23 April 2025 A historic event took place at the Telšiai Yeshiva - the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Telšiai District Municipality and the Kiryat Yearim - Telz Stone Municipality of the State of Israel. The ceremony was not only an official signing of documents, but also a cordial cultural meeting that revived a common memory and marked the beginning of a new friendship
According to Ambassador Hadas Wittenberg Silverstein, this is more than a formal partnership between municipalities. "It is a bridge between memory and future. Between two places that carry the name and spirit of a shared legacy".
Kiryat Yearim, also known as Telz-Stone, was established in 1975, 10 km from Jerusalem. Despite its official biblical name, Kiryat Yearim is also known as Telz-Stone. This double unofficial name, which is also not uncommon on maps, is a tribute to the founder and leader of the city, Irving I. Stone, and to the Telšiai Yeshiva, whose students from the United States formed the core of the founding community.
Before World War II, Telšiai טלז was a thriving Jewish community and home to the famous Telšiai Yeshiva, one of the most famous seminaries of Judaism in Eastern Europe, where the Torah was studied. During the Holocaust, almost the entire Jewish community was murdered.