For the third time this year, we are publishing a round-up of some of the many Jewish cemetery clean-up initiatives, by volunteers and others, taking place in various European countries. The occasional incidents of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries make headlines — but the many more efforts at preservation and restoration generally gain little notice.
Earlier this year, we documented such initiatives in mid-May and at the beginning of July.
In this round-up we again list dozens of initiatives —actions that have taken place since our last round-up, that are scheduled to take place, and that are (or have been) ongoing. We also list some actions that took place earlier this spring and summer, but were missed in the previous round-ups-
Click on the links to see details for each action, on Facebook, local media, or dedicated web site. Upcoming and/or ongoing initiatives are highlighted in orange.
AUSTRIA
Vienna, September 12, October 10, November 1 – The Association “Save The Jewish Cemetery of Währing” published the Summer and Autumn calendar for clean-ups open for volunteers, from 10 AM to 4 PM. Actions include gardening to remove vegetation and leaves from the gravestones. Gloves, scissors, rakes and some other equipment are provided by the organizers, but volunteers are also welcome to bring their own. Registration is not required. NOTE: Volunteers enter the area of the cemetery at their own risk, and men are requested to wear a head covering. In case of bad weather, the clean-up might be either cancelled or postponed. Click here to see details
BELARUS
Mogilev, ongoing– Volunteer work at the city’s Jewish cemetery continues throughout the spring and summer and includes both clean-up and restoration work. The Mogilev Jewish community is fundraising for the restoration of the cemetery via a GoFundMe campaign
See more details on the Facebook page
Read our Have Your Say article about the cemetery and restoration work
Vitebsk, August – On August 18, a storm provoked damage at the city’s Staro-Ulanovich Jewish cemetery. Both municipality’s workers and volunteers from the local Jewish community started to work to clean-up the cemetery. The Jewish community is also looking for donations to restore the damaged matzevot. See more details on the Facebook page
CZECH REPUBLIC
Hranice, Autumn – In Hranice the Municipality will restore the 17th century Jewish cemetery, but some cleaning works have already started. Click here to see details
FRANCE
Bischwiller, August – maintenance and repair work go on at the local Jewish cemetery, located in the Bas-Rhin department. See more details on Facebook page
GERMANY
Ahrweiler, August – Each day for tor three weeks, up to 100 soldiers from the German Army worked at the city’s Jewish cemetery, after it was severely damaged by a devastating flood in mid-July. On August 24, a memorial service led by military Rabbi Zsolt Balla took place at the cemetery, and saw the participation of local residents, soldiers, and other personalities. In July, JHE reader Dr. Christian Riemenschneider sent us a brief report and photos of the damage to the Jewish cemetery and former synagogue in Ahrweiler. Click here to see detail
Reed our article on the damage at the cemetery
Rostock, July 7 – Students from the University of Rostock and members from the Jewish community cleaned-up the city’s Jewish cemetery, located in the outskirt village of Lindenpark. The event was organized by the Theological Faculty of the Rostock University in cooperation with the Rostock Jewish Community, and in the context of the events organized for the “1700 years of Jewish life in Germany”. Find more info here
GREECE
Alexandroupoli, April – Employees from the local municipalities cleaned-up the local Jewish cemetery, after local residents raised concern for its bad condition. Read more here
HUNGARY
Budapest, September 3 – Volunteers from the OR-ZSE (Jewish University) will participate again in a one-day clean-up and documentation action at Budapest’s vast Kozma utca Jewish cemetery. The action is organized by both the Friends of the Jewish Cemetery Association and Istvan Balogh from the OR-ZSE, and will involve plot 19 of the cemetery, where reburials from an old demolished Jewish cemetery in Váci utca are located. Those interested in participating can write to István Balogh: [email protected]. More information here https://or-zse.hu/ismet-onkentes-nap-a-kozma-utcai-zsido-temeto-legregebbi-siremlekeit-orzo-parcella-megtisztitasara/
Budapest, July 20-27– The Friends of the Budapest Jewish Cemetery organized an international one-week-long volunteer clean-up action at the vast Kozma utca Jewish cemetery. Called “Hand in Hand,” the program saw the participation of 21 young volunteers from around the world, including Israel, the US, Canada, Belarus and Hungary. The event was covered by both local and international media, like EuroNews. Click here to read more
Click here to watch the video from EuroNews
Balatonfőkaja, ongoing – The Hungarian website Akibic reports that since the first 2020 lockdown, Emma, a teenager from Budapest, has been taking care of the village’s Jewish cemetery. Emma discovered the cemetery when she moved in the village to spend the first lockdown with her family. Emma launched a website in English, where she writes about the cemetery, and the initiatives she organizes to clean it up. The last clean-up action took place in April, and according to Akibic, it was supported by the Jewish community in Siófok, the MAZSIHISZ, and a local Jewish widow. Click HERE to see more details Click HERE for Emma’s website
