קאָװנע — אוהל ר׳ יצחק אלחנן

Kovno — Žaliakalnis bais hachaim, kever of Reb Yitzchok Elchonon

Kaunas (Kovno) · קאָװנע

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Visitor experience

Practical notes from visitors — access, directions, and the condition of the site.

How to get there

Old Jewish cemetery, Žaliakalnis, beside the Ąžuolynas park (Radvilėnai plentas side), Kaunas, Lithuania — no house number is published here; confirm the entrance on the ground

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The exact grave coordinates are not confirmed yet — go by the address and ask locally. We don't publish a coordinate we haven't checked.

1.Kovno had several batei hachaim and they are not interchangeable. Reb Yitzchok Elchonon is in the old cemetery in Žaliakalnis, by the Ąžuolynas park — not in Aleksotas, which is the one cemetery in the city still used for burials and the one most directions online point at. Going to the wrong one is the commonest mistake here.
2.The Žaliakalnis ground is neglected and overgrown, and has been for years. The city signed an agreement with Maceva, the group that documents Lithuania's Jewish cemeteries, to look after and restore it, and students have worked on clearing it — but do not expect a tended cemetery with signed paths.
3.There is a mass grave of kedoshim here with its own memorial. Take care where you walk.
4.We are not publishing an opening time or a gate contact, because we could not stand behind either. Ask the Lithuanian Jewish Community in Vilnius or a local guide before you set out, especially if you want somebody to help you find the kever among the fallen stones.

Live travel advisories are unavailable right now — check the State Department advisory page directly before you travel.

Closest airports

The three nearest airports with scheduled service — tap for exact driving or transit time.

Kaunas (KUN)Kaunas International· 12 km · 8 mi straight-line· regional
🚗 By car →🚆 Public transit →
Vilnius (VNO)Vilnius International· 92 km · 57 mi straight-line· regional
🚗 By car →🚆 Public transit →
Minsk (MSQ)Minsk National· 288 km · 179 mi straight-line· regional
🚗 By car →🚆 Public transit →

Who is buried here

Known kevarim

רבי יצחק אלחנן ספּעקטאָר מקאָװנע

Rabbi Yitzchok Elchonon Spektor of Kovno

Reb Yitzchok Elchonon — the poseik the Jewish world wrote to

באר יצחק · עין יצחק · נחל יצחק

Rov of Kovno from 1864 until his petirah on 6 March 1896, and in his lifetime the address for the hardest shailos in Europe and beyond — agunos above all. Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary carries his name.

Verification and source

No public access contact has been verified for this cemetery yet.

Read the cemetery source →