Mercy

10 meet the authorAn Interviewwith

Ruta Sepetys Jeanne Dorr

12 bulletin board1) - We are online2) - JBANC

Announces Plansfor 2011

3) - Baltic StudiesSummer Institute

13 reflectionsPart V

THELITHUANIAN’SHOME

Angele Vysniauskaite

13 trivia14 photo album16 genealogy

Cultural Heritagein the VirtualEnvironment

17 current eventsThe Agenda forNATO

Andrius Bivainis

18 educationOur ChildrenAre VeryImportantGrazina Karai tis

20 traditionsNEW YEAR'SDAY

22 fairy taleTHE FOOL WHOPASTURED AHUNDREDRABBITS

24 calendar

Napoleon’s Soldiersare Buried in VilniusIt took a long time in coming but theskeletons of eighteen of Napoleon’ssoldiers were buried after beingfound in Vilnius almost two hun-

dred years after they died. Theskeletons were found last year byroad builders on the outskirts of Vil-nius. Eight years earlier approxi-mately two thousand bodies had

been discovered.

Lithuanian Deputy DefenseMinister Vytautas Umbrasas saidthe eighteen were “buried properly”at a solemn ceremony in Vilnius.

The ceremony was attended

by the French Ambassador. Accord-ing to experts the soldiers belongedto the infantry, hussar and dragoonunits that had retreated from Russia.

Napoleon’s 500,000 strong armymarched into Lithuania, which was

then part of czarist Russia, in 1812.Because of frigid weather, disease,starvation and Cossack attacks lessthan 40,000 returned to Lithuaniasix months later.

Graves were unable to be dug inthe frozen ground by Russian forcesand thousands of bodies werethrown into defensive trenches thathad been dug earlier by the French.



I do hope the title of this article has piqued your interest. No, I’m not talkingabout a computer program, so pleasedon’t skip the article. Before you think I

became distracted and hit the wrong keyon the keyboard by making a lower casex, let me explain the meaning of ExCEL. We all take pleasure in readingabout young people who are successful.Those who complete ExCEL (Ex-changes for Culture, Education, and

Leadership) High School Program arestudents who are on the road to success.

I recently had the privilege of having atelephone conversation with AmericanAmbassador Anne E. Derse. I had a longlist of fourteen questions prepared andthe opening questions centered on edu-cation. I have to be honest before we

proceed. The Ambassador’s enthusiasmwas so great about this new educational

program that the rest of the questionsflew by the wayside. It’s not that they

aren’t important, they are very impor-tant, and she has promised to answer them for me in Lithuania this summer.But her excitement about ExCEL be-came contagious and instead of an inter-view this became a conversation.

When she was sixteen years old Ambas-sador Derse was accepted into a pro-gram to study in France for a year. Shesaid it was that year that changed her

life. She recalled with fondnessthe French family she lived withand the total immersion in theFrench language and culture. Itopened her eyes to a new world of education, traditions and customs.

She personally believes that thoseof high school age are the perfect

candidates for exchange programs, andthat the high school years are especially

powerful in building mutual under-

standing and long term connections between people.

The ExCEL program was launched bythe U.S. Embassy in Lithuania and theLithuanian Ministry of Education and isadministered by American Councilsfor International Education. AmericanCouncils for International Education isa U.S. State Department designated pro-gram. Dr. Dan Davidson is President of the American Councils for InternationalEducation and Vice Chair of the Euro-

pean Humanities University's (EHU)Governing Board.

Full scholarships are provided for oneyear of academic study in the UnitedStates to qualified Lithuanian studentswho are entering the 10th grade. This isthe first academic year of ExCEL inLithuania and four students are currentlystudying in the United States. Approxi-mately one hundred and thirty students

took the tests. But it doesn’t end with ac-ademic tests. Students must have goodgrades, a command of the English lan-guage, and the coping skills to be awayfrom their families to live and study inthe United States. Before they leave for

their year abroad there is pre-program preparation. A workshop will prepare

them for life in the United States. Uponarrival they will be placed with carefullyselected volunteer host families and will

be supported by trained local coordina-tors as well as American Councils’ staff throughout their stay. Each student willhave access to a small fund to supportactivity participation in school and other activities that will promote their growthas leaders. All students will be required to

perform thirty hours of community serv-ice. When they return home AmericanCouncils will work with students tocontinue their experiences in Lithuania.These activities will be alumni led andwill be oriented on community service,civil society, and professional develop-ment.

