Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups 2023 — Round-up #1 … Dozens of initiatives in more than a dozen countries

Every year on Jewish Heritage Europe, we post round-ups of initiatives and projects aimed at restoring and cleaning up Jewish cemeteries all over Europe. We feel it so important to highlight these initiatives, which are often overlooked or ignored — while occasional episodes of vandalism grab headlines.

Most of these actions are carried out by volunteers, and some take place within the framework of longstanding international volunteer programs, such as those of the U.S.-based Matzevah Foundation and Germany’s Action Reconciliation Service for Peace. Some are organized by Jewish communities, local governments, civic bodies, or NGOs (such as the European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative ESJF). 

In this first round-up of 2023, we list more than four dozen actions from more than a dozen countries. (These also include a couple of initiatives dealing with abandoned or destroyed synagogues and a Jewish cemetery clean-up action from Morocco, which is out of our geographical scope, but we felt was worth mentioning.)

This list includes initiatives that have taken place and those we know are planned. Planned and underway actions are marked in Orange. For each initiative we provide a link or links to further information, on local media, Facebook, or an organisation’s web site.

We know we have missed some — if you don’t see your project on this list, let us know!

AUSTRIA

Mödling, March – Around 20 volunteers worked in early March at the Jewish cemetery in Mödling, just south of Vienna. Work included cutting grass, removing fallen branches, and clearing vegetation. The NGO Arge Chance was part of the project. Click here to read more from local media 

Vienna, Währing Jewish Cemetery, March 12, April 16, May 14, June 11, July 9, August 13, September 10, October 15 – Regular clean-ups organized by the Association “Save The Jewish Cemetery of Währing.” They take place once a month, from March to October, and include the removal of vegetation and fallen leaves. The organizers provide gloves, scissors, rakes, and other equipment, but volunteers are also welcome to bring their own. Registration is not required. Click here to see more on the association’s website 

CZECH REPUBLIC

Jihlava, upcoming – The Federation of Jewish Communities, which owns the Jewish cemetery, will join the Jihlava municipality in funding the regular cleaning of the site, entailing mowing the grass, raking leaves, and disposing of organic waste. Click here to see more on local media 

Krnov, April 23 – Volunteers carried out a top to bottom spring cleaning of the Krnov synagogue. The synagogue is part of the 10 Stars network of revitalized Jewish heritage in the Czech Republic. Click here to see pictures on Facebook 

Mnichovo Hradiště, upcoming – The local municipality published a call to hire a company to carry out extensive work at the Jewish cemetery, which was largely destroyed during the communist era in 1982. Work will include repairing the fence wall, building internal paths, installing information panels, and managing and planting greenery.  A Holocaust memorial listing the names of local victims is also planned. Work is to begin in May and be completed by November. Click here to see more on local media  

Přistoupim, March 26 – A clean-up session took place at the local Jewish cemetery in this village in central Bohemia, organized by the NGO oPŘISe, which since 2018 has organized two volunteer clean-ups per year at the cemetery, one in the fall and another one in the spring. Click here to see pictures from Facebook

HUNGARY

MAZSIHISZ, the main umbrella organization of Hungarian Jewish communities, began work in several Jewish cemeteries in March. Work was carried out in:

• Pécel, where 169 fallen tombstones were restored, and the Shoah monument was renovated.
• Aulő, Dunaharaszti, and Láatlan, where the cemeteries were were thoroughly cleaned up.

Click here to see details

Budapest, July 17 – 27 – Around 25 volunteers will carry out cleaning and other work at the vast Kozma Street Jewish cemetery in a summer camp organized by the German-based NGO Action Reconciliation Service for Peace in cooperation with the Jewish cultural association “Mazsike.” Click here to see details 

Budapest April 17 – Students from the International Trade Technical University carried out cleaned-up work in the Jewish Cemetery in the Óbuda district. About 200 students and teachers participated in the action. Click here to see more on the MAZSIHISZ website  

Perkupa, April 16 – Volunteers participated in a public clean-up action organized by the Perkupa Heritage Protection and Landscape Development Association. The mayor and municipality staff participated in the action. Click to see information and pictures on Facebook  

Sedres, April 16 – On the occasion of Remembrance Day of the Hungarian Victims of the Holocaust, the Jewish cemetery in Sedres was cleaned. The action was organized by Mária Barteczka, secretary of the local Antal Egyed National Knowledge Association. The cemetery has about 20 tombstones. Click here to find out more on local media 

 Veszprém, ongoing – Work is under way to restore the old Jewish cemetery on Szél street, which operated from the 1730s until 1882, and transform it into a memorial park. The project is funded as part of Veszprem-Balaton’s role as the 2023 European Capital of Culture. Read more on the European Capital of Culture web site 

