Accordingly, the auspicious Bnei Brak court issued an injunction, ordering all parties connected to the project to "cease and desist" from participating in the project.

A partner in the law firm of Hadad Roth Shenhar and Co., Adv. Hanoch Ehrlich, served the order by the rabbinical court on the parties, indicating that the proposed plan by the government, constitutes a violation of Jewish law and cultural heritage considerations. Turto Bankas, a government funded Lithuanian bank is a leading participant. See FULL LETTER, injunction and communication by Hadad Roth Shenhar and Co.

The 500-year old Shnípeshok cemetery, in which the [FURL=https://www.savevilna.org]Vilna Gaon[/FURL] was originally buried has been earmarked for development. The gravesite is the final resting place of between 50,000 and 80,000 Jewish souls that were buried there. During the Russian occupation following the World War II, tombstones were desecrated and destroyed. Due to the shortage of building materials that marked the communist era, marble from the graves was then repurposed and used to construct buildings.

The cemetery is a protected site and under [FURL=https://www.savevilna.org]Lithuanian[/FURL] law, any development must comply with cultural heritage protection considerations. The ruling by the rabbinical court underscores the desecration that will be perpetrated, if the development goes ahead.

Leading Jewish authorities including the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau and Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky have expressed their objections to the plan.

A recent court filing by Turto Bankas (Case No. civiline?je byloje Nr. e2-625-918/2020) claimed that the respective rabbinical court in Israel "did not have jurisdiction over the matter, as rabbinical courts may only act in matters of marriage, divorce and inheritance."

A leading expert in international law retorted that the Turto Bankas misses the point of the rabbinical court's decision. "There is no more powerful authority that can make that determination that the conference center development constitutes an affront to Jewish cultural heritage. The rabbinical court of Rabbi Nissim Korelitz is the equivalent of the Supreme Court in the Jewish world. If they don't have the authority to make that determination, no one does.

"Lithuanian law requires that a development on a protected site must meet specific criteria and comply with cultural heritage considerations. The rabbinical court ruling, together with all those of all other Jewish authorities, demonstrates that the development plan does not pass the litmus test," the expert said.

Separately, the Committee for Protecting Jewish Cemeteries in Europe (the CPJCE), which had ostensibly been supervising the controversial project with Turto Bankas, has had its authority to represent the Jewish community in Europe revoked.

About Save Vilna:

Save Vilna is an action group aimed at preventing Jewish cemetery desecration, antisemitism, human rights violations at the old cemetery in Shnipishok, Vilnius.

Writer: Jonus Norkus

Email: jonusnorkus@gmail.com

Website: [FURL]https://www.savevilna.org[/FURL]

###