Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups — Our second round-up of initiatives for 2025. More than 100 actions from 15 countries
At the beginning of May, we published the first round-up for 2025 showcasing some of the many Jewish cemetery clean-up initiatives taking place this spring and summer in various European countries.
Here’s a second round-up listing more than 100 actions from 15 countries—actions that have taken place since our last round-up, that are scheduled to take place, that were missed in our previous round-up, that are planned or are (or have been) ongoing.
Most are volunteer initiatives, but some are organized by Jewish organizations, civic bodies, or NGOs such as the U.S.-based Matzevah Foundation in Poland and the Penitance & Reconciliation Foundation in The Netherlands, and the Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (ASF), and the ESJF-European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative in various countries.
It is so important to emphasize these efforts, as they are largely overlooked (occasional vandalism, however, grabs headlines)!
Click on the links to see details for each action on Facebook, local media, or dedicated websites. The links in orange show upcoming or ongoing initiatives.
We know we have missed some—if you don’t see your project on this list, let us know and also put it in the comments!
AUSTRIA
Vienna, Währing Jewish Cemetery, March 9, April 6, May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, October 19 – Regular cle
an-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
BELARUS
Gorodok, ongoing – Local volunteers have been cleaning and restoring the Jewish cemetery since 2023. They document their work on a YouTube channel, showcasing the various tasks they undertake. There have been several posts this spring. Click here to videos on YouTube
Vitebsk, June 1 – Jewish organizations in Vitebsk joined the “Less words, more action” campaign to clear trees and restore the Old Jewish Cemetery. Click here to see more on Facebook
CZECH REPUBLIC
Bučovice, April 27 – Volunteers cleaned the local Jewish cemetery and ceremonial hall, including ivy removal, clearing debris, and garden work. Click here to read more on Facebook
Holešov, July 15-27 – A volunteer work camp organized by the French Solidarités Jeunesses NGO in cooperation with the Holešov Municipal Cultural Center, an NGO that manages most of the Jewish monuments in the city and is a co-organizer of the annual Ha-Makom Festival of Jewish Culture, which takes place this year July 22-26. Volunteers will maintain the Jewish cemetery and assist with organizing the festival. Click here to find out more
Křinec, ongoing – Thanks to a financial donation from the descendants of Elias Heller, who founded the cemetery and was the first burial there in 1884, the cemetery underwent cleanup, grass cutting, repairs, and tombstone restoration under the auspices of the Czech Jewish community. Click HERE and HERE to see more
Mikulov, August 26 – September 3 – This ASF summer camp invites volunteers, especially those aged 40 and over, to help preserve one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the country. Click here to find out more
Mladá Boleslav, July 2 – The Czech Foundation for the Victims of the Holocaust organized their annual volunteer clean-up action at the Jewish cemetery. Click here to find more
Písková Lhota, May – After clearing ivy and cleaning the cemetery, the TAMUS NGO completed detailed photographic documentation of 210 gravestones at the Jewish. Click here to find more
Podbořany, April 5 – The citizens’ group Žijeme Podbořany (We Live in Podbořany) organized a spring clean-up of the Jewish cemetery. Click here to find more on Facebook
Žatec, ongoing – The Jewish cemetery is routinely cleared by the Association of Natives and Friends of Žatec. The cemetery was opened to the public as part of the town’s tourist attractions in early April and will be opened on specific dates. There is new signage, and a new exhibit about local Jewish history has been mounted in the ceremonial hall. Click to find more on the cemetery’s FB page and local media
FRANCE
Cronenbourg, July 9 and July 16 – Volunteers organized by the Consistory and La Chaîne carried out maintenance at the local Jewish cemetery. A new action is planned for July 16, starting at 2.30PM. Click here to see more on Facebook
Marmoutier, June – Volunteers from the Association de Sauvegarde et de Valorisation du Patrimoine 1799(ASVP 1799), an association set up several years ago by the town and the Jewish Consistoire to care for and promote local Jewish heritage sites, restored and documented around 500 gravestones at this historic Jewish cemetery. Click here to read more on local media See more HERE
GERMANY
Arnstadt, April and ongoing – Seventh-grade students from the Bosch School volunteered to care for the Jewish cemetery. Students have been caring for the cemetery for 30 years. Click here to see more on the school website
Attendorn, June – Students from Rivius Gymnasium helped maintain the local Jewish cemetery, continuing a local tradition that has seen alternating schools maintain the cemetery since 1984. Click here to read more on local media
Floß, summer and ongoing – Students of the State Vocational School in Neustadt have volunteered for years to maintain the historic Jewish cemetery, carrying out cleaning and restoration with the support of the municipality. Click here to read more on local media
Neustadt, July – Students from the Kurfürst-Ruprecht-Gymnasium engaged in preserving the Jewish cemetery in Neustadt as part of a 4 day program focused on Jewish life. Click here to read more on local media
Rostock, June 16 – University of Rostock Prof. Dr. Martin Rösel and Hebrew students invited the public to help clean gravestones at Rostock’s Jewish cemetery and learn about Jewish burial traditions. Click here to read more on local media
HUNGARY
Abádszalók, Mezőnagymihály, Sárospatak, Bicske, Csabdi, Jászberény, Kajászó, Kóka, Kisújszállás, Öcsöd, Szabadszállás, Szentmártonkáta, Tinnye, Apc, Balkány, Bezi, Bicske, Eger, Egerbakta, Hont, Isaszeg, Kóka, Mezőnagymihály, Nagykálló, Öcsöd, Piliscsaba, Sajószentpéter, Szentmártonkáta, Spring/Summer – These Jewish cemeteries were recently cleaned of overgrowth by the MAZSIHISZ and its local partners, including the “Szól a Kakas Tradition Preservation Foundation,” which took care the Sárospatak Jewish cemetery. In Kisújszállás, maintenance included restoring the tilted or fallen tombstones to their original condition, which was carried out by István Csapi. Click HERE, HERE and HERE to read more on the MAZSIHISZ website
Ráckeve, June – With Mazsihisz’s support, Ráckeve’s Ady Endre High School has “adopted” the local Jewish cemetery, joining a wider effort across Hungary to maintain rural Jewish burial sites and commemorate Holocaust victims. Click here to read more on the MAZSIHISZ website
LATVIA
Višķi, August 4-13 – This action is being organized for the fourth time by ASF, the association “Drei Stufen e.V.” (Osnabrück), and the local community. Restoration, gardening and cleaning work at the Jewish cemetery will be carried out under the guidance of specialised staff. Volunteers will contribute to the construction of an open-air museum, and during the summer camp, two signposts will also be unveiled. Click here to see more
LITHUANIA
Darbėnai, May – Local students cleaned the old Jewish cemetery and explored Jewish heritage, also learning about Hebrew inscriptions. The initiative was organized and conducted by teacher Edita Gliožerienė with the participation of Sergei Kanovich, founder of the MACEVA Jewish cemetery NGO; historian Michael Leiserowitz, and researcher Milda Jakulyte-Vasil. The students word caps with the message “Who, if not us?” printed on them. According to local media, they said they hoped to organize ice similar actions at the Jewish cemeteries in Adutiškis, Joniškis, Antalieptė, and elsewhere. Click HERE and HERE to read more
Joniškis, August 3-11 – Organized by the ASF, in collaboration with MACEVA, this summer camp aims to preserve the town’s Jewish heritage and gather information for the inventory of the local Jewish cemetery. Activities will include cleaning and tidying the cemetery, digitizing and mapping graves, and documenting legible inscriptions. Click here to read more
Merkinė, June – German soldiers from the Bundeswehr’s 45th Panzer Brigade joined the MACEVA Foundation to clean the local Jewish cemetery and Holocaust monument. Click HERE to read more on JHE – a Have Your Say personal essay by MACEVA founder Sergey Kanovich Click HERE to read more on local media
Varėna, July 12-13 – MACEVA foundation volunteer effort to document and preserve the local Jewish Cemetery through cleaning, photographing, and learning about local Jewish history. Click here to read more
Vilkija, foreseen – A new cooperation agreement signed between Kaunas District Mayor Valerijus Makūnas and Rabbi Elchonon Baronas, President of the organization “Jewish Heritage in Lita” and the Head of the Ahavas Torah Baranovich Yeshiva in Jerusalem, includes a key commitment to clean up the local Jewish cemetery. Click here to read more
THE NETHERLANDS
Haarlem, Leeuwarden, Muiderberg, Groningen, Arnhem, and Utrecht, ongoing – Volunteers from the the Penitance & Reconciliation Foundation regularly work in these Jewish cemeteries over the summer. Click here to find more
Muiderberg, ongoing – Since this spring, excavations on section A of what is the largest Jewish cemetery in The Netherlands have uncovered lost gravestones, revealing insights into the early history of the Jewish community in the Netherlands, thanks to volunteers from the Het Stenen Archief (The Stone Archive) foundation, which has an ongoing project to clear and restore the oldest and overgrown part of the cemetery. Click HERE and HERE to read more about it Click HERE to read more on Facebook
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
POLAND
The Matzevah Foundation, in cooperation with several partners, carries out Jewish cemetery work in several towns. Volunteers from the Foundation and its partners are joined by volunteers from local communities and worldwide. Click HERE to see details on TMF website Click HERE to see more on JHE
- Rzeszów, April 22-25– This project in southeast Poland was a joint cooperation between several groups. TMF partnered with Sally Mizroch, In Memory of Jewish Rzeszów, Stowarzyszenie Rajsze, and Cmentarz żydowski w Rzeszowie to conduct the clean-up.
