20260730Meeting
2026.07.30 Zoom meeting summary
Rabbi Elchonon Baron, Rūta Bloshtein, Arkadij Kurliandchik, Edmundas Kulikauskas, Andrius Kulikauskas (moderator)
Quick recap
The meeting focused on efforts to preserve and restore the Snipiskes Jewish Cemetery in Vilnius, with Rabbi Baron, Andrius, Artur, Arkady, Edmundas, and Reyzke discussing various strategies and challenges. Rabbi Baron shared updates on his discussions with Emmanuel Zinger regarding political influences and potential actions involving the Avulis family and Marriott International. The group discussed the need for an engineering assessment of the Sports Palace building, the importance of clarifying the cemetery's legal status, and the potential for raising its heritage protection level. They also talked about collecting materials for an exhibit, translating Klausner's book, and the possibility of using virtual reality technology. Rabbi Baron emphasized the significance of Jewish heritage in Lithuania and the need for a unified approach, while Andrius highlighted the importance of bureaucratic processes and engaging with local and international stakeholders. The conversation ended with reflections on the challenges faced and the shared commitment to the cemetery's preservation.
Next steps
Andrius
- Work on the exhibit, including creating a poster to show different angles involved, and prepare it for presentation in three languages (Lithuanian, Hebrew, English).
- Organize a follow-up meeting for next Thursday at 8:00 PM to focus on the exhibit.
- Consider and potentially formulate a letter-writing campaign to Marriott International regarding the Avulis issue.
- Continue the process with the Genocide Center and the SAMOS committee on historical memory to seek certification for the cemetery.
- Clarify the current status of the cemetery (inactive vs. active, cultural heritage vs. cemetery status) with the Registry of Cultural Heritage and the Vilnius municipality.
Rabbi
- Create a Dropbox folder with Schnippershock material and share access with Andrius, Arturas, and others interested.
- Begin work on translating Klausner's book into Lithuanian and English, starting with converting the PDF to text.
- Share the newly acquired aerial photos of Schnippershock and Zareche Cemeteries with the group.
- Send an email summary of the meeting discussions to all participants.
- Attempt to set up a meeting with Avulis (Hanner AB) to discuss the cemetery issue, if someone can facilitate the appointment.
- Follow up on the letter to the Finance and Culture Ministers to allow an engineering assessment of the Sports Palace building.
- Await and share Rabbi Rosenberg's written position on the cemetery's future.
- Consider joining the group officially as a member and potentially as a rabbinical advisor.
Summary
Jewish Traditions and Community Updates
The meeting began with participants joining and discussing language preferences, with Rabbi noting the multilingual nature of the group. Rabbi provided an opening blessing and teaching about Chesed Shalemet (true kindness) in Jewish tradition regarding burial practices. The group discussed attendance, noting some missing participants including Arkady, and Andrius requested Rabbi to share written thoughts in response to a previous letter, with plans to translate and discuss key points including issues related to the Samus exhibit and Zinger.
Samus Resolution Strategy Discussion
Rabbi reported concerns about the Samus resolution, attributing the issue to the Avulis family who allegedly sponsored it with significant financial support. Andrius suggested a potential strategy involving a letter-writing campaign to Marriott International, as Avulis built the Marriott Hotel, and proposed contacting the Vilnius City government as part of a broader approach. The group agreed on pursuing multiple strategies simultaneously rather than relying on a single solution, with Rabbi offering to meet with Avulis while acknowledging the need for someone with experience in such negotiations to assist.
Cemetery Exhibit Planning Discussion
Rabbi discussed collecting materials for an exhibit, mentioning he has extensive digitized materials and will create a Dropbox to share them with Andrius and others. They agreed to work on translating Klausner's book into Lithuanian and English, with Rabbi noting the main challenge is converting the PDF text rather than the translation itself. Regarding virtual reality, Rabbi reported that VR companies in Lithuania are expensive, with quotes of 40,000 euro for a 2-minute VR experience, though Andrius suggested exploring Vilnius Tech for potentially free student-led projects. Rabbi also shared that he obtained new high-quality aerial photos of Schnippershock and Zareche cemeteries from Washington archives, which he will share once downloaded.
