Ukraine

UCSJ Lviv Bureau tirelessly fights with perpetually emerging commercial interests in seizing lands of Old Jewish cemeteries in city of Lviv in the Western Ukraine. Supported by members of the International Religious Freedom Round-table we’ve appealed to the U.S. Secretary of State to assist initiatives such as ours in preserving old grave-sites and withstand desecration of cultural heritage.

In reply to UCSJ Lviv Bureau inquiry, the Cultural Heritage Protection Department of Lviv Governor Office clearly stated that the Lviv City Hall violated the Rule of Law.  

Today we filed the last of the series of the 8 court cases to uncover the giant falsifications the current Lviv City Hall administration made since 2006 to disregard, merciless, neglect of one of the most famous grave-site known since the 14th century in Europe. The Old Jewish Cemetery of Lviv is the rest place for saint righteous Sages whose works contributed to the World civilization, the place which would be well protected and kept up if not for the Holocaust and Communism in the bloody 20th century.

We will keep you informed on how the courts handle the strong clear evidences of corruption of the Lviv City Hall administration.  Unfortunately, examples of neglecting the historical spiritual and cultural heritage became spread in Ukraine and put all the pleas of the Global community ignored.

Above are images of 6 Rappoport St., Lviv, where the construction continues atop Old Jewish Cemetery, taken by Meylakh Sheykhet, UCSJ Lviv Bureau in May 2020.

Below are images taken by Cultural Heritage Protection Department of Lviv Governor office in June 2020.

Lithuania

The Old Cemetery of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, at Šnipiškės/Piramont is in danger of desecration by the Lithuanian government which wants to renovate an old building erected on the cemetery grounds in Soviet times and turn it into a secular conference center. The Old Cemetery of Vilnius was the burial place from 1487 to 1830 for over 50,000 of Jewish residents of Vilnius, including many of the great Jewish scholars of a city once known as Jerusalem of Lithuania.

Together with Savevilna.org and supported by members of the International Religious Freedom Round-table we raised the issue of long-term battle in saving old Jewish cemetery in Vilnius in front of the U.S. Secretary of State. UCSJ also sent our concern and demand to stop desecration of the sacred grave-site to the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda.