Conference: First Report from Vilnius Jewish Heritage Workshop

Vilnius, Lithuania. Sign on the Baron de Hirsch Houses, site of subsidized Jewish housing, and then a Nazi-established concentration/work camp, and then a murder and mass grave site for hundreds of Jews. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber

Conference: First Report from Vilnius Jewish Heritage Workshop

Ruth Ellen Gruber has posted a brief report from the 2-day workshop on Jewish heritage in Lithuania that was held earlier this week in Vilnius. I was invited, but could not attend. We will see in time how much was accomplished, and how much was just. Despite a quick start in recognizing Jewish heritage sites - especially cemeteries and mas murder and grave sites - early in the 1990s, Lithuania has since lagged behind other countries in developing a coherent and effective policy to maintain and protect most of its historic Jewish sites.

According to Ruth, the workshop presented

"a number of depressing factors, including vandalism, apathy, lack of coordination and cooperation between stakeholders, and the usual "one Jew building three synagogues on a desert island" syndrome. But the fact that the seminar took place was positive and I [Ruth] did learn some positive developments.

These included the news that:

-- a grant from Norway through the EU has been obtained to start rebuilding the "red synagogue" in Joniskis whose eastern wall collapsed in a hurricane two years ago.

-- both the Culture Ministry and the municipality of Pakruojis are committed to restoring the wooden synagogue there, which was seriously damaged by arson earlier this year.

Joniskis, Lithuania. The "Red Synagogue," one of two synagogues in this historic complex (before storm damage). Photos: ISJM archive

Lithuania: Update on Pakruojis Wooden Synagogue

Lithuania: Update on Pakruojis Wooden Synagogue

Ruth Ellen Gruber has posted an update on the condition of the wooden synagogue in Pakruojis, upon which I have previously reported on this blog. You can see new pictures and read a description here:

Lithuania -- update on fire damaged Pakruojis wooden synagogue.

So far, no good plans have been put forward to save the former synagogue, but there has been talk. As usual the issues are responsibility and jurisdiction, long term care and use, and of course, money.

Lithuania: Fire Destroys Much of Pakruojis Wooden Synagogue

Pakruojis synagogue before the fire. Photo: Ruth Ellen Gruber (2006)

Lithuania: Fire Destroys Much of Pakruojis Wooden Synagogue
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) News sources in Lithuania report that a fire this weekend destroyed at least half of the historic wooden synagogue of Pakruojis. In September I wrote and posted photos of the deteriorating condition of the building, located near the center of the town. We await full details of the situation.

The cause of the blaze is still to be determined, but police suspect arson. Whether the fire was an anti-Semitic act or merely the burning (accidental or intentional) of a long-abandoned building is unknown. Colleagues in Lithuania report that Anti-Semitism in the country is reaching a "fever pitch" with many repeated articles claiming that Jews (especially George Soros) are wrecking the Lithuanian economy. There is also the "widespread belief that Jews and America prevent the prosecuting of 'Jewish Partisan war criminals.'" Whether any of these beleifs - hardly new - played a role in the fire remains to be seen.

Lithuania: Pakruojis Wooden Synagogue Continues to Deteriorate. How Much Time is Left?

Lithuania: Pakruojis Wooden Synagogue Continues to Deteriorate. How Much Time is Left?

The former synagogue of Pakruojis, Lithuania, was perhaps the most impressive of that country’s surviving wooden synagogues. What remains of the early 19th century building continues to suffer from neglect and vandalism. Dora Boom of the Netherlands recently informed me that wooden planking from one side of the synagogue was being removed (see photos) – presumably to be reused or burned as firewood. Photos by Ruth Ellen Gruber show the damage in 2006.

I contacted Sergey Kravtsov of the Center for Jewish Art, who has documented the synagogue and prepared a graphic restoration of its former interior design. The “good news” from Sergey is that the wood that has been removed is not original, but was added in 1954, when the synagogue was reconstructed as a cinema. Initially, there was no siding (see photo by Chackelis Lemchenas, 1938). Sergey writes. “there are other severe problems, mainly the danger of fire, since the structure is abandoned, and is being frequently visited by homeless.”

Several projects for the restoration of the synagogue have been floated, but none have been funded. With all the worldwide interest in wooden synagogues, I hope there are donors who might be interested in saving at least this one – probably most important architecturally of those preserved, and one still intact enough to save. But intact for how long? The other wooden synagogues are also in perilous condition. Each Lithuanian winter threatens them with collapse.

Photos of what the interior of Pakruojis looked like before the Holocaust

I thank Dora, Sergey and Ruth for monitoring the condition of this important building, and for supplying photos.

Sergey’s virtual reconstruction of the synagogue can be seen by entering the CJA website at http://cja.huji.ac.il/ (be patient).