Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups: Second round-up of 2022; more than 50 initiatives in 16 countries

In mid-April, we published a first round-up of 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 50 actions from 16 countries — actions that have taken place since our last round-up, that are scheduled to take place, and that are (or have been) ongoing. In this round-up, we also include a clean-up initiative of a synagogue and one of stolperstein or stumbling stones. Most are volunteer initiatives, but some are initiatives by Jewish organizations or civic bodies.

It is so important to emphasise 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 website. 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!

  

AUSTRIA

Vienna, Währing Jewish Cemetery — January 9, February 13, March 13, April 10, May 8, June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9, November 13, and December 11 – The Association “Save The Jewish Cemetery of Währing,” has organized volunteer clean-ups since January. Initiatives take place once a month, from January to December, and include the removal of vegetation and fallen leaves from the gravestones. 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 

Waidhofen an der Thaya, from April to June/July – Thanks to a €100,000 grant from the Federal Monuments Office and funds from the state of Lower Austria, the local municipality will completely restore the town’s 1,300 square meter Jewish cemetery, founded in 1892. See more on local media

 

BELARUS

Kałyški, ongoing – The Jewish Cultural Center “Mishpokha” and the Vitebsk Jewish community have started to clean up the Jewish cemetery in Kałyški, in the district of Vitebsk. To support the initiative, write to: [email protected]. Click here to see more on Facebook 

Mogilev, ongoing – Volunteer work at the city’s Jewish cemetery takes place throughout the year  and includes 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

 

BELGIUM 

Brussels, April 27 – On the occasion of Yom HaShoah, 80 volunteers cleaned the 458 stolpersteines, or stumbling stones, in the context of an initiative entitled “Make Their Memories Shine.” Click here to read more in local media.

 

CZECH REPUBLIC

Bílina/Teplice, October 4-12 – The German-based NGO Action Reconciliation Service for Peace will bring a group of volunteers to clean up the Bílina Jewish cemetery in its summer camp for people over the age of 40. In the 6-days camp, the group may also work in the large Jewish cemetery in the nearby city of Teplice. However, as the description states, the location is not yet confirmed. Click here to see more  

Břeclav, April –  Employees of the city extensively cleaned the cemetery, cut down some trees, freed the ceremonial hall from the ivy, and secured its windows against the wind. The municipality will also restore the ceremonial hall. Click here to see more on local media 

Brno, April 10 and 24, May 22 and 29 – Starting from 10 AM, volunteers gather at the city’s Jewish cemetery on Nezamyslova Street to clean up the cemetery’s gravestones. Click here to see more on Facebook

Holešov, July 20-31 – Organizers of the yearly local Jewish cultural festival are seeking five volunteers to join them in working at the local Jewish cemetery and in the Shach synagogue, where they will maintain the outdoor areas (cleaning pavements, weeding, cutting, and raking grass, maintaining graveyards, etc.). Click here to read more on JHE 

 

FRANCE

Schwenheim, May – On the occasion of the “Citizens’ Day,” local citizens cleaned up the Jewish cemetery. Click here to see more on Facebook.

Westhofen, May– Gravestones from the local Jewish cemetery were cleaned. Click here to see more on Facebook 

 

GERMANY

Grünstadt, every Thursday – Richarda Eich, a local activist and member of the Antiquities Association, is looking for volunteers to help her clean up the local Jewish cemetery and its gravestones. Volunteers can join her every Thursday from 4 PM at the cemetery, starting from the first Thursday after Easter. Contact her at +49 (0) 6359 1556. Click here to see more information and details from local media 

Rödelsee, September – Every year, on the last Friday of September, the Friends of the Former Synagogue of Kitzingen association organizes a cemetery clean-up day from 9 AM to 5 PM. Click here to see more details on the association’s website 

Wankheim – The local Jewish cemetery will receive €300,000 over three years for its maintenance. The Tubingen district council allocated the funds. Click here to see more on local media

 

HUNGARY

Budapest, July 23 – August 6 – Around 15 volunteers will clean up and carry out 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 more

Kunszentmiklós, May –The umbrella organization Association of Hungarian Jewish Communities (MAZSIHISZ), restored the local Jewish cemetery. Restoration included the erection of fallen matzevot and the restoration of broken tombstones. Works were carried out by Zoltán Müller from Szabadszállás. Click here to read more

Szentkirályszabadja, Summer – The Kibuci Bucik is a youth group from the Lauder Javne Jewish School in Budapest that organizes a clean-up session in a different Jewish cemetery every year in Hungary. This summer, the group will work in the Jewish cemetery of Szentkirályszabadja, a village in Veszprém county.

