VILNIUS, LITHUANIA—An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the bimah, or central prayer platform, at the site of the Great Synagogue of Vilna, according to a report from The Jewish Chronicle. The building, constructed in the 1630s, was burned down by the Nazis during World War II and built over by the Soviets in the postwar period. The original bimah was damaged by fire in the eighteenth century and rebuilt in the Tuscan Baroque style, with decorative lions facing the ark where the Torah scrolls were kept. “It is really a very exciting development,” said archaeologist Jon Seligman. “When we talk about the presentation of the site to the public in the future, this will be one of the central features of the display.” Seligman’s team discovered two of the synagogue’s mikvehs, or ritual baths, last year. To read about the Old Synagogue of Krakow, go to “Off the Grid.”
