Felix and Club Ilan

When Felix was 12 years old, his only link to his Jewish roots was a handful of Yiddish words. His parents had known that Lithuania was once home to a thriving Jewish community, but the memories of Judaism and Jewish communal life had died with their parents.

When Club Ilan opened, Felix's parents - somewhat timidly - enrolled their son. The youth club quickly became an exciting world of discovery for Felix. For the first time, he met other Jewish children and joyfully shared Passover sedarim and other Jewish holidays with them. He attended a Jewish summer camp and began to learn how to be a madrich (counselor) for younger children. In the ensuing four years, Felix organized a course for young madrichim and traveled to Estonia and Latvia to teach other teens about his work at Club Ilan. Best of all, his knowledge of Judaism and Jewish culture has helped his family to reconnect to their Jewish roots.

Now Felix's parents are actively involved in Vilnius' Jewish community. His brothers are attending a Jewish school, and, Felix is looking forward to becoming a Jewish communal leader.