Genocide Center Certification Strategy Discussion
Andrius and Rabbi discussed the Genocide Center's role as both an academic and political organization, with Rabbi noting its political nature may impact its involvement in certain initiatives. Andrius explained his strategy of taking small bureaucratic steps to progress the certification process, including approaching the SAMOS committee and potentially higher authorities like the president or prime minister. They also discussed the stone wall around the cemetery, with Rabbi clarifying that while the current boundary may be smaller than the actual cemetery area, the wall encircles the available space on all sides, raising concerns about future development rights.
Cemetery Heritage Protection Discussion
Rabbi discussed concerns about a potential political deal involving a wall, suggesting it may have been part of an agreement between the government and Jewish community regarding building usage. The conversation focused on the status of a former Jewish cemetery, with Andrius clarifying that while it is listed in the cultural heritage registry as an "inactive cemetery," it does not have the same legal protections as an active cemetery and is not officially recognized as a cemetery by the municipality. The group identified obtaining higher cultural heritage protection status for the site as a key priority, similar to the Sports Palace, though they acknowledged needing to clarify the current legal status before proceeding.
Jewish Cemetery Project Discussion
The group discussed disagreements about whether to begin discussing positive proposals for a Jewish cemetery project, with Professor Katz opposing any discussion at this stage due to potential disagreements and involvement of wrong parties. Rabbi shared insights from a former government advisor who indicated resistance to a Jewish cemetery in Vilnius, though Andrius and others agreed the discussion should proceed carefully to avoid derailing progress. Arkady expressed skepticism about reaching decisions on the project, though the specific details of his concerns were not fully clear in the transcript.
Cemetery Issue Resolution Strategy
Rabbi suggested focusing on two key points to address the cemetery issue: obtaining an engineering assessment of the building and waiting for Rabbi Rosenberg's written position on how to handle the situation. Rabbi mentioned that major rabbinical organizations have already agreed that Rabbi Rosenberg should make decisions regarding Jewish law and tradition in the cemetery. He recommended continuing discussions informally between Rabbi and Professor Andreas to avoid distractions in the public forum.
Rabbi's Group Membership Discussion
Rabbi agreed to join as a member of the group and expressed willingness to serve as a rabbinical advisor, though he noted that Rabbi Krinsky, who is currently involved with Schnebeschok Cemetery for political reasons, would likely not agree to join officially. Andrius clarified that Rabbi would be included as a member rather than officially as a rabbinical advisor, and Rabbi agreed to this arrangement. The discussion concluded with Rabbi indicating that while he has limited experience with the Vilna government, his overall impression is that they are hostile to their efforts.
Cemetery Restoration and Status Discussion
Rabbi and Andrius discussed two key issues regarding the cemetery: restoring its status as an active cemetery and addressing the problematic sports palace building. Rabbi expressed concerns about restricted access to the cemetery, emphasizing the need to balance practicality with sensitivity to the local community of Vilna. Andrius and Rabbi agreed that focusing on the cemetery's restoration and protection would make the Soviet palace building issue less relevant strategically, as public opinion in Vilna strongly favors removing the building.
Lithuanian Jewish Heritage Preservation
The group discussed the need to address both a cemetery and a building, with Andrius and Rabbi agreeing that emphasizing the cemetery's heritage status could help combat threats to the building. Rabbi explained that promoting Jewish heritage in Lithuania more broadly would benefit the country, as Lithuania possesses significant but underappreciated Jewish heritage. The discussion ended with plans to review exhibits or posters related to the topic.
Cemetery Issues and Sports Palace
The group discussed continuing their meeting and agreed to schedule another session for the following week to allow time to prepare and explain posters about cemetery issues. Rabbi expressed interest in hearing more detailed explanations about the posters, particularly regarding a sports palace that may be built on potentially buried graves. The team discovered that while official records indicate no graves exist under the sports palace, architectural plans show a foundation that could potentially cover buried graves due to the cemetery's location on a hill with soft earth containing burials dating back to the 15th century.
Exhibit Development Planning Meeting
The group discussed plans for an exhibit, with Andrius proposing to meet next Thursday at 8:00 PM to focus on the exhibit development. Rabbi mentioned finding engineering assessments from 2015 but could not locate the original building plans. The group agreed to focus on creating the exhibit in three languages (English, Hebrew, and Lithuanian) as a first step, with individual team members including Artur, Reyzke, and Arkady working on the project. Rabbi agreed to send a summary of the discussion to all participants via email, and the conversation ended with Rabbi sharing insights from his recent trip to Lithuania about cemetery restoration work.