VILNIUS - On June 9, 2015, the Government of the Republicof Lithuania passed resolution No. 597 acknowledging the Vilnius Concert andSports Hall reconstruction and rearrangement. It was slated as an economicproject of State importance, coined the Vilnius Congress Center Reconstruction.
The respective resolution set out the vision of aconference center of grandiose proportions, stating:
"It will have a significant impact on the Lithuanianeconomic, social, cultural, political life and (or) for the definite field ofpublic relations state, as established and operating in new Vilnius CongressCentre will allow attracting further both foreign and local tourist flows toVilnius and Lithuania . New business relationships, contracts duringinternational events will be made. International business and foreigninvestment across Lithuania will be promoted."
The proposal articulated the extent to which the plan wouldenhance Lithuania's cultural contribution to the world:
"After implementation of the Vilnius Congress Centreproject, the conditions to organize not only a high-level internationalconferences and congresses, but also cultural events, will be provided. Theincrease of Lithuania, as a cultural region, with the possibility ofexhibitions, cultural events, concerts, educational programs organization willbe seen."
And finally, in its efforts to develop the new conferencecenter, the government guaranteed protection stating, "It would not onlycreate a missing business (conference) tourism infrastructure, but also protectabandoned and unused Culture heritage infrastructure in Vilnius citycenter."
"The Vilnius Concert and Sports Hall buildingcomplex, located at Rinktinės str. 1, Vilnius, is a unique place, positive forthe activities of congress center and urban structure of the city, and theoptimal accessibility of the object in terms of cultural and naturalenvironment, events security and service. After the reconstruction of thebuilding complex and having applied it for the congresses, conferences andother events, it would not only create a missing business (conference) tourisminfrastructure, but also protect abandoned and unused Culture heritage infrastructurein Vilnius city center."
However, what the proposal didn't mention, was that theconference center in Vilnius was to be developed on a 500-year old Jewishcemetery. This property which enjoys international protection from desecrationin perpetuity, was the final resting place of some of the most prestigiousJewish sages of the times. These included R. Menahem Mannes Chajes (d. 1636),one of Vilna’s earliest Chief Rabbis; R. Moshe Rivkes (d. 1671), author of Be’erHa-Golah, a classic commentary on the Shulhan Arukh; R. Shlomo Zalman (d.1788), younger brother of R. Hayyim of Volozhin and a favorite disciple of theGaon of Vilna; R. Elijah b. Solomon (d. 1797), the Gaon of Vilna; and R.Abraham Danzig (d. 1820), author of Chaye Adam, a digest of practicalJewish law, together with tens of thousands of graves of all the Jewish men,women and children who had lived and died in Vilna between the years of 1592and 1831.
What the proposal doesn't say is that the Lithuaniangovernment's initiative had been condemned by political leaders, congressmen, senators and the White House. What the proposal doesn't say is that leading Rabbisfrom across the globe have vehemently opposed the plan, that community leadersof the 1-billion strong evangelical world community havethreatened to boycott Lithuaniantourism, if the Vilnius Congress Center is ever built. Most certainly, in lieuof the Lithuanian central bank's prediction that a fifth of the economy could be wiped because of thecoronavirus pandemic, a boycott may well be the last straw. Turning off thetaps of tourism would inevitably lead to massive unemployment and economiccollapse.
In May 2020 the Lithuanian government announced that it would allocate a state support grant of $45million towards tourism. A financial analyst who is monitoring the impact ofcoronavirus on Lithuania said that a tourist boycott would be the equivalent offlushing the $45 million allocation down the toilet.
Additionally, the government's construction plan violatesboth the Geneva convention and the EU Charter of Human Rights. Both condemnconstruction on a cemetery.
Proponents of the plan to build the conference centerargue that in the spirit of protecting human bones and skeletal remains in theconstruction process, "the highest level of supervision will beasserted."
However, the leading Jewish authority on Jewish law, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky has already ruled that "it is forbidden to use thecemetery for any other purpose other than as a resting place for thedeceased."
Similarly, a respected Rabbinical court in Israel issueda judgement that the Lithuanian government’s proposal is a blatant desecrationof the cemetery and that it is forbidden to build the conference center underany circumstances.
Already members in the Vilnius Jewish community voicedconcern that Turto Bankas, the government proxy that is mandated to see theproject through to fruition, is using illegal means to acquire authorizationfrom various parties.
One member of the Jewish community, who would onlycomment on condition of anonymity said, "The system is corrupt to thecore. Everyone is receiving under the table payoffs. In most democraticcountries, people go to jail for this type of thing."
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Washington Review
John Black
washingtonreview@gmail.com
