Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups 2025 — Round-up #3. More than 80 initiatives in 14 countries. (We know we’ve missed some, so please add in the comments)

At the beginning of May and in mid-July we published our first and second round-ups 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 third round-up listing more than 80 actions from 14 countries—actions that have taken place since our last round-up, that are scheduled to take place, that were missed in our previous round-ups, that are planned, or that 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 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, August 10, September 14, October 19 – 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 

 

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. Latest actions took place on August 3 and July 6. Click here to videos on YouTube 

Kolyshki, June 1 – The Jewish community of Vitebsk and the Mishpokha Jewish Cultural Center have been working at the cemetery for seven years. This year, efforts focused on the cemetery’s oldest section, where matzevot were restored and plans were made for epitaph translations and plaques, with further financial and translation support still needed to complete the project. Click here to see more on Facebook 

Kublichi, August – Participants of the MEGA project by the Hillel Jewish Student Cultural Center in Minsk restored the Jewish cemetery by clearing overgrowth, uncovering nearly 300 gravestones, and cataloging and translating them. Click here to read more from the STMEGI News website 

 

CZECH REPUBLIC

Černovice and Košetice, completed in October – Restoration of historic gravestones in the Jewish cemeteries in Černovice and Košetice was completed after several years of work. The project, supervised by heritage experts and co-financed by state and  municipal cultural programs and the Jewish community, included careful conservation work and uncovered rare preserved traces of polychrome decoration on a tombstone in Košetice. Both cemeteries date back to the 17th–18th centuries and are important markers of Jewish heritage in the Vysočina Region. Click here to read more in local media 

Holešov, July 15-27 – A volunteer work camp was organized by the French NGO Solidarités Jeunesses in cooperation with the Holešov Municipal Cultural Center, an NGO that manages most of the Jewish monuments in the city and co-organizes the annual Ha-Makom Festival of Jewish Culture, which took place July 22–26. Volunteers maintained the Jewish cemetery and assisted with organizing the festival. Click here to find out more 

Kolín and Zbraslavice, September – Students from Kolín have been helping clean and care for the old Jewish cemeteries in Kolín and also in Zbraslavice, in cooperation with the Jewish community of Prague. Click here to see more on Facebook

Kostelec u Křížky, September – 15 volunