Jewish community members urge preservation of historic cemetery instead of memorial at Vilnius Sports Palace site

A group within Lithuania’s Jewish community has called on authorities to abandon plans for a memorial at the former Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace site, instead demanding the preservation of the historic Šnipiškės Jewish cemetery that lies beneath it, LRT reports.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Rabbi Sholom Krinsky of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Lithuania argued that the site remains an active cemetery, despite Soviet-era destruction. “This was the Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace. But these are not former graves—they are existing graves, where thousands of people are buried,” Krinsky said. “Can you imagine if the Soviets had built something on Lithuanian graves, and Lithuanians were told to preserve it?”

The rabbi opposed proposals to construct a memorial on the grounds, stating: “We cannot build a memorial over what is still alive. We ask that where there were graves, graves should remain.” He urged Lithuania to “act with conscience, unlike the Soviets who demolished without regard,” and suggested enclosing the cemetery with a wall.

The debate follows a parliamentary initiative this week to repurpose the long-abandoned palace into a congress centre while commemorating both the Jewish cemetery and the pro-independence Sąjūdis movement. A government assessment previously proposed transforming the site into a Jewish memorial, honouring events tied to Lithuania’s independence.

Built in 1971 on the banks of the Neris River, the palace stands on land that housed a Jewish cemetery from the 16th century. Jewish religious law strictly prohibits the disturbance of graves.