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NEWS
12 Graves Desecrated at Jewish Cemetery in Vilna
By S. Fried
When the rov of Vilna, HaRav Chaim Bourstein, arrived at the
city's new Jewish cemetery on Sunday, he was appalled to find
12 gravestones had been shattered. A number of gedolei
olom lie buried here, including the Vilna Gaon, whose
remains were moved from the old cemetery. HaRav Bourstein
summoned the police and notified municipal and government
authorities. Meanwhile he spoke with various figures in the
Jewish world, including the heads of the Conference of
European Rabbis and Knesset members Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz and
Reuven Rivlin. Both said they would address the incident and
raise the issue on the agenda in the Knesset.
"The attack on the Jewish cemetery in Vilna is a reaction by
local antisemites to the firm stance against the excavation
and construction work taking place on the grounds of the
city's old cemetery," says Rabbi Bourstein. "But we're not
backing down and we'll continue the battle on all fronts to
prevent the desecration of the cemetery." The Jewish
community has been waging a campaign against the construction
project for the past several weeks. Last week a worker struck
HaRav Bourstein with the cemetery gate, knocking him to the
ground.
CER (Conference of European Rabbis) Executive Director Rabbi
Aba Dunner said the Conference was appalled by the criminal
act in Vilna. "We are shocked anew after every such attack
and we have already contacted the government heads in
Lithuania and the heads of the European Union to reinforce
guarding and security of the Jewish communities and
institutions. We are demanding that the authorities capture
the lawbreakers and put them on trial. Meanwhile we will
continue to provide all of the necessary assistance and
backing to protect Jewish cemeteries around Europe and will
not be deterred by any attack."
Rabbi Dunner noted that next Tuesday the Conference is
sponsoring a two-day seminar in Vilna for dozens of rabbonim
from the former Soviet Union. During the event a delegation
will meet with the Lithuanian Prime Minister and other heads
of government. "This is the winning response to the acts of
vandalism and antisemitism," said Rabbi Dunner.
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