I would like to interject my personal feel-ings on community service. As many of you know, I am a volunteer with Lithuan-ian Orphan Care. After more trips that Ican count to Lithuania, the communityservice issue has been a sore point for me.After fifty years of communism and the

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ExCEL!e d u c a t i o n

Andrius with new friends in other U.S. exchange programs from Armenia, Russia,Ukraine, and Kosovo.

Ambassador Anne E. Derse



8 j a n u a r y / f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 1

e d u c a t i o n

attitude of don’t trust anyone becausethey want something from you or everyman for himself, community service wasalmost non existent. This is not just myopinion as I have heard it from manyother people who volunteer in Lithuania.I once visited a nursing home not far

from Kaunas and suggested to a teacher in a nearby school that it might be niceif she could take a few students, perhapsonce a month for a half hour after school, to visit and sing songs with the

people in the home. She looked at me asthough I asked for a pint of her blood.Community service is definitely neededin Lithuania.

Ambassador Derse explained that nextyear ten students will study in theUnited States. The State Department

will provide two scholarships for the2011-2012 school year. The other eightwill be dependent on corporations, foun-dations and other sources. The programrelies heavily on individual donors. TheAmbassador hopes that in the near future

this program will become bilateral andthat American students will be on their way to study in Lithuania for a year.

But, dear readers, programs like this areexpensive. The program provides airfarefor the student, medical insurance, and

a small student stipend. For those of youwho have been reading my articles for the past twenty plus years in Bridges, Iwill repeat what I always write. If youcan donate, this is not a “hand out”, it isa “hand up.” Although they are lookingfor corporate sponsors and foundations,ExCEL is very dependent on people likeus. I would like to add another group.How about the American Lithuanian or-ganizations and clubs? I know how gen-erous you are when the need arises.What can be more important than the

young people who are the future of Lithuania? I asked Ambassador Derse if any donation would be considered “toosmall.” Her answer was a resounding“absolutely not.”

Of the four students who are currentlyin America two are studying in Mis-souri, one in Georgia, and one inMississippi.

How are the students faring withhalf the year gone? I would like toshare some of their thoughts with

you. “ Gatherings with my host fam-ily are very special, especially tofeel part of my wonderful family-visiting festivals, celebrations, birth-days! People are so different here.They will always help you when youare in need.” Gabriele Papievyte isstudying at Brookwood High Schoolin Snelville, Ga.

“ I can’t really say that I have only

one ‘most memorable exprience’ sincearriving, because those things happenevery day. You meet new friends, youlearn something new, you go to new

places.” Andrius Sakalauskas attendsFrancis Howell High School in St.Charles, Missouri.

I also want to mention another excellenthigh school exchange program, calledASSIST. This program sends about sixstudents per year to private schools inthe United States. The schools providea full ride for the year, and the remain-der (flights, health insurance, etc),which is about $8,000 per student, must

be provided through private sources.The ASSIST program began in the early1990’s with the support of the SorosFoundation, and since the early 2000’s

has been supported by the KazickisFamily Foundation through matchinggrants (ie, the foundation will supportthree student grants if funds are found tosupport three others).

As for those other thirteen questions Ihad prepared for the interview with Am-

bassador Derse, I promise I will havethem answered for you. But when a pro-gram such as ExCEL comes along, it hasto be shared. I also plan to catch up withsome of the students after their first year

is finished and they are back in Lithua-nia. I’m sure they will be happy to sharetheir experiences with us in future issuesof Bridges.

How can you help? Remember that nodonation is too small and the number of scholarships is dependent onthe amount of financial support the

program receives. All donations aretax deductible and will be used for the

Gabriele Papievyt e, second from left, and teammates at a cross country meet.

