Two workshops/seminars/programs dealing with the preservation of Jewish cemeteries take place at the same time in September — one in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine (September 23-24) and one in and around Făgăraş, Romania (September 23-30).
They are quite different in scope, but both are open now for volunteers/participants to apply.
A Jewish cemetery preservation seminar also takes place in Budapest on August 14.
Făgăraş – Stone Research, Conservation, and Restoration Camp, Sept. 23-30
This will be a hands-on, on-site workshop modeled on the successful research and preservation camps carried out over the past decade at the Jewish cemetery in Alba Iulia.
Under the leadership of stone preservation expert Dr. Sidonia Olea and local activist Dr. Stefan Cabin, volunteers will work on stone conservation and restoration at the Jewish Cemetery in Făgăraș and in several Christian Orthodox cemeteries in the region. The aim is to form a team dedicated to intervention, rescue, and maintenance of stone monuments and heritage in the Tara Fagarasului region.
Often, emergency interventions are needed in graveyards, given the advanced state of degradation of many funeral monuments.
The camp will take place in Făgăraș and in the region (Țara Făgărașului), including in Beclean, Bohlț, Bucium, Calbor, and Șona and will offer participants the opportunity to engage in a variety of practical restoration activities and learn from experts in the field.
To attend, register here.
Ivano-Frankivsk — Jewish Cemetery Preservation Seminar, Sept. 23-24
This is a more general seminar-type event, not a hands-on workshop.
With the financial support of the German Foreign Ministry and in cooperation with the International Interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Judaica and the Jewish community of Ivano-Frankivsk, the ESJF (European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative) organizes a seminar designed for historians, local activists, school teachers, employees of non-governmental organizations, volunteers and other interested persons who care about the problem of preservation of historical heritage, in particular, Jewish cemeteries.
Participation is free.
Participants from outside Ivano-Frankivsk will be compensated for transportation costs and booked one night of hotel accommodation. (It’s not clear if this applies to international participants.)
Click here for the registration form.
The seminar in Ivano-Frankivsk is similar to an ESJF seminar to be held in Budapest on August 14.
Budapest — Jewish Cemetery Preservation Seminar, August 14
The program includes:
• Lectures about the history and present state of the Hungarian Jewry and the Hungarian Jewish cemeteries
• ESJF’s approach to using Jewish cemeteries as historical sources
• Guided tours of Budapest’s Jewish Quarter, the Dohány Street Synagogue, and the Salgótarjáni Street Jewish cemetery
• Round table discussion on cemetery preservation best practices
There will be guests from the Hungarian Prime Minister’s office
To register, please send your interest by August 7 to:
Mária Baranyi: [email protected]
Alexandra Fishel: [email protected]