The Lithuanian government has established plans to restore a long-abandoned concert hall called “The Palace of Concerts and Sports” on the grounds of the Snipiskes Jewish Cemetery, according to a report that appeared in the New York Daily News (NYDN).
The cemetery is the resting place of many well known Gedolei Olam such as the Chayei Adam among others. The area was once known as the “Yerushalayim of Lithuania” and many leading scholars flocked there towards the 16th century.
In an effort to prevent the destruction of the cemetery, top rabbis and Brooklyn activists, as well as Jewish leaders from Israel and Europe, are in a heated battle to save the area and prevent the destruction of the sacred burial sites.
They are attempting to get U.S. President Donald Trump to step in and kill the renovation plan.
“This could threaten the integrity of every cemetery in the world,” Bernard Fryshman of Brooklyn, told the NYDN. Fryshman, who teaches physics at the New York Institute of Technology, filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. “If a government can go ahead and desecrate a cemetery in such an obvious fashion what’s to prevent other governments from taking similar actions?”
The head of the commission, Chariman Paul Pecker, said that the White House isn’t ignoring the issue.
“There’s never been more attention paid to the cemetery than under the Trump administration,” Pecker told the NYDN.
The saga about the cemetery stretches back into history some 600 years. The Lithuanian capital of Vilnius (Vilna) blossomed into the center of Jewish culture in Europe. According to historians, tens of thousands of Jewish people were buried in the cemetery.
Between Nazi occupation in World War II and the ensuing Soviet occupation, the headstones were removed and used as paving stones and other construction. In 1972, Soviet officials built a “sports palace” on the grounds. This building has been abandoned for decades.
The Lithuanian government wants to now utilize the building and convert it into a concert hall, however, Jewish leaders believe that this will require further desecration of Kevarim and disturbing of the remains interred there.
Fryshman told the NYDN that the project is massive. “You are talking about a huge project. It will entail digging up other spots in the cemetery for sewers, water supplies and electrical conduits. The new center would also profane the sacred site by bringing thousands of people every day to meet and enjoy themselves on the cemetery’s grounds.”
The NYDN reported that the Lithuanian government claims that they have the approval of the London-based Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe. According to the report, the group has negotiated a series of protective measures for the site.
Lithuanian officials further said that they will not break the foundation or build past the current footprint of sports palace. They also added that if any soil is found that contains bones then work on the new project will be ceased immediately.
“The is not just a Jewish issue it’s a human rights issue,” said Fryshman.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
There’s a cemetery in Hungary to village called Poszob. If you pass by, please see if they fixed the huge problems, If the grass is to your knees please call Avoiseinu immediately. I know someone gave privately money to the shomer to uproot the old abused place. Thanks