A new documentary, The Secrets of the Great Synagogue of Vilna, tells the story of the six year-long excavation of what was considered the greatest and most venerable synagogue of Lithuania before the Holocaust. The Great Synagogue-an awe-inspiring, architectural jewel, fashioned in the Italian Baroque style was, in essence, a grand cathedral of worship and study for a great majority of the Jews of Vilna. The Great Synagogue was at the center of Jewish life in Vilna since its original wooden structure was completed in the 1600’s (it was later rebuilt in stone and brick after a fire). The city of Vilnius will celebrate its 700th year this year and a good part of that history includes the Great Synagogue of Vilna, which was in existence for over four hundred years.
Vilna is also the home of Cantor Glassman’s father.
“While it will take a little while for the distribution of the film and my ability to show it to all of you, in the meantime, you will find below, the 4 ½ minute trailer of the film. I do not appear in this abridged version-you’ll see and hear me in the next full and completed version.” – Cantor Glassman
To read about Cantor Glassman’s recent trip to Vilna, and her reflections of her father’s home, read the “Cantor’s Corner” in the March/April Temple Topics.