LATVIA

Višķi, July 31-August 13 – Around 12 international volunteers aged 18-30 are expected to clean and “make visible again” the foundations of the destroyed synagogue, continuing work begun in 2022. At present only three steps of the synagogue can be seen. Participants will work to uncover the foundation, clean it, and carry out measurements under the guidance of surveyors, in preparation for creating a monument. The initiative is organized by the German NGO Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, in association with the NGO “Drei Stufen” e.V.  from Osnabrück. Click here to see more 

LITHUANIA 

Old Varėna and Merkine, February, March, April – The Varena municipality carried out maintenance work at the old Jewish cemetery in Old Varena as well as at the Jewish cemetery and Holocaust mass grave in Merkine.   Click HERE and HERE to see more  

 Zarasai, July 17-26 – During a Summer Camp organized by the German NGO Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, a group of eight international volunteers aged 18-35 is expected to carry out work preparing for the inventory process of the local Jewish cemetery. The inventory process will cover cleaning the cemetery from debris and vegetation; digitisation and identifying coordinates of graves; identifying and copying legible inscriptions. Click here to see details

MOLDOVA

Chișinău, March 26 – Staff from the Museum of Jewish History of the Republic of Moldova, together with members of the Jewish Community and their friends; students of the Rambam and Benyamin Ze’ev Herzl Technical Schools, their teachers and administration; members of the Haverim youth club, and other volunteers gathered to clean up the city’s vast Jewish cemetery. Click here to see photos on Facebook

Rîbnița, April — Volunteers, aided by the city authorities and with financial support from local residents and Ribnitsers living abroad, cleaned up the old Jewish cemetery and cleared it of intrusive vegetation. Click here for information and pictures on Facebook

MOROCCO

Mohammedia, March 2-3 – This is out of our geographical scope but worth mentioning. In partnership with the Council of Jewish Communities of Morocco, volunteers from the DERBNA Association for Solidarity and Human Development cleaned up the local Jewish cemetery together with workers from the SOS cleaning company and the nursery of the municipality of Mohammedia. Click here to see more on Facebook

THE NETHERLANDS

Groningen (week of June 5) and Arnhem, during the summer – This year, the Netherlands-based Christian foundation “Penance & Reconciliation” will carry out Jewish cemetery clean-ups in these two cities, but volunteers are also welcome in other regions. Click here to read more about the project and discover how to volunteer   

Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, every Wednesday – From 8:30 a.m. to sunset, the management of the Beth Haim Portuguese (Sephardic) Jewish cemetery welcomes volunteers to clean up and restore the cemetery. The management provides all the tools and other materials, and at 1 PM, a kosher lunch is served for the volunteers. If you are interested in participating, you can email to [email protected]. The volunteer action takes place throughout the year and is suspended only due to rain or snow. Click here to read more on the cemetery website

The Hague, 30 April, 21 May, 25 June, Sunday, 30 July, 27 August, 17 September, 29 October – Throughout the year, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Jewish Cemetery in The Hague carries out clean-up work in the Jewish cemetery every last Sunday of the month. To participate, volunteers need to sign up beforehand by emailing [email protected]. Click here to find details on the Foundation’s website 

POLAND

The Matzevah Foundation, in cooperation with several partners, carries out Jewish cemetery work in several towns. Each project focuses on cleaning and clearing a cemetery that has become overgrown and possibly neglected. Volunteers from the Foundation and its partners will be joined by volunteers from local communities and around the world. Click here to see further details 

• Przysucha, April 30-May 5 –  This action is carried out in partnership with the University of Szczecin in Poland, Staffordshire University in England, the Foundation of the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, and The European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative ESJF.
• Częstochowa, June 12-14 – Work Will be carried out with Alon Goldman of the World Society of Częstochowa Jews and Their Descendants as well as volunteers from Fundacja Adulam and Hillel students from Dartmouth University in the U.S.  
• Lublin/Wieniawa, June 26-30 – This project will be in partnership with JewishGen Future Scholars, Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, Studnia Pamięci, and the Warsaw Jewish Community. The team will work in the Lublin and Wieniawa Jewish cemeteries, with the actual work days scheduled for June 26-28.
• Lublin/Wieniawa, July 17-19 – The foundation will return to the Lublin area in July with another partnership with JewishGen and their “Neshama” Post-Student Cemetery Project. This will be conducted again with JewishGen, Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, Studnia Pamięci, and the Warsaw Jewish Community. The work will be undertaken in the Lublin and Wieniawa cemeteries, with the actual work days scheduled for July 17-19.

• 

  Oświęcim, August 4-13 – This year will mark the Foundation’s 10th year of work in Oświęcim.

