A sitting of the Lithuanian parliament’s Cultural Committee November 14 addressed Litvak heritage. The meeting was held at the Tolerance Center of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Musum in Vilnius with committee chairman Ramūnas Karbauskis attending.

Three main issues were discussed:

1. Further expansion and financing of the Vilna Gaon Museum
2. Jewish heritage issues
3. Restoration of the Great Synagogue in Vilnius

MP Emanuelis Zingeris proposed a resolution for the restoration of the Great Synagogue at the meeting. The Lithuanian Jewish Community expressed a different position. LJC chairwoman Faina Kukliansky said Lithuanian Jews are not asking and never had asked for the rebuilding of the Great Synagogue using state funds. She further noted that currently the LJC is engaged in studying other methods and problems in commemoration and preservation, having been tasked with drafting a study on Jewish heritage by the Lithuanian Government.

Currently the LJC is almost the exclusive manager of Jewish heritage sites in Lithuania, with aid from government institutions. This is one of the main tasks of the LJC: to supervise and maintain extant Jewish heritage sites in consultation with Lithuanian and international heritage protection specialists. All archaeological digs at Jewish heritage sites have been performed with funding from the Goodwill Foundation and the LJC.

Almost all surviving synagogues in Lithuania are the property of the LJC which has been and is engaged in their restoration together with local municipalities. The LJC believes there is no possibility nor demand to use the Great Synagogue sacred site according to its original function because there are not enough Jews left in Lithuania who would pray there. Furthermore, the state isn’t so affluent that it would allocated funding for the rebuilding of synagogues.

The LJC at the Committee meeting proposed delaying consideration of this until a study on the rebuilding of the Great Synagogue and the commemoration of surviving portions of it is completed.