Ambassador Derse and Senator Dick Durbin pictured with ExCEL semi-finalists hoping to be part of the Class of 2011-12, as part of his visit to Lithuania on January 13th 2011 to commemorate the events of January 13th, 1991.



Proclaiming2011 the

Year of DivineMercy

At Vilkaviskis Cathedral, Bishop R. Norvila and Bishop A. Poniskaitis offering Mass.The beginning of the year dedication to the Divine Mercy

Photo by Juozas Lukosevic ius, Vilkaviskis, Lithuania

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Lithuanian ExCEL program. You may donate onlineat www.americancouncils.org/donation/campaign/71/or write a check to American Councils for InternationalEducation. Please write ExCEL on the memo line andmail to:

American Councils for International Education

1828 L Street Suite 1200Washington, D.C. 20036

I would like to close the article with this quote from Nelson Mandela: "Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that thedaughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that a sonof a mine worker can become the head of the mine,that a child of farm workers can become the presi-dent..."

A very special thank you to Ambassador Derse for her time and her commitment to Lithuania’s students.Perhaps a future Ambassador or a future Presidentwill emerge with his/her roots in the ExCEL program.

I would be remiss if I did not thank Jon Berger,Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy inVilnius for his time, effort and patience to coordinatethis interview and Nathan Truitt of American Coun-cils for International Education for answering myendless questions. Jeanne Dorr is the Editor of Bridges and is a member of the Board of Directors of Lithuanian Orphan Care, a branch of the Human Services Council of the Lithuanian AmericanCommunity, Inc.

ExCEL Class of 2010-2011: Gabriel e Ursul e Bartoseviciu-t e , Vilnius J. Basanavic ius h igh school; Eleonora Lekavic iu-t e , Kaunas Jesuit gymnasium; Gabriel e Papievyt e , Vilnius

Jesuit gymnasium; and Andrius Sakalauskas,S ˇ auliai Didzvaris gymnasium. The studentsare joined by Ambassador Anne E. Derse and Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubiliusat a reception at the Ambassador’s residenceon July 21, 2010 to kick off the first year of the ExCEL perogram.

Pastoral letter Vilnius, 6 January 2011 Audrys Juozas Cardinal Backis

The Archbishop of Vilnius

Dear People of goodwill!

The Bishops have proclaimed 2011 the Year of Divine Mercy. The pur- pose of my letter is to explain why we have bestowed upon this year such

a title and how we invite people to live it.Throughout the centuries Divine Mercy has been knocking at the humanheart wounded by sin, sufferings, feelings of despair and fear. Divine Mercy encourages, consoles and invites us to trust in the Lord’s good-ness and love.

Divine Mercy gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus with a new exclama-tion and encouragement in our country, and this fact in particular encourages people’s attention to this Mercy. St. Faustina, who lived inVilnius, was entrusted by Our Saviour with the task to proclaim His Mercy to all mankind. Jesus said: “Speak to the world about my Mercy;let all mankind recognize My unfathomable mercy. It is a sign for the end times; after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the Blood and Water which gushed forth for them” (D. 848).

It is namely this message which inspires us to invite everybody to knowthe grace of Divine Mercy, to accept it in our lives through conversionand the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and to share it with others.

In order to give a visible sign of Divine Grace, Jesus asked to paint Hisimage which reminds of the desire of His loving Heart to save the whole

world. The imagewas painted inVilnius and isvenerated in theSanctuary of Divine Mercy. Jesus said toSt. Faustina:

“The greatness of this image is not in the colours or the brush strokes,but in My Grace“.

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c u r r e n t e v e n t s

The title of this article was inspired by

an article written by Dr. ZbigniewBrezinski in “Foreign Affairs” (Septem-

ber/October 2009 vol. 88). The article’sdistinguished author has long served inthe White House and can be regarded asan expert on the Central-Eastern Euro-

pean security policy. There is no doubt,that Dr. Z .Brzezinski’s views about

NATO’s development have had an im- pact on those who are in charge of thecontemporary U.S. Foreign Policy.

