Between the end of the war and the 1980s the occupying Soviet regime destroyed countless Jewish cemeteries all over Lithuania, including two in Vilnius. Thanks to the intervention of a handful of people, several graves, among them that of the Gaon of Vilna, were moved to this cemetery in the northern suburbs of the city. Nowadays, especially on Sundays, it’s a place where Jewish people visit the graves of their beloved and where it’s possible to meet interesting locals. The Gaon’s grave attracts visitors from all over the world who leave notes of supplication by the graveside. To the left of the entrance is a small office where maps of the cemetery can be obtained on the off-chance that it’s open. The gravestones (macevot) are covered in the writing of many languages, including Hebrew, Lithuanian, Russian, Polish and even English. Take bus Nº43 from the centre and get off at the Buivydiškių stop.