- Zambrów, July 2-9– TMF returned to Zambrów, the location of their first cemetery project as an organization in 2012. They partnered with JewishGen and Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland for the Greenspan L’Dor V’Dor Legacy Program.
- Żychlin, July 14-18– Mid-July found TMF back in Żychlin for a second year. They’ll continue to clear this cemetery of its tall grass and brush, joining forces with a group of descendants, friends, and students led by Professor Marysia Galbraith of the University of Alabama who is also the president of The Association of Descendants of Jewish Central Poland.
- Grójec, July 28-31– TMF summer will conclude in Grójec, outside of Warsaw. They’ll be partnering with a local Baptist church and other volunteers to clean this small cemetery.
Białystok, August 3-15 – The Białystok Cemetery Restoration Fund invites volunteers to join its annual cleanup and documentation session at the Bagnówka Jewish Cemetery, with a Ghetto Commemoration event on August 16. Click HERE to read more on their website Click HERE to read more on JHE
Częstochowa, May 21-23 and 26-27 – Students from several local secondary schools, coordinated by the General W. Anders School Complex, cleaned the city’s Jewish cemetery, helping restore its dignity and preserve its historic tombstones. Click here to read more
Gliwice, Old Jewish Cemetery, ongoing – Local volunteers clean up the old Jewish cemetery all year round, creating partnership with local institutions, such as schools. Since our last round-up, they worked at the cemetery on June 23, and July 1. Click here to see more on their Facebook page
Koronowo, June 16 – As part of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) “Adopt a Cemetery” project, local students cleaned the Jewish cemetery and installed a new gate, with plans to add fencing soon. Click here to read more
Kraśnik, May 30 – Students and local officials cleaned the local Jewish cemetery, removing trash, cutting overgrowth, and mowing grass as part of educational heritage projects. Click here to read more
Łódź, June 15, July 27 and ongoing – The local Jewish community and the NGO “Strażnicy Pamięci – Guardians of Remembrance” routinely clear the cemetery of vegetation. The next action is July 27. JHE’s Ruth Ellen Gruber visited the clean-up organized by the Guardians of Remembrance on June 15 and wrote about it for JHE. Click HERE to see more on Facebook Click HERE to read Ruth’s post Watch a video documentary about it HERE
Mszana Dolna, June – Local volunteers from Sztetl Mszana Dolna, coordinated by the Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, cleaned up the local Jewish cemetery, and are restoring it. Click here to see more on Facebook
Nowe Miasto, June 20 – Scouts from the 426th Troop “Vagabonds” cleaned the Jewish cemetery in Nowe Miasto, focusing on clearing vegetation around the tombstones. Click here to read more
Podwilk, May 28 – The local Jewish cemetery was restored and commemorated through the “People, not numbers” initiative led by Olympian athlete Dariusz Popiela, honoring 154 Holocaust victims. Click here to read more on local media
Siedleczka, June 24 – At the request of FODZ, the Nissenbaum family foundation carried out greenery maintenance in the cemetery, financially supported by rabbi Moshe Lans – a chaplain of the United States Army. Click here to read more
Sokółka, May – A large-scale clean-up of the Jewish cemetery was recently carried out, led by Ewa Krychniak, a primary school teacher and longtime Jewish heritage activist, with support from a local bank. Click here to read more on local media
Tomaszów Mazowiecki, June 9-12, July 3 and ongoing – Clean up actions organized by the Strażnicy Pamięci. Guardians of Remembrance organization and other groups of volunteers. In June, the action was carried out during the Volunteer Festival “Kontakt” and involved dozens of volunteers from the United States and teenagers from local schools. Click HERE to find more on local media and HERE and HERE on Facebook
Trzemeszno, June – The four-year project “Restoring the Memory of the Jews of Trzemeszno” was completed in June. It included cleaning up and marking the local Jewish cemetery, culminating in a memorial plaque, a publication, and renewed efforts to honor the town’s lost Jewish community. Click here to read more on local media
Warsaw, ongoing – Restoration, clean-up, archaeology, and other work continues on a regular basis at the vast Okopowa st. Jewish cemetery. On May 27-28, the conference “The Jewish cemetery at ul. Okopowa in Warsaw. History, maintenance, archeology” was held to mark the 10th anniversary of the Cultural Heritage Foundation taking up its work at the cemetery. Click HERE to see more on JHE. Click HERE to find more and read about archaeological research in the cemetery