 

ITALY

Finale Emilia, ongoing – The small Jewish cemetery of Finale Emilia, north-central Italy, is constantly maintained by a local association. Recently, volunteers restored the support of some of the tombstones damaged by the 2012 earthquake. Moreover, a restorer periodically visits the cemetery to clean the tombstones and remove mold and lichen from them.

 

LATVIA

Višķi, August 16-30 – Around 12 international volunteers are expected to clean, restore, and carry out other maintenance work at the local Jewish cemetery and at the foundations of the destroyed synagogue. The action is organized by the German-based NGO Action Reconciliation Service for Peace. Click here to see more

 

LITHUANIA

Žagarė, July 25-31 – The Maceva Lithuanian Jewish Cemetery Project is seeking volunteers for its international summer camp that will help clean up and restore the Jewish cemetery in Žagarė as well as identify graves.  During the camp, volunteers will repair and clean up the cemetery; make a map of how graves are arranged; clean headstones; restore inscriptions; photograph all grave markers and fragments. Click here to read our article about the initiative and discover how to apply 

 

THE NETHERLANDS

Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, every Wednesday – From 8.30 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 [email protected]. Click here to read more on the cemetery website 

The Hague, the last Sunday of every month – The Foundation for the Preservation of the Jewish Cemetery in The Hague will clean up the local Jewish cemetery every last Sunday of the month, and at the request of several volunteers, also Friday, June 24th and Friday, September 23rd, from 12.00 to 16.00. The organizers ask volunteers to sign up beforehand by emailing [email protected]. Click here to find details on the Foundation’s website

 

POLAND

In cooperation with several partners, the Matzevah Foundation (TMF) is getting back to the field after two years of interruption because of COVID. However, it closely monitors the situation in Ukraine, which may cause a change in its plans. Here are the planned activities, and more info can be found on their website

Częstochowa, June 7-12 – Volunteers from The Matzevah Foundation will join Alon Goldman of the World Society of Częstochowa Jews, Fundacja Chrześcijańska “Adullam,” local high school and elementary school students and other volunteers from Częstochowa to clean and clear the Jewish cemetery. Plans include touring the former Jewish areas of the city and inviting members of the community of Częstochowa to join in the cleanup.

Częstochowa and Krzepice, June 13-19 – The Matzevah Foundation will cooperate once again with Dr. Caroline Sturdy-Colls, Staffordshire University (UK), and students in a field course for learning and applying non-invasive archeological principles and techniques in the Jewish cemeteries of Częstochowa and Krzepice. 

Markuszów, June 26-29 – In collaboration with the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ), Dan Oren and his organization Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, TMF will return to Markuszów for a cemetery cleanup in preparation for a wall dedication ceremony.

Garwolin, June 30–July 1 – TMF will join the Rabbinical Commission for  Jewish Cemeteries Matters in Poland and local volunteers to clear and clean the Jewish cemetery in Garwolin.

Oświęcim, July 29- August 5 – This cleanup action will be carried out by the Matzevah Foundation and volunteers from Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN, the Auschwitz Jewish Center, friends, and local partners.

Brzesko, May 11 – A clean-up action was organized by Anna Brzyska and the Brzesko-Briegel. We Remember Association. After the clean-up, a tour of the cemetery took place. On May 13, the ohels of the cemetery were repainted. Also, Ukrainian student refugees from Ukraine participated in the clean-up. Click here to see more on Facebook

Iłża, May – This action was carried out on the initiative and because of the help provided to the FODŻ by representatives of the descendants of the former Jewish community of Iłża: Brenda Dales, Ronnie Hoffer, and Mitch Cowitz. Click here to read more 

Iwaniska, May 5-6 – As a result of support extended by the descendants of the former Jewish community of Iwaniska associated in the Ivansker Society in Toronto, a spring clean-up of the cemetery was carried out. Click here to read more

Janów Lubelski, April 29 –  The Janów Ławeczka Dialogue Association cleaned up the local cemetery on the 370^thanniversary of the decree that allowed Jews to settle in the city. Click here to read more from Facebook

