HCON 255 RFS 
to care for the communal properties that represent a his-
toric 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 estab-
lishment of the United States Commission for the Preser-
vation 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 associ-
ated with the heritage of United States citizens and ob-
taining 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 bilat-
eral 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 fun-
damental and compelling challenges in the preservation of 
these properties; 
Whereas Congress is outraged by the construction that oc-
curred 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 re-
main undisturbed in perpetuity, and the sanctity of a 
cemetery is determined by the bodies buried therein; 
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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 ceme-
tery and is therefore sacred ground; 
Whereas the Jewish cemetery located in the Snipiskes area 
of Vilnius, Lithuania, is known by scholars within Lith-
uania 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 al-
lowed 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 inter-
national Jewish community, the American people, and ev-
eryone who values religious freedom and ethnic diversity 
around the world; 
Whereas the failure of the Government of Lithuania to pro-
tect the Jewish cemetery located in the Snipiskes area of 
Vilnius, Lithuania, violates the October 15, 2002, bilat-
eral 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 pro-
tect and preserve the cultural heritage of all national, re-
ligious, or ethnic groups that reside or resided in its ter-
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HCON 255 RFS 
ritory, 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 Jew-
ish 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 Govern-
ment 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, 
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Lithuania, and to take steps that guarantee the per-
manent 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 impor-
tant to the governments, citizens, and shared agen-
das of both countries. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 
2008. 
Attest: 
LORRAINE C. MILLER, 
Clerk. 
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