Presidential Pilgrimage

Festive gates, erected for the reception of President A. Smetona in Biržai. Courtesy of Biržai Region Museum SĖLA.

“Greetings, Leader of the Nation!" This enthusiastic slogan echoed through Lithuanian towns in the summer of 1927 as President Antanas Smetona embarked on a lively two-month tour. After his controversial power grab in December 1926, he set out to charm the nation and mingle with his people.

The nation's leader was welcomed by local government representatives, members of various organizations, and Jewish communities, who attentively participated in the festive program.

In Troškūnai, the local priest Antanas Pauliukas noted in his diary: "We got into cars and went to the Jewish synagogue. They seated me next to the president. Three rabbis climbed onto the bimah, and one of them, covered with a white tallit, chanted quite beautifully some lamentation of Jeremiah. Occasionally, hearing the word 'a dalia presidentes,' one could think that the rabbi was praying for the president's health."

Fast forward to today, if the President were to visit Troškūnai again, he’d find the brick Hasidic synagogue gone. Only the wooden synagogue remains, now converted into apartments.