The author of these lines, as an officer of

the Lithuanian armed forces, now serv-ing in Afghanistan under NATO’s ISAFflag, has certain thoughts about the cur-rent role of the NATO Alliance and thedevelopment of its capabilities as de-fined in the recent Strategic Concept of the Alliance. Although the point of viewof Eastern European NATO memberscould be read in these lines: nevertheless,it is still important to hear these thoughts

because a mutual understanding, nodoubt, is today’s NATO’s core strength.

Viewing NATO’s historical evaluation, itis important to remember that this Al-liance played a crucial role in maintain-ing morale and political leadership of

Western Democracies in the eyes of Cen-tral and Eastern European nations duringthe decades of the Cold War. Westernleaders who secretly “offered” some im-

portant lands of Central-Eastern Europeto Nazi Germany during 1938-39 onceagain became strategically desired alliesin the framework of NATO.

Dr. Z. Brzezinski considers NATO as themost important player in the interna-tional security arena. Today’s NATOAlliance is based on reactive and de-

ployable forces that should be ready tooperate outside of its own geographical boundaries. The concept of NATO Re-sponse Force as well as the ISAF opera-tion in Afghanistan illustrate that newrequirements are agreed on and seriouslydeveloped. A Group of Experts workingon the evaluating the new NATO Strate-gic Concept has agreed that the currentAlliance faces more security challengesoutside its own geographical area thanwithin. The areas of engagements arereally broad: Central Asia, Iraq, the

Mediterranean and the Gulf of Aden.Only in the theatre of Kosovo withBosnia-Herzegovina where NATO is se-riously engaged in, are NATO’s bordersadjacent to the area of conflict.

Nevertheless, it is important to stress thatone of the future challenges facing theAlliance could arise from its Eastern bor-ders. This challenge could be viewed asthe political, economical and military ac-tivism of the Russian Federation in its at-tempt to retain its multiple influences in

Eastern Europe.What should NATO do about this risingchallenge? First of all it should developdefensive plans for the Eastern Europecountries. (It is worth mentioning thatthe Alliances new Strategic Concept em-

phasizes this need for shifting the col-lective defense commitments in theregion) These commitments should notonly include the readiness of forces, but

also the contingency planning, focusedtraining and the cooperation in trainingwith Russian Federation.

Secondly, a multilateral engagementshould be developed through a NATO-Russia Council. This Council should be

used more adequately in order to solvehigh stake issues in bordering regionswhere Eastern Europe again could playan important role. Military installationsand strategic weapon deployment in thisregion will always of the utmost concern.Let us remember President’s George W.Bush’s initiative to deploy anti-missileweapon components to Central Europeand the reactions to this proposal. Allthis indicates that such NATO-RussiaCouncil could be a more effective roadto solving regional security issues andmisunderstandings.

To sum up, it should be noted that thenew NATO members such as Lithuania,Estonia have been fulfilling their NATOcommitments in Afghanistan very effec-tively. Eastern European NATO mem-

bers send troops and military assets thatare significantly large when compared totheir national military capabilities. Whatis also noteworthy is that their role inAfghanistan is just as great, just asimportant as that of Germany, Italy or the

Netherlands. This being the case thedecision to implement Article 5 shouldinclude not only Afghanistan or similar out of area commitments but also thecapabilities and initiatives of the regions

bordering NATO’s boundaries.

Although Russia’s future policies toward NATO remain difficult to predict; never-theless, NATO should pursue the goal of diplomatic and military cooperation withRussia. By pursuing this goal, it is hopedthat it will minimize the possibility that

Russia could start to act in a moreadversarial manner. This proposal isstrongly supported by East Europeancountries. The knowledge that America,

NATO’s strongest strategic ally, wouldhear and support this proposal is veryimportant for it would highlight causesand benefits of commitments to contem-

porary NATO operations in the eyes of the world.

