Hidden blueprint leads diggers to ancient ritual baths of Vilnius synagogue
August 18, 2017 10:26am
(JTA) — A newly discovered blueprint of the destroyed great synagogue in Vilnius led a team of archaeologists to unearth the remains of two ritual baths that were used by congregants of one of Europe’s largest and most prominent Jewish communities before its annihilation.
The synagogue, which was at the heart of the large Jewish community in Vilnius for hundreds of years, was destroyed in the Holocaust. But the baths, or mikvahs, and underground spaces discovered in a study carried out last year led to the excavation of the site by Israeli, Lithuanian and American archaeologists and the exposure of the ritual baths, the Heritage Daily reported Thursday.
http://www.jta.org/2017/08/18/news-opinion/world/hidden-blueprint-leads-diggers-to-ancient-ritual-baths-of-vilnius-synagogue
