The Jewish cemeteries of Vinius are the three Jewish cemeteries of the

Lithuanian Jews {{Jews and Judaism sidebar , Population Litvaks ({{Langx, yi, ליטװאַקעס) or Lita'im ({{Langx, he, לִיטָאִים) are Jews who historically resided in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuan ...

living in what is today

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, the capital of

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, which was known to them for centuries as Vilna, the principal city of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

and the

Pale of Settlement The Pale of Settlement was a western region of the Russian Empire with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 1917 (''de facto'' until 1915) in which permanent settlement by Jews was allowed and beyond which the creation of new Jewish settlem ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. Two of the cemeteries were destroyed by the Soviet regime and the third is still active. The oldest and the largest Jewish cemetery was established in the 15th century in Šnipiškės suburb, now in

Žirmūnai elderate Žirmūnai () is the most populous administrative division (elderate) in Vilnius. It is also a neighbourhood in the Lithuanian capital city Vilnius, encompassing the city district of the same name, built in the 1960s. Žirmūnai's history has be ...

, across the Neris River from the Gediminas Tower. In Vilna Jewish culture, the cemetery was known as Piramont. It was closed by the Tsarist authorities in 1831. It was destroyed by the Soviet authorities in 1949–50 during the construction of

Žalgiris Stadium Žalgiris Stadium () was a multi-purpose stadium in Žirmūnai elderate of Vilnius, Lithuania. The stadium held 15,029 and was the largest in Lithuania until its demolition. It had been built on the desecrated graves of Jews interred in the Ol ...

. The Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports (Lithuanian: ''Koncertų ir sporto rūmai'') was built in 1971 right in the middle of the former cemetery. In 2005, apartment and office buildings were built at the site. The project was condemned by international Jewish organizations and resulted in a motion being passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008, condemning Lithuania for its "failure to protect the historic Jewish cemetery in Vilnius." In August 2009, the Lithuanian government reached an agreement with Jewish organizations on the boundaries of the cemetery and granted it protected status. Buildings already on the site will not be demolished. The second cemetery was located in Užupis. It was active from 1828 to 1943 or 1948. It was also destroyed by the Soviet authorities in the 1960s following the destruction of the Great Synagogue of Vilna. Tombstones from the two old cemeteries were used for staircases in various construction works around the city. Currently a memorial constructed of them marks the location of the former entrance to the cemetery. Moreover, there are plans to build a monument in place of the old cemetery in Užupis. The new Jewish cemetery was opened in Šeškinė district near Sudervė Cemetery. Some graves of famous people, including that of the

Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...

, were relocated to the new place from the old cemeteries before the destruction. Currently it has about 6,500 Jewish graves.

References

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Jews and Judaism in Vilnius Judaism in Vilnius Cemeteries in Vilnius Cemetery vandalism and desecration

See also

References