The Agenda for

NATOAndrius Bivainis



24 j a nua r y/ f e b ru a r y 2 0 1 1

Calendar of Events for February & March 2011Please verify all events as places & times are subject to change.

bridges

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FEBRUARY

Feb. 13, 2011Independence DayMass at AnnunciationChurch at 10:00 am(259 N. 5 Street),followed by a meal in

Annunciation Hall(70 Havemeyer St.),formal program &reception in Mt. CarmelHall (275 N. 8 St.)Brooklyn, 2 pm.Organized by theNY Joint Committee(Tautos Fondas, NYLBApygarda, ALTA)INFO: [email protected]

Feb. 13, 2011Independence DayMass at 9 am

Commemorationfollowing Mass in theparish hall. Guestspeaker will be theformer US Ambassadorto Lithuania,John A. Cloud.Holy Trinity Church53 Capitol Ave.Hartford, CTAll are welcome.Sponsored by HartfordChapter of the LAC

Feb. 27, 2011LithuanianIndependence DayCommemoration11am Mass

celebrated byFather Daniel StaniskisSts. Peter & PaulLithuanian Church216 Ripley Pl.,Elizabeth, NJ 07206Program & lunch will

follow MassSpeaker will beLithuanian AmbassadorPavilionisNo admission. There willbe an opportunity todonate to the LAC.Sponsor: Elizabeth, NJChapter of the LAC

Feb. 27, 2011LithuanianIndependence DaySunday - 2:00 pmOceanside Senior

Center455 Country Club LaneOceanside, CASponsor: San DiegoChapter of the LAC

MARCH

March 5, 2011LithuanianIndependence DayLatvian Center -Details to follow -http://portlandlithuani-ans.comPortland, OregonSponsor: PortlandChapter of the LAC

March 6, 2011Sunday, - 2 to 4 pm

Kansas CityLithuanian CommunityIndependence DayCelebrationJoin us! Meet RicardasDumbiauskas, Lithuan-ian officer stationed at

Ft. Leavenworth, KS.Lithuanian refreshments& beer tastingNOTE NEW LOCATION:Cedar Creek Clubhouse

25775 W 103rd St,Olathe, KS 66061-7403www.kclith.orgMarch 6, 2011 - 2 pm.LithuanianIndependence DayBaltimore Lithuanian HallDetails to follow atwww.baltimorelac.org

March 15, 20117-9 pmPhila. LithuanianHeitage Club,Amber RootsJoyce Lukas will discuss"Birute"Lithuanian Music Hall2715 E.Allegheny Ave.Phila. PAUse the left side entranceand proceed downstairs.All are invited to attend.For info: call Millie at610-497-5469 or email

[email protected] 19-26, 2011Snow ski & winter tripTelluride Ski Resort inTelluride, Colorado

The trip is beingorganized by SiauresAmerikos Lietuviu FizinioAuklejimo ir SportoSajunga (SALFASS) akaLithuanian Athletic Unionof North America

(LAUNA) & AmerikosLietuviu GydytojuSajunga (ALGS). Therewill be many sportsenthusiasts from theUSA, Canada &Lithuania attending &having a great time. Bothskiers, non-skiers & theirfamilies are welcome!Contact Carol Pasternakwho is a "MountainVacation Specialist" tomake your hotel

reservations. Her email:[email protected],or call direct at:(800) 525-2052 x3319,(970) 925-9500 x3319.She can also assist withany ground transfers, lifttickets, &/or airfare.In order to receive thesespecial rates pleaseidentify yourself as partof the Lithuanian SkiGroup trip.

March 25, 2011

LITHUANIANHERITAGE NIGHTWITH THE PHOENIXSUNS, Friday, 7:00 pm

US Airways Center,201 E. Jefferson St.PhoenixCome celebrate ourLithuanian heritage withthe Phoenix Suns asthey take on the New

Orleans Hornets. This isa great opportunity toenjoy the national sportof Lithuania with family &friends. Our specialpackage includes thefollowing: (1) a specialLithuanian HeritageT-shirt (2) a 200 levelSuns' game ticket(3) early entry to watchthe players warm up(4) a group photo on thecourt after the game &

(5) a Suns' tote bag.Tickets are $50 eachplus a $5 handling feeper order. Please placeyour orders directly withDavid Segal.He can be reached at(602) 379-7593 [email protected] by theArizona Chapter ofthe LAC



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Bridges - January - February 2011