Recent excavations at Vilna's Great Synagogue uncover remains of the ark and bema, which were destroyed about 60 years ago by the Nazis and later by the Soviets.

 

The Israeli-Lithuanian excavation led by Dr. Jon Seligman on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority has been ongoing for six years to uncover the remains of Vilna's Great Synagogue and parts of the Jewish community center. The excavation began after the site of a modern schoolyard was tested using ground-penetrating radar.

 

During the most recent excavations, a silver "Yad" (Hebrew for hand) pointer was uncovered that was used in the synagogue during Torah reading.

 

The Great Synagogue of Vilna was built in the 17th century in the Renaissance-Baroque style with the "Schulhof" – the city's Jewish community center. This area was the beating heart of Lithuanian Jewry. It included 12 Synagogues, study halls, a bathhouse with ritual baths (mikvahs), a community council building, kosher meat stalls, the famous "Strashun" library, and the Beit Midrash of Rabbi Eliyahu, the Vilna Gaon.

 

Hundreds of years of Jewish life in Vilna was destroyed during the Holocaust, and the Great Synagogue was looted and burned by the Nazis and later by the Soviet authorities. Dr. Seligman developed the idea to ​​excavate the synagogue while he visited the site.

 

While excavating, two impressive staircases were found that can be seen in photographs taken while the synagogue was active. In front of the ark, a previously undocumented 'terrazzo' floor was found that forms a sun pattern. This pattern matches a similar segment of the Bema floor uncovered in 2019. In addition, the most recent excavation completed the exposure of the bema, including four massive pillars that supported the synagogue's roof.