This month, for the fifth year in a row, an international group of (mainly) young volunteers is carrying out ongoing restoration and documentation works on the Jewish cemetery in Bayonne, France — founded in the 17th century and one of the oldest in the country.
The volunteers’ work, organized by the German group Aktion Sühnezeichen (Action Reconciliation) and the Jewish Museum of Belgium, has been going on since 2011, following on work carried out in 2010 by Belgium Jewish Museum curator Dr. Philippe Pierret and the photographer Gina van Hoof. (Pierret spoke about the restoration of the cemetery at the IAJGS conference in Paris in 2012 and he and another Museum expert, Olivier Hottois, are on hand to supervise and advise this month’s work.)
According to the project description, most of the long-neglected, nearly 3,000 grave markers are horizontal, in the Sephardic style, and covered by dirt. The restoration work includes uncovering them, cleaning them and making a photographic documentation of each stone.
Ha’aretz posts pictures from this year’s work session — click here to see the link.
Click for a French media story about this year’s work
Here is a video (in French) about the 2014 volunteer work session.
1 comment on “France: Volunteers restoring Jewish cemetery in Bayonne”
If you find by chance a tomb belonging to AMADO surname, please send me the photo.
We, Tha Amado’s in Turkey have our origins in Bayonne.
We used to be ( proteges Francais) till 1908.
I want to trace our ancestry.
Thank you.
Selim Amado