Cemetery survey complete

VILNIUS - Geophysicists have completed an exhaustive survey of the controversial Šnipiškės Jewish cemetery site, according to a release from the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On 3 July, Vice-MinisterJaroslavas Neverovičius received head of Israeli geophysics AriehKlein, who informed him about the successful course of the geophysicalresearch in the former cemetery in Šnipiškės.

The geophysical research was carried out by an Israeli company,Geotec, working with the Lithuanian Geological Survey. The researchstarted on 25 June and was finished on 4 July. The research wasfinanced by Lithuanian taxpayers at a cost of more than 100,000 euros.

Results of the research will be made public by Geotec after analysis in Israel.

Seeking to identify the boundaries of the cemetery in Šnipiškės asprecisely as possible, the geophysical research will be complemented byarchaeological digging, which will be carried out by archaeologists,invited by the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection under theMinistry of Culture. Rabbis, delegated by the Committee for thePreservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe, will supervise thedigging.

It is intended that in the middle of August, Geotec will considerresults of the geophysical and archaeological research and will submittheir conclusions regarding the boundaries of the cemetery in Šnipiškėsto Lithuanian Geological Survey, which signed an agreement with Geotecback in May on the works, as commissioned by the Government ofLithuania.