People in the United States now have incentives to donate for selected Jewish heritage restoration projects in Poland and Hungary — through two new fund-raising non-profits registered as 501 (c) (3) public charities qualified to receive tax deductible gifts under US law. (JHE has not so far had direct contact with them, but they both aim to raise funds for worthy projects, working in partnership with local organizations.)
These are:
Friends of the Budapest Jewish Cemetery (at Kozma utca)
The aim is to raise funds to clean-up and clear vegetation from this vast cemetery, which was founded in 1891 and has more than 300,000 graves, and to restore monuments ranging from simple headstones to imposing family mausoleums, some of them designed by leading architects.
Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland
With the aim “to protect and commemorate the surviving sites and monuments of Jewish cultural heritage in Poland,” it works closely with its major beneficiary, the Poland-based “Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland”, or FODŹ — which oversees a range of clean-up, fencing and restoration projects.
2 comments on “Hungary & Poland: Easier to donate from USA”
Dear Jewish Heritage Europe:
Thank you for your wonderful website and thank you for calling attention to the Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland. We are eager to support the great work of FODŹ in restoring Jewish cemetery and synagogue sites of Jewish history in Poland. I would be happy to address any questions possible supporters might have about our work and encourage them to contact me via our website . As you note, our new organization is an IRS-approved 501 (c) (3) charity, conferring eligible US-donor tax benefits.
Thank you,
Dan Oren, President, Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland
Great to know, Mr Oren. I will be looking at your website to see how I can help.
My own heritage is Grodno and Bialystok and, because my grandfather, Jacob’s, surname before emigrating (in 1904 or so) was Poznanski, I assume some heritage from Poznań and Łódź, as well.
Great work being done in Bialystok by Lucy Lisowska, who has spent years restoring the main Jewish cemetery and establishing the annual Jewish Cultural Festival each June. Kudos to her!