How a country’s attempt to give well-deserved recognition to a pious Jewish sage was hijacked and a nation’s honour ransacked
ILNIUS - It should have been a moment of celebration, 300 years since one of the great Torah scholars came to this world. However, the enthusiasm was marred by a much bigger event: a horrific plan to build a conference center on a cemetery filled with over 50,000 Jewish souls. Turto Bankas, the Lithuanian government-owned bank saw fit to move forward with its proposal. Despite international opposition to the development of a conference center on a cemetery, the developers, Turto Bankas, the Lithuanian government and the City Council of Vilnius pressed forward relentless in their efforts to execute the wholesale desecration of a cemetery which is a historical landmark. Proclaiming the year 2020 as the year of the Vilna Gaon was an amazing idea. It had the makings of being a fitting tribute to a rabbinical giant, the likes of which Jewish communities had not seen for generations. It had the potential to solidify Jewish and Lithuanian relations, to inspire communities across the world w...