Wrocław, New Jewish Cemetery, August 24 – September 3 – The ASF invites primarily people aged 40 and over, but is open to anyone who is interested, to clean up the cemetery. The focus this year is on the old, largest part of the cemetery, which served as a final resting place until the end of the Second World War. This place was neglected for a long time and has been damaged in many places. The northern half is heavily overgrown and there are numerous graves in need of care. Click here to find out more
ROMANIA
Alba Iulia, July 21-30 – Applications are open for a conservation camp at the local historic Jewish cemetery, where volunteers will help restore gravestones and study Jewish heritage. Click here to read more on JHE
Moinești, June and ongoing – Volunteers from the Leolam Foundation are currently cleaning up the local Jewish cemetery. Click here to find more on Facebook
Volunteers from the Jewish community of Zalău have been cleaning up and restoring various Jewish cemeteries in the province, including:
- Hida (two Jewish cemeteries), ongoing – Click here to see more on Facebook
- Jibou, ongoing – Click here to see more on Facebook
- Zalău, ongoing – Click here to see more on Facebook
RUSSIA
Rostov, April 5 and 27 – On April 5, more than 2,000 volunteers participated in a citywide clean-up, clearing forests, riverbanks, and multiple cemeteries—including the Jewish-Tatar cemetery—removing waste, trimming trees, and maintaining burial sites and monuments. On April 27, volunteers cleaned the old Jewish cemetery, which includes the tomb of the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe. Click HERE and HERE to read more
Saint Petersburg, May 18 – A volunteer post-winter clean-up that focused on clearing leaves, branches, and overgrowth to maintain paths. It was carried out with, among others, the cooperation of the administration of the Jewish cemetery and with the participation of Jewish organizations of the city. Click here to read more
SLOVAKIA
Veľký Šariš, Cerová, Hurbanovo, Pribeta, and Kuchyňa, June – The ESJF and Slovakia’s Jewish community recently cleaned several cemeteries as part of ongoing maintenance of previously fenced sites. Click here to find more
Kosice – Krásna district, July and ongoing – Volunteers have been gradually renovating the abandoned Jewish cemetery as part of the “Unforgettable Neighbors in Krásna” project, aiming to preserve its history and create a place of remembrance. The latest actions were in July – click to follow the efforts on the Facebook page Click HERE to read more
Lučenec, June 7 – Volunteers from the local NGO “V Lučenci dobre” organized a clean-up in the Old Jewish cemetery. Click here to see more on Facebook
Michal nad Žitavou, June 1 – A clean-up action at the Jewish cemetery was carried out by the FONTIS civic association. Click here to see more on Facebook
UNITED KINGDOM
London, ongoing – The Willesden Jewish Cemetery, which operates as a site of public heritage as well as an active cemetery, is looking for volunteers. Gardening, research, organizational skills for administration, or storytelling as a tour guide. Click here to see more on their website and Click here to see the latest news from their FB Page
UKRAINE
The ESJF carried out several clearing actions throughout the country, including:
- Astei, May – The local Jewish cemetery was cleaned as part of regular maintenance, following its 2016 fencing by the ESJF with support from the German Federal Foreign Office. Click here to see more on Facebook
- Chudei, May – The ESJF cleaned the Jewish cemetery, continuing its preservation efforts after fencing the site in 2018 with support from the German Foreign Ministry. Click here to find more on Facebook
- Dovhe, May – The ESJF cleaned the Jewish cemetery, which was fenced in 2022 and holds 150 tombstones. Click here to see more on Facebook
- Mala Dobron’, May – The ESJF cleaned the Jewish cemetery, which was fenced in 2017 with support from the German Foreign Ministry. Click here to find more
- Mochola, June – The Jewish cemetery in Mochola was cleared of overgrowth as part of regular maintenance, following its fencing by the ESJF in 2016. Click here to see more on Facebook
- Nadvirna, June – Regular cleaning was completed at the local Jewish cemetery, with support from Steven Turner from Gesher Galicia, who also helped fund its fencing in 2019. Click here to see more on Facebook
Čerkasy, May 11 – Volunteers from the Čerkasy Volunteer Community, of the JDC carried out a clean-up of the Jewish cemetery. Click here to see more on Facebook
Rohatyn, ongoing — The annual work by volunteers, organized by Rohatyn Jewish Heritage, maintaining the new Jewish cemetery, the old Jewish cemetery, and two mass graves got under way at the end of April/beginning of May and continues until fall. Click to see more on Facebook