In the Lithuanian city of Vilnius—known to Jews as Vilna—archaeologists have been at work excavating the remains of the great synagogue, which was destroyed by successive Nazi and Soviet occupations. Like many East European synagogues, the 17th-century structure was part of a larger complex organized around a central courtyard that included smaller houses of prayer and other buildings. Cnaan Liphshiz describes the latest discovery:
One of the main findings . . . are two mikvahs, or ritual baths. . . . Additionally, the diggers have found a yad, a small metal object shaped like the palm of a hand with the index finger extended. The yad is moved along a Torah scroll to indicate which portion of the page is being [chanted]. The discovery this week follows the 2019 unearthing of the Tuscan baroque-style bimah, the synagogue’s central prayer platform.
The city of Vilnius intends to build a memorial to the historic synagogue on the site that will display its artifacts in time for the 700th birthday of the Lithuanian capital in 2023.
In the 1950s, Soviet authorities built a school on the ruins in order to prevent the synagogue or another Jewish cultural center from being rebuilt. The synagogue was built in 1630 on a site that had been used as a synagogue beginning in 1440.
Read more on Jewish Telegraphic Agency: https://www.jta.org/2021/08/26/global/mikvahs-unearthed-at-vilnius-synagogue-destroyed-by-nazis