DRAUGAS NEWS Lithuanian World Wide News in English

Sandy Baksys. If his voice is a little ragged and his words come out rapid-fire, that’s because Linas Johansonas, 57, is simultaneously living two very full “Lithuanian lives.” His first life is grounded in Cleveland, Ohio’s 18,000 square-foot Lithuanian Community Center, where Johansonas assists Rūta Degutis, president of the Lithuanian …

By Miltiades Varvounis. The Chodkevičius (Chodkiewicz) family was one of the richest and most influential families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) in the 16th –17th centuries. The most prominent member of this family was Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius (Jan Karol Chodkiewicz), a renowned Lithuanian military commander. He played a …

Part adventure, part history course and civics lesson, Mission Siberia (MS) is an annual two-week expedition by young Lithuanians to various locales in Siberia, where Lithuanians were once forcibly exiled by the Soviet government. MS has become one the most recognized youth-centered projects in Lithuania. The initial purpose of the …

Ramunė Kubilius. Vaidotas A. Vaičaitis, an Associate Professor of Law at Vilnius University, is one of two recipients of the Joseph P. Kazickas Fellowships at Yale University for 2017. As Visiting Associate Professor in European Studies at Yale University, he will undertake research and analysis dealing with Lithuania’s current constitutional …

Aldas Kriaučiūnas. Within five hours of arriving at Camp Dainava, in Manchester, Mich., to mark the camp’s 60th birthday bash this past Labor Day weekend, I feasted on cold beet soup, joined in singing Lithuanian freedom fighters songs, and waided through thorns and thistles to reach the natural springs feeding …

Gerda Butkuvienė. It has now been 104 years since the sinking of this legendary ocean cruise liner. The memory of the tragedy refuses to fade as a successor liner, the “Titanic II”, is being readied for launch, because difficult-to-answer questions about the disaster continue to be raised and discussed. In a …

Founded in 1886, the Lithuanian Alliance of America, (LAA) the oldest continuously operating Lithuanian organization in the world, has a new lease on life as it expands its multifaceted activities promoting Lithuanian educational and heritage programs. Organized as a fraternal insurance organization, it had over 20,000 members and 300 lodges …

By Egidijus Bacevičius. Greater Trakėnai (Hauptgestüt Trakehnen) is famous as a birthplace of riding horses. The origin of the Trakėnai breed and the attempts to preserve it are a part of equestrian history that involves Germany and Lithuania Minor, and recently, Russia as well. “Trakėnai” is an old Baltic word meaning …

Jonas Majauskas. American Lithuanian students have tremendous opportunities for self development and advancement – our heritage and culture has much to offer us. Although attending Saturday school and partaking in Lithuanian cultural events introduces us to Lithuanian culture, it is but an initial step in understanding what it means to …

by Vida Kuprys. 27 years ago, Lithuanians Latvians and Estonian joined hands in the Baltic Way. This August they joined voices. August 23rd is Black Ribbon Day. On this infamous date in 1939, Hitler’s and Stalin’s henchmen Ribbentrop and Molotov signed a non-aggression treaty that ultimately sent all of Europe …