[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 255 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 255
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 26 (legislative day, September 17), 2008
Received
October 2 (legislative day, September 17), 2008
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the United States commitment
to preservation of religious and cultural sites and condemning
instances where sites are desecrated.
Whereas the Congress is committed to protecting and preserving the cultural
heritage of all national, religious, and ethnic groups, including sacred
sites of such groups, including cemeteries in the United States and
abroad;
Whereas the Holocaust annihilated much of Europe's Jewish population and in many
countries, none were left
to care for the communal properties that represent a historic culture in
the area and constitute an integral part of the Jewish religion;
Whereas the Holocaust and 45 years of atheistic, Communist governments created a
critical need that led to the establishment of the United States
Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad;
Whereas the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage
Abroad is tasked with identifying and reporting on cemeteries,
monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe that are
associated with the heritage of United States citizens and obtaining
assurances from the governments of those regions that the properties
will be protected and preserved;
Whereas the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage
Abroad has in effect over 20 bilateral agreements between the United
States and foreign governments assuring the protection and preservation
of cultural property;
Whereas many properties continue to be endangered and many governments and
communities continue to face fundamental and compelling challenges in
the preservation of these properties;
Whereas Congress is outraged by the construction that occurred within the
perceived boundaries of the historic Jewish cemetery located in the
Snipiskes area of Vilnius, Lithuania;
Whereas cemeteries are sacred sites and are established to remain undisturbed in
perpetuity, and the sanctity of a cemetery is determined by the bodies
buried therein;
Whereas construction of a commercial building on the site disgraces the
cemetery, it does not change its status;
Whereas experts within Lithuania and from around the world community believe
that the cemetery located in the Snipiskes area of Vilnius, Lithuania,
is a Jewish cemetery and is therefore sacred ground;
Whereas the Jewish cemetery located in the Snipiskes area of Vilnius, Lithuania,
is known by scholars within Lithuania and from around the world as the
first Jewish cemetery in Vilnius and dates back to the 15th century, and
it is believed that before the government closed the cemetery in the
early 1800s, more than 50,000 Jews were buried there;
Whereas the fact that the Government of Lithuania has allowed construction to
take place within the perceived boundaries of the Jewish cemetery
located in the Snipiskes area of Vilnius, Lithuania, and that
desecration continues into the 21st century is an affront to the
international Jewish community, the American people, and everyone who
values religious freedom and ethnic diversity around the world;
Whereas the failure of the Government of Lithuania to protect the Jewish
cemetery located in the Snipiskes area of Vilnius, Lithuania, violates
the October 15, 2002, bilateral agreement between Lithuania and the
United States on the protection and preservation of certain cultural
properties, including cemeteries;
Whereas specifically, Article 1 of the bilateral agreement states: ``[E]ach
party will take appropriate steps to protect and preserve the cultural
heritage of all national, religious, or ethnic groups that reside or
resided in its territory, including victims of genocide during the
Second World War. The term `cultural heritage' for purposes of this
agreement means `. . . cemeteries, and memorials to the dead. . .''';
and
Whereas Congress welcomed the decision by the Government of Lithuania to conduct
a geophysical survey of the Jewish cemetery located in the Snipiskes
area of Vilnius, Lithuania, in the summer of 2008 to establish
definitively the boundaries of the cemetery, as well as to designate the
land as a cultural heritage site: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) expresses strong support for the work of the United
States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage
Abroad and for the European countries that continue to work to
preserve sacred historical sites, despite ongoing challenges;
(2) expresses strong sentiments to the Government of
Lithuania that the people of the United States believe the
Jewish cemetery located in the Snipiskes area of Vilnius,
Lithuania, must not be desecrated;
(3) calls on the Government of Lithuania to give serious
consideration to the recommendations being prepared by the
international experts group on the basis of the geophysical
survey of the Jewish cemetery located in the Snipiskes area of
Vilnius, Lithuania, and to take steps that guarantee the
permanent preservation of the cemetery site, including the
possibility of placing the land under government ownership; and
(4) declares that constructive bilateral relations between
Lithuania and the United States are important to the
governments, citizens, and shared agendas of both countries.
Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 2008.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.