Please Support This Petition
Please Support This Petition
It is not everyday that a cause is endorsed by Prof. Shnayer Leiman, the A list of Israeli roshei yeshiva, the RCA and the RCC. But it is not everyday that a government tainted by its reluctance to deal with its complicity in the Holocaust now threatens to eradicate the relics of hundreds of years of Jewish life in Lithuania in a wholesale desecration of the dead. Please read on, and then sign the petition at the end.
From: S. Leiman
Sent: Friday, January 6, 2017
Subject: Help save the Old Jewish Cemetery in Vilna
Dear Friend:
I don’t ordinarily get involved in signing petitions, but this is a matter that cries out for protest against the massive desecration that is about to take place. I’m sure you know that the Lithuanian government has announced plans to build a new convention center over the Old Jewish Cemetery of Vilna. Although the Vilna Gaon’s remains were removed from the Old Jewish Cemetery, the remains of hundreds, perhaps thousands of Jews are still buried in the Old Jewish cemetery. These include the remains of some of the greatest rabbis, Jewish martyrs, and pious women through the centuries, including R. Moshe Rivkes (d. 1671-2), author of the Be’er Ha-Golah on the Shulhan Arukh; R. Zelmele (i.e., R. Shlomo Zalman, d. 1788), brother of R. Hayyim of Volozhin and favorite disciple of the Vilna Gaon; R. Shmuel b. R. Avigdor (d. 1793), last Chief Rabbi of Vilna; R. Avraham b. Ha-Gra (d. 1809) ; the Ger Zedek of Vilna (d. 1749), whose remains were not removed from the Old Jewish cemetery (despite claims otherwise); and Traina (date of death unknown), mother of the Vilna Gaon; Chanah, first wife of the Vilna Gaon (d. 1782); and Gitel, second wife of the Vilna Gaon, who apparently outlived the Gaon (precise date of death unknown). Virtually every Jew who died in Vilna before the year 1831 was, in fact, buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery.
The petition does not call for the Lithuanian government to cancel plans for building a new convention center (funded largely by the EU). It simply asks that it be built at a different location in Vilnius – which can easily be done.
A wonderful Vilna resident, Ruta Bloshtein, a shomer shabbos woman who bakes challah for members of the Vilna kehillah every erev Shabbos, has taken upon herself the responsibility of spearheading this write-in campaign. She started some three weeks ago and has about 250 signatories so far. She needs at least 1000 signatures; if she doesn’t get them it will be a Chillul Ha-Shem even beyond the destruction of the Jewish cemetery itself. It will be a signal to the Lithuanian government that Jews neither care nor countdly. If she gets 3000 signatures, the political authorities will have little choice but to take the petition into account before making any hasty decision. She needs, and deserves, our help.
The two key Rabbonim in Lithuania today, Rabbi Krelin (Chief Rabbi of Lithuania) and Rabbi Krinsky (head of Chabad) are among the first 250 signatories. It seems to me this is a case of מת מצוה in more ways than one. Sefer Chasidim,§261 (ed. Margulies, p. 225) reads:
אהוב לך את המצוה הדומה למת מצוה שאין לה עוסקים, כגון שתראה מצוה בזויה או תורה שאין לה עוסקים, כגון שתראה שבני עירך לומדים מועד וסדר נשים, תלמוד סדר קדשים. ואם תראה שאין חוששים ללמוד מועד קטן, ופרק מי שמתו, אתה תלמדם, ותקבל שכר גדול כנגד כולם, כי הם דוגמת מת מצוה.
You should love mitzvos that have similar status to that of an abandoned corpse that no one attends to (andwhose burial is obligatory on whoever finds it). Should you see a mitzvah that is denigrated, or a portion ofTorah that is neglected, make a point of [doing the mitzvah and] studying the Torah that is neglected.Should you see the members of your community studying the Order of Mo’ed [the laws of the Festivals] andthe order of Nashim [the laws pertaining to women], to the neglect of the other Orders, make sure that youstudy the Order of Kodoshim [the laws pertaining to sacred matters relating to the Temple sacrifices andservice]. Should you see that no one concerns himself with the study of the talmudic tractate Mo’ed Katan,or the talmudic chapter Mi Shemeso [the third chapter of tractate Berakhos], make sure that you study them. Your reward will be great, equal to that of all the others, for all these are samples of an abandoned corpsewhose burial is obligatory on the one who finds it
All one needs to do is to click on the link below, fill out the electronic form, and electronically sign their name. Please forward to others, so that they too can participate in this mitzvah. It is not a time to stand idly by.
With prayers for the success of our cause,
Shnayer Leiman
The petition website reports now up to 30,00o + signatures.
Ken Yirbu
This is an extremely important cemetery especially to the Jewish people. Buried in these hallow grounds are some of the wisest people that ever lived. These Rabbonim have proven remarkable wisdom through current times with millions of people today studying and living by their strong fertile minds and intellect. No this is not just a cemetery. It is a place that must live in eternity for all it represents to the moral decent peoples of the world, especially the Jewish people who learn numerous lessons by the millions daily from these great people with fantastic minds.
We visited Kiev a few years ago. Within 100 feet of Babi Yar we discovered that the Jewish cemetery, save a few square feet of remaining graves, had been covered and rebuilt with a TV station. We were devastated and feel equally effected by what is planned in Vilna. The dimunition of our forerunners in Eastern Europe must end.