Jews in lithuania

Archaeologists uncover treasures of Vilnius’ Great Synagogue as Lithuanian Jews dispute its future

Vilnius was a major center of Jewish thought, famed for both its religious tradition and modern secular Jewish culture. It was home to the 18th-century Vilna Gaon, a highly influential sage.

Workers excavate the central floor and bimah of the Great Synagogue in Vilnius, Lithuania, July 22, 2026. (Shira Li Bartov)
 LITHUANIA’S PRESIDENTIAL palace in the foreground, as seen from the tower of Vilnius University.

Vilnius marks 700 years, but Lithuanian Jews reflect on darker era

 Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan speaking at the Lithuanian parliament, September 21, 2023.

Yad Vashem chairman 'encouraged' by Holocaust remembrance in Lithuania

 The main entrance to the Vilnius Ghetto in Lithuania during World War II.

'Lithuanian Slaughter of Its Jews': Testimonies from Holocaust survivors - review


Lithuania reconsiders plans to build atop destroyed Jewish cemetery

Rabbis and activists met with the Lithuanian ambassador to the US to discuss the convention center to be built on top of the former Snipiskes Cemetery.

A RED ROSE is pictured during the March of the Living to honor Holocaust victims in Paneriai, near Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2012.

Jewish Holocaust victims were neighbors and fellow citizens

The project is based on the fact that there are 227 Holocaust mass murder sites in Lithuania scattered all across the country.

Lithuania skyline

Hope for change in Lithuania

Let us all hope that the new spirit on display in Moletai will mark the beginning of a new era in Lithuania.

Lithuania skyline

Lithuanian citizenship law part of ‘healing process’ for Litvaks

While a sudden influx of Jews to Lithuania is not expected, the government’s amendment has multi-faceted ramifications.

Lithuania skyline

Lithuania easing restrictions for Jews to reclaim citizenship

South African Jewish community – home to tens of thousands of former Litvaks – lauds government decision.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Wiesenthal Center protests Lithuanian neo-Nazi march

The annual march, which was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Baltic state’s independence from Russia in 1918, was smaller than that of previous years.

Efraim Zuroff

Lithuanian Jews call for government to publish list of Nazi collaborators

The Genocide Center has given the government a list containing 2,055 names of supposed perpetrators but Vilnius neither published it nor made any attempt to investigate the people concerned.

A man walks past a sign at a commemoration place during the March of the Living to honor Holocaust victims in Paneriai near Vilnius, Lithuania

Lithuanian Jewish community accused of Holocaust distortion

The Genocide Center, as it is known, has been harshly criticized by Jewish organizations in the past for controversial stances.

Vilnius, Lithuania

Grapevine: Mission Accomplished

A round up of news from around the nation.

AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR Dave Sharma, Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, Isi Leibler, Natan Sharansky and Ilan Greenfield

Cemetery controversy ‘Much Ado about Nothing,’ say Lithuanian Jewish leaders

The Lithuanian organized Jewish community minimized the concerns of opponents of the plan, calling it the “best way to honor the memory of the dead."

Vilnius, Lithuania