� *Ritual baths uncovered in synagogue complex destroyed by Nazis*

Archaeologists have uncovered two ritual baths in the remains of the Great Synagogue of Vilna (Vilnius), in Lithuania, more than 70 years after its destruction during the Holocaust. A team of experts from Israel, the U.S. and Lithuania uncovered the baths in the Lithuanian capital last month, the latest discovery at the historic site.

The 17th-century Great Synagogue was at the heart of the Jewish community Vilnius for hundreds of years until its destruction by the Nazis. Prior to the Holocaust, the Great Synagogue was also surrounded by a host of buildings, including other synagogues, a community council, kosher meat stalls, miqva’ot (ritual baths) and the famous Strashun rabbinical library.

The Great Synagogue compound was looted and burned by German forces in 1941, and the standing remains were later completely destroyed by Soviet authorities in the 1950s. The Soviets later built a school on top of the area in 1964.