Lithuania: Map of Vilnius Synagogues published

A map pinpointing the location of more than 130 synagogues, shtibls, and Jewish prayer houses that stood in Vilnius before the Holocaust has been published.

Today, only two synagogues (recognizable as synagogues) still stand in the city — the Choral Synagogue, still in used by the congregation, and the synagogue on Gėlių street, which long stood derelict but has  been undergoing restoration. (See an article about these two synagogues, with photos.)

The new map is a project of the Litvak World/Jerusalem of the North organization, whose web site also has an interactive map locating the pre-war synagogues.  Research was carried out by Israeli and Lithuanian scholars.

The launch of the map took place at the residence of the Israeli ambassador to Lithuania, Amir Maimon, just before Passover. “When we speak of Jewish cultural heritage, we don’t mean a foreign people who lived apart from everything and one day decided to move. We’re talking about what was in Lithuania, about the Lithuanian nation’s heritage, not just of the Jews,”  Maimon said during the ceremony.

See an article about the map in the web site 15min.lt