Łódź, May 8 – The Guardians of Remembrance Association organized a clean-up action that saw the participation of over 60 people. Among the participants, there were: Agnieszka Sęk, a teacher from the ZNP Primary School in Łódź, the Polish Teachers Association, Primary School No. 125, and Primary School No. 143. Click here to read more 

Łódź, ongoing – People sentenced to community service, led by probation officer Tadeusz Ołubek, regularly clean up the city’s Jewish cemetery. Click here to see pictures from the latest action on Facebook

Małogoszcz, May 13, July, and September – Thanks to a grant allocated by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA), further cleaning and restoration work will be carried out at the local Jewish cemetery. On May 13, the “Local Patriots” Association and the “Euros Wiatr ze Wschodu” set up the first clean-up of the season. Click here to find more details on Facebook. Click here to see more about the first clean-up 

Nowy Żmigród, May 22 – Members of the Forum of Dialogue in the Podkarpacie region, joined forces to conduct the maintenance works at the Jewish cemetery. Since 2008, the Nowy Żmigród Appreciation Society, presided by Leader of Dialogue Jerzy Dębiec, has been responsible for regular maintenance works at the cemetery. Click here to read more on Facebook

Pabianice, April 24 – The local cemetery was cleaned-up by a group of residents, social activists, and volunteers, led by the Association of the Guardians of Remembrance, the Pabianice Shtetl community, and the Society of Enthusiasts of the the History of Pabianice, Journey through Pabianice and the Association of Responsible Pabianice Citizens. Click here to read more

Przysucha, July – In the context of the JewishGen Future Scholars Fellowship, which will take place in Poland on July 5-14, international volunteers will participate in the clean-up and preservation of the local Jewish cemetery in partnership with a Polish university student group. Click here to read the JHE article about the Fellowship and its program

Różan, May – On the initiative of Michal Doron, a descendant of the Jewish community, FODŻ led to the creation of a road sign marking the road leading to the cemetery in Różan. The continuation of the project, to be implemented with funds donated to FODŻ by sponsors, will be to pave the path leading to the cemetery. Click here to find more on Facebook

Stary Fordon, April 23 – Volunteers from the Old Fordon Lovers’ Association, together with the Bez Nazwy Foundation, cleaned up the interior and exterior premises of the local synagogue. Click here to read more in local media

Tuszyn, May 16 – The cleaning action was organized by Robert Kobylarczyk, a teacher from Tuszyn who has been an activist protecting the local heritage for many years. In this year’s work, he engaged students from the Primary School Władysław Jagiełło, where he works, as well as students from the Primary School Stefania Sempołowska. Click here to read more 

Warsaw, May 22 – Michał Laszczkowski and a group of volunteers removed weeds from the Mausoleum of Jewish Fighters of the Polish Independence at the Okopowa Street Jewish cemetery, part of ongoing clean-up and restoration  of the cemetery. Click here to read more on Facebook 

Żychlin, May 8 – In the context of the project “In the Footsteps of Zychlin Jews,” the Żychlin History Enthusiasts Society and the Society of Friends of the Kutno Region organized a clean-up of local Jewish cemetery. The project received 9,000 złoty from the Forum for Dialogue Foundation. Click here to find more information

 

ROMANIA

Volunteers from the Jewish community of Zalău have started their annual efforts to clean up and restore various Jewish cemeteries in the province, including:

Chieșd, May – Click here to see more on Facebook 

Glod, May – Click here to see more on Facebook

Meseșenii de Sus, April – Work including construction of access road — see video on Facebook 

Zalău, May – Click here to see more on Facebook

 

SLOVAKIA

Báb, April 27 – A local man cleaned the local Jewish cemetery on his initiative and at his own expense. Click here to see more on Facebook

Dolný Kubín, April 13 – Students from the M. Kukučín Elementary School commemorated the local Jewish community by cleaning its tombstones. Click here to see more on Facebook

Spišská Nová Ves, May 17 – The OZ Pro Memory Association and high school students cleaned the local Jewish cemetery and re-painted the cemetery fence, as part of their ongoing cemetery preservation work. Click here to see more on Facebook

 

SPAIN

Lucena, May – Staff from the local municipality and other volunteers cleaned up the 49 graves of the medieval Jewish cemetery. Click here to see more on Facebook 

 

UKRAINE

Nadvirna, May – Despite the ongoing war, the ESJF cleaned up this cemetery with funds from Steven Turner of Gesher Galicia, Leslie Nolan from the US Peace Corps, and the Nadworna Shtetl Research Group. Click here to see more on Facebook