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25 Sivan 5763 - June 25, 2003 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Grodno Grave Struggle
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

According to a report from the BBC, municipal authorities in Grodno, Belarus, are digging up the 300-year old local cemetery -- which was in use until 50 years ago -- to expand a football stadium. Jewish religious leaders from Britain claim that thousands of Jewish graves have been desecrated.

Rabbis who travelled there say they found human remains from thousands of shattered graves strewn across the site.

Soviet authorities took over the cemetery in 1958 and built Grodno's current football stadium on about a fifth of the cemetery. Now the authorities want to expand the football stadium and also to provide extra sports facilities.

Among those buried in the cemetery are thousands of Jews killed in the Holocaust as well as important Jewish sages, including Reb Nochumke of Horodna (niftar 5640/1880), the rebbe of the Chofetz Chaim, the Yesod Veshoresh Ho'avodoh (niftar 5554/1794) and HaRav Shimon Shkop who was niftar in 5700/1940.

The Jewish community, and especially British organizations, are working hard to halt the desecration, but so far they have had no success.

 

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