World news-roundup: Archaeologists find Great Synagogue of Vilnius

Country: Lithuania
Archaeologists have found the complex of the former Great Synagogue of Vilnius decades after the Soviets destroyed it following WWII. The building was one of the largest Jewish community buildings in Europe, and the Lithuanian capital housed one of Eastern Europe’s most prominent communities.

Country: Kenya

Chabad-Lubavitch is to open its first outreach centre in East Africa, when Rabbi Avromy and Sternie Super officially take up residence in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi later this year. The couple first flew in during Pesach, to cover the capital’s 112-year old community, which desperately needed a rabbi.

Country: Austria

Lawmakers in Vienna are to seize the birthplace of Adolf Hitler, after the current owner refused to sell. Officials announced the draft law for fear of the Braunau home becoming a shrine to neo-Nazis. One idea currently being discussed is to turn the building into a home for asylum-seekers and refugees.

Country: United States

A bill to memorialise the life and work of the late Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel was approved by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. It seeks to ‘continue his work of keeping the memory and lessons of the Holocaust alive’ and to ‘prevent similar atrocities from occurring in the future’.

Country: Argentina

Jewish leaders from across Latin America met in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires on the 22nd anniversary of the city’s deadly bombing of the AMIA centre, which killed scores of Jewish and injured hundreds more. The meeting focused on education, internet and media, legislation and interfaith dialogue.

Country: Russia

‘Russia is being invaded by millions of Israeli insects.’ No, this isn’t a neo-Nazi slogan, but a fact. Israel has sent Russia 500 million predatory insects for its agriculture industry. The insects and mites are a non-toxic way of getting rid of pests. Israel also sent glasshouses and bees to pollinate cherry orchards.