Kaposszekcső area, summer – The Hungarian Army soldier István Bucskó restored military graves in several Hungarian cities and towns, including those of a Jewish cemetery close to Kaposszekcső, in southern Hungary. See more here
LITHUANIA
Vištytis, July 26 – Volunteers from countries including Lithuania, Belarus, and Germany cleaned-up and documented the local Jewish cemetery. The action was coordinated by Sandra Petrukonytė of Maceva. See more info on Facebook
NETHERLANDS
Meppel, July 20 – Dozens of volunteers participated in a clean-up action launched by a local resident, Elsbeth van der Horst, who founded the Jewish Heritage in Meppel Foundation in order to ensure regular maintenance of the cemetery. Click here to read more
POLAND
Bielsko-Biała, July and August (and ongoing) – Restoration work is going on at the city’s Jewish cemetery, which was vandalized by teenagers last June. Click HERE to see more on Facebook Click HERE to read the JHE article about the desecration
Brzeziny, August 22 – The Guardians of Remembrance Association cleaned up the Jewish Cemetery in Brzeziny near Łódź. Cleaning works consisted mainly in collecting garbage thrown into the cemetery. Thirty large bags of garbage were collected. Read more details here
Gliwice, July 11 – A clean-up action was organized by the Upper Silesian Jews’ Memorial House. Click here to read more and watch a video of the action.
Goniądz, August – The local association Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Goniądza (the Society of Friends of Goniądz), led by Ardadiusz Studniarek and Janusz Rutkowski, cleaned-up the local Jewish cemetery. The action was supported by the Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, which financed the purchased of the physical equipment needed for the volunteers and for the chainsaw operators who removed large obstructive branches. Click here to see more information on Facebook
Kalisz, July 28 – Two dozen young volunteers from the Bene Akiva organization cleaned-up the local Jewish cemetery, led by Rabbi Rafi Ostroff. Volunteers came from Australia and South Africa. Read more here
Katowice, September 2, 9, 23, 30 — On four Thursdays in September, there will be a volunteer clean-up action at the Jewish cemetery in Katowice, Poland, organized by Slawek Pastuszka of the Chevra Kadisha, and the Foundation for Cultural Heritage. Read more here
Kazimierz Dolny, July 30 – Representatives of the Jewish Religious Community in Warsaw cleaned-up the area of the new Jewish cemetery in Kazimierz Dolny. Click here to see more
Kolbuszowa, July 19 – The cemetery was cleaned up thanks to cooperation between FODZ and the Center for the History of Polish Jews in Dynów, and with the organization of the Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland,. More information here
Łódź, August 22, September 5 (and ongoing) – After a clean-up organized in April, May, and July, the Guardians of Remembrance (Strażnicy Pamięci, in Polish), organized another action at the city’s vast Jewish cemetery on August 22, and the next one is planned for September 5. See the Facebook event for the next clean-up On August 22, Tadeusz Ołubek and some local students cleaned-up the cemetery after a storm damaged it in the previous days. Click here to see pictures of the August 22 clean-up
Łomża, July 6 – As part of the activities of the Coalition of Guardians of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland, an action on the initiative of local volunteer Kazimierz Szczechura was carried out to clean up the area of the new Jewish cemetery in Łomża. More info here
Międzyrzecz, September 5-10 – A German-Polish workshop will take place in Międzyrzecz as part of a documentation project organized by Potsdam University. Students and young scholars will receive a practical introduction to cemetery documentation. Journalists are invited to attend the workshop and report on the project. It is also possible to accompany excursions and documentation trips to the cemeteries. Contact: Dr. Magdalena Abraham-Diefenbach: [email protected]. More information here
Mielec, May 21 – Local inhabitants cleaned up the city’s Jewish cemetery. The mayor also participated at the action. The city’s Jewish cemetery is cleaned and taken care of throughout the year. Click here for more information and see pictures
Mirosławiec, July – During Jewish Culture Week, the local Jewish cemetery was cleaned-up by local volunteers, and an information panel was installed. Click here for more information and pictures
Nowy Targ, throughout the Summer – This year the Centrum Foundation, created by former Olympic athlete Dariusz Popiela, is working at the Jewish cemetery in Nowy Targ. The work includes the construction of a memorial monument for the city’s Holocaust victims, and the research of mass graves around the city, where other memorial monuments will be erected. The work will last throughout the summer. In March, the Foundation received a grant of 8,000 złoty (about €1,750) for the project from1 the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw.
Pszczyna, throughout the Summer– Restoration and clean-up work at the local Jewish cemetery will be carried-out throughout the spring and summer seasons, under the supervision of local historian and activist Sławek Pastuszka, who has been caring for the cemetery for the last 16 years. Since our last article, a clean-up took place, a tombstone was restored, and walls strengthened. Over the years, Pastuszka managed to restore more than 300 tombstones (70% of the total), and this year renovation works are planned on others. Click to see details and progress on Facebook
Sidra, July 22 – Local residents, including firefighters, cleaned-up the local Jewish cemetery. See more information
Tykocin, August 4 – The area of a local mass grave, where in 1941 more than 2,500 Jews were murdered by the Nazis in two days, was cleaned-up by local residents, including employees of the Tykocin municipality, the Podlasie Museum, senior citizens and children from a summer camp. More info here
Tuszyn, August 6 – Organized by Robert Kobylarczyk, activist from the Coalition of Guardians of Jewish cemeteries in Poland, the clean-up saw the participation of students from local schools. The action was financed by the Ministry of Culture and was part of the EthnoPolska program. Click here to see more on Facebook
Warsaw, throughout the summer – Work continues at the vast Okopowa street Jewish cemetery, with regular volunteer clean-up actions. Click here to see the latest news on Facebook
Orla, throughout the year – Employees from the municipality of Orla clean-up the city’s Jewish cemetery two-three times a year. Read more here
Zduńska Wola, August 15 – The cemetery was cleaned-up by two volunteers from a local association. More information on Facebook
ROMANIA
Alba Iulia, August 26-30 – Volunteers took part in the 7th Conservation and Restoration Camp, organized since 2014 by the December 1st 1918, University of Alba Iulia in collaboration with the National Museum of the Unificării in Alba Iulia. The initiative was organized by Prof. Daniel Dumitran, a researcher who has worked for years on the documentation and preservation of the Alba Iulia cemetery and other Jewish heritage sites, and restoration expert. Click here to see more information
Băbeni, ongoing – Volunteers from the Jewish community of Zalău are spending the summer cleaning-up, restoring, and building fences in various Jewish cemeteries in the province, including the one in Băbeni. See more on Facebook
Zlatna, August 2-6 – Volunteers took part at the 7th Conservation and Restoration Camp, organized since 2014 by the December 1st 1918, University of Alba Iulia in collaboration with the National Museum of the Unificării in Alba Iulia. The initiative was organized by Prof. Daniel Dumitran, a researcher who has worked for years on the documentation and preservation of the Alba Iulia cemetery and other Jewish heritage sites, and restoration expert. Click here to see more information
SLOVAKIA
Považská Bystrica, June 19 – A volunteer clean–up organized by the association “Historic Považská Bystrica” took place; volunteers had to bring gloves and tools. See more information on Facebook
UKRAINE
Yazlovets’, July 26 – Ukrainian residents and heritage activists cleaned-up the Jewish cemetery of Yazlovets, in the Ternopil oblast, and uncovered and uprighted matzevot. Click here to see more on Facebook
Rohatyn, throughout the Spring and Summer (and ongoing) – Since the beginning of the year, Vasyl Yuzyshyn, a Rohatyn Jewish Heritage volunteer, has been regularly visiting Rohatyn to cut and clear the bushes at the town’s Jewish cemeteries and mass graves. See more on Facebook
1 comment on “Jewish cemetery 2021 clean-ups — Round-up #3. They rarely grab headlines, but dozens of Jewish cemetery clean-ups by volunteers and others go on in many countries”
Please help the local community in Batorove Kosihy, Slovakia to preserve the local Jewish cemetery. They are doing their best, but there is a need to build a new fence and to fix broken graves.