NEW YORK — The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF) sharply condemned the Lithuanian government’s decision to proceed with construction on the historic Šnipiškės (Piramónt) Jewish Cemetery in Vilnius, warning of an irreversible desecration of Jewish heritage and a violation of international trust.
The cemetery, dating to the 15th century, is among the oldest Jewish burial grounds in Europe and the final resting place of thousands of Lithuanian Jews, including prominent rabbis and scholars. AJCF Chairman Simon Bergson called Lithuania’s move “a grave insult to the memory of the dead and to the conscience of the living,” stressing that cemeteries are sacred places whose dignity must be preserved in perpetuity.
Vilnius, once known as the “Jerusalem of the North,” served as a legendary hub for Jewish life, learning, and culture until its decimation in the Holocaust. The Šnipiškės Cemetery remains one of the last tangible links to that lost world. AJCF Director General Jack Simony described Lithuania’s reversal as “a profound breach of trust, not only with the Jewish community but with all who believe in the integrity of Holocaust memory. This is not about stones and soil; it is about the eternal dignity of human beings whose remains lie there.”
The Lithuanian government’s recent announcement revived controversial plans to convert the derelict Soviet-era Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace, built atop part of the cemetery, into a national congress center. This move backtracks on earlier pledges, negotiated with international Jewish organizations, to protect and memorialize the cemetery. Jewish leaders in Lithuania and abroad expressed outrage at the lack of consultation and respect for community concerns, noting that the decision jeopardizes Lithuania’s reputation among global partners.
AJCF is calling on UNESCO to designate the Šnipiškės Cemetery as a protected heritage site. The Foundation seeks intervention from the European Union and the United States due to treaty obligations regarding the safeguarding of Jewish cemeteries and memorials abroad.
Jewish organizations, supported by leading rabbis and descendants of those buried at the cemetery, have argued that any construction on burial grounds violates Jewish law, international ethical norms, and Lithuania’s post-Holocaust commitments. Rabbi Gidon Fox stated, “A cemetery is a sacred and consecrated area, and the dignity with which we treat it honors and respects the deceased. Repurposing such sites is a profound desecration.”
AJCF urged Jewish, non-Jewish, and educational bodies worldwide to raise their voices in defense of memory, pressing for an immediate halt to all construction plans. As Simony warned, “Vilnius must decide whether it will be remembered as a guardian of memory or as a force of its destruction. This is not only a Jewish issue. It is a human issue. History is watching.”
This article is based on verified information from the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, Times of Israel, Jewish Post and News, Lithuanian Jewish Community statements, South African Jewish Report, Algemeiner, The JC, and media and government sources in Lithuania.