A valuable new resource — a manual on preserving and protecting Jewish cemeteries — has been published, in Polish — and is downloadable for free from the internet.
Cmentarze żydowskie. Podręcznik dobrych praktyk w ochronie dziedzictwa lokalnego (Jewish cemeteries. Manual of good practices in the protection of local heritage) was published by the Studnia Pamieci (Well of Memory) Association and based on its hands-on project “Memory Gardeners: Methods of preserving Jewish heritage in the Lublin region,” which was funded by the National Heritage Institute as part of the “Volunteering for Heritage” program.
The list of authors includes Prof. Andrzej Trzciński, a leading expert on Jewish cemeteries in Poland, as well as Teresa Klimowicz, Monika Tarajko, and Paweł Sygowski.
Nearly 200 pages in length, the manual, illustrated with photographs, charts, and diagrams, includes general chapters about Jewish cemeteries and gravestones as well as more specific information on types of grave markers, the symbolism of carved decoration, reading Hebrew and Yiddish, and other topics.
The book also provides technical information and tips about how to document cemeteries, clean stones, clear vegetation, and clean up and protect cemeteries and monuments.
There is a lengthy bibliography as well as glossary, and a list of nearly 130 Jewish cemeteries in the Lublin area.
We look forward to an English translation!
Click here to download the Manual or read it online