As written in the document, the working group proposes to establish a memorial dedicated to the history of the Šnipiškii Jewish cemetery and the people buried there at the site of the old Šnipiškii Jewish cemetery and in the current Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace.
“The building should also honor the events that paved the way for Lithuania’s independence, which made it possible to stop the desecration of Jewish cemeteries,” it states.
One of such events is the founding convention of Sąjūdis, which took place in October 1988, and the events of January 13, 1991.
At the proposal of the working group, at least 75 percent. of the memorial should be dedicated to the Jewish cemetery, to the persons buried in it, and to Jewish life in Vilnius during the cemetery’s existence.
No more than 25 percent – the Soviet policy of desecration of cemeteries, the history of the building, its role in the Lithuanian independence movement.
The working group agreed that the building of the Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace and the territory of the Šnipiškii Jewish Cemetery must be adapted to the interpretation of memory and open to the public, paying special attention to the synergy of the territory’s external and internal spaces.
According to the document, the working group proposes that the entire area – the building and the cemetery – be managed with respect and seriousness, reviving and developing the historical memory of the old cemetery and the Jewish community.
A special working group on this issue was formed last April.
The director of the Vilnius City Museum Rasa Antanavičiūtė, the playwright Marius Ivaškevičius, the journalist Rytis Zemkauskas, the chairman of the Lithuanian Jewish (Litvaks) community Faina Kukliansky, the head of the International Affairs Department of the American Jewish Committee Andrew Baker and others took part in it.
According to the document, following Turto bank implements the project, the memorial of the Šnipiškii Jewish cemetery will be handed over to the National Museum of Lithuania.
By November 2025, it is intended to prepare a feasibility study for the memorial of the Šnipiškii Jewish cemetery. The international competition for the establishment of the memorial should be announced on February 1, 2027.
The establishment of the Jewish memorial will require additional funds: 64 thousand for 2025. euros, for 2026 – 44 thousand. euros, and for 2027 – 174 thousand. euros. The exact budget will become clear following the international tender and negotiations.
In 2015, Turto bankas took over the unused Vilnius concert and sports hall from the then bankrupt Ūkio bankas investment group and the company “Žalgirio sporto arena” for 5.6 million. euros.
At that time, it was planned to install a conference center here instead of the palace built in 1971, but the announced tenders did not take place or were terminated.
The reconstruction project of the Sports Palace also encountered opposition from some Jewish communities, as the complex is located on the territory of the old Jewish cemetery, which has been operating here since the 16th century.
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2024-07-18 17:02:54