Bolimów, April 15 – Despite rainy weather, the “Zróbmy To” Foundation carried out an action to clean the local Jewish cemetery. Click here to read more on local media 

Brzesko, March 21 – Organized by the “Memory and Dialogue” Association, with the participation of high school students from Brzesko and Germany, volunteers spent the afternoon picking up litter and fallen branches, cutting back weeds, and taking care of mass graves. Click here to see more on local media 

Brzezin, April 23 – Volunteers, including local school students, gathered to clean up the local Jewish cemetery. The municipality provided the removal of garbage and branches. Click here to see information and pictures on Facebook

Bydgoszcz, March – Volunteers from the Old Fordon Lovers’ Association, along with other volunteers — and also inmates from the local prison, cleaned up the areas where the Jewish and Evangelical cemeteries once stood; they were devastated by the Nazis and destroyed during the communist regime. In the Jewish cemetery, there is today a lapidarium. Click here to see more from local media 

Łódź, April 23, May 7 — The latest in the regular ongoing volunteer clean-up initiatives sponsored by the Guardians of Memory foundation at the immense Jewish cemetery in Łódź. Click to see the Facebook event for May 7

Miasteczko Śląskie, May 1 – Volunteers from the the Góra Jerzy Association in Miasteczko Śląskie carried out clean-up work at the local Jewish cemetery. Click here to see information and pictures on Facebook 

Mielec, March – A group of local volunteers cleaned up the area of the former synagogue in Mielec. Cleaning work consisted of clearing trash and rubbish from the area and raking dry grass. Click here to see more on Facebook 

Nowy Targ, March – Students from the Secondary School for Youth in Nowy Targ raked leaves, swept the pathways, removed broken branches, and cleaned dozens of matzevot. This is the second time that students from this school, in consultation with Dariusz Popiela, the founder of the People Without Numbers association, worked at the cemetery. Click here to find out more from local media 

Pabianice, April 16 – Organized by the Pabianice Shtetl organization, this clean-up is the continuation of last year’s work. The organisers provided gloves and basic equipment. Click HERE to see more on local media  Click HERE to see information and pictures on Facebook

Piasek, April 16 – Members of the Jacob Lustig Mysłowice Historical Society clean the local Jewish cemetery in spring and autumn every year. Click here to see more on local media 

Rzochów, January 5 – The Tuszyma Forest Inspectorate in Podkarpacie cleaned up the area of the Rzochów Jewish cemetery, whose tombstones were all destroyed or removed during World War II. The cemetery is located in the forest in Rzochów, a village currently part of Mielec. Click here to read more on local media

Serock, ongoing – The local municipality, owner of the local Jewish cemetery, allocated 300,000 zloty (€64,000) for the restoration of the cemetery. Work will include returning gravestones found elsewhere in Serock and installing them as a memorial, renovating the fence and pathways, and constructing access stairs. Click HERE and HERE to find out more on local media

Włoszczowa, March 16 – Volunteers from the Association for the Development of the Radków Commune cleaned up the local Jewish cemetery in the context of the project “Włoszczowa – two cultures, one memory,” which was co-financed by the Orlen Foundation. The action was also attended by students from the School of Vocational Training Center in Włoszczowa and their teachers. Click HERE and HERE to see more on local media 

Wroclaw, August 27-September 7 – Organized by the German-based NGO Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, this summer camp to carry out cleaning and maintenance of the sprawling Jewish cemetery on ul. Lotnicza (still in use) aims at people aged 40 and over, but it’s open to others. Click here to see details on the NGO’s website

ROMANIA

Alba Iulia, June 26 to July 7 and July 31 to August 11 — Conservation work on matzevot in the historic Jewish cemetery in Alba Iulia will continue this year thanks to a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest. Click here to read our post on JHE  Click HERE to see the project’s page on Facebook 

Volunteers from the Jewish community of Zalău have been cleaning up and restoring various Jewish cemeteries in the province, including:

• Agrij, March – Click here to see more on Facebook
• Ileanda, April – Click here to see more on Facebook 

SERBIA

Martonoš, Horgoš, Krstur, April – The European Jewish Cemetery Initiative ESJF carried out extensive clearing of the local Jewish cemeteries in these towns. Click HERE to watch a video on Facebook about the clean-up at the Martonoš Jewish cemetery    Click HERE to discover more on Facebook

SLOVAKIA

Podolínec, March 23 – On the anniversary of the first deportation of Jewish women and girls from Paprád, 30 scouts from Podolínec and other nearby towns gathered to clean up the abandoned local Jewish cemetery. Click here to find out more on local media 

Považská Bystrica, April 29 and May 13– Local volunteers, led by Peter Truchly, are clearing invasive trees and other vegetation at the Jewish cemetery. Click HERE and HERE to see more info from the Facebook events    

UKRAINE

Rohatyn, March 29 and ongoing – Rohatyn Jewish Heritage has installed multi-lingual informational signage at the old and new Jewish cemeteries, and volunteers keep both sites maintained.  See more information and pictures HERE on JHE and HERE on the RJH web site