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Lithuania rejects Israeli request to transfer remains of Jewish sage the Vilna Gaon

The issue was reportedly first raised last August, when Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Lithuanian capital

February 3, 2019 11:46
The current ohel (building) housing the grave of the Vilna Gaon, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Lithuania has refused the Israeli government's request to transfer the remains of the Vilna Gaon, one of the most famous Jewish sages of the last 300 years.

The issue was reportedly raised last week during a visit to Jerusalem by Saulius Skvernelis, the Lithuanian Prime Minister, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Arnoldas Pikzirnis, Mr Skvernelis’s national security advisor, told AFP that the request to transfer the remains to Israel had been denied, because the “Vilna Gaon is an inseparable part of Lithuania’s Jewish community and Lithuania history.”

Born in 1720, Rabbi Eliyahu ben Solomon Zalman, the Vilna Gaon (Vilna Genius) became known as the greatest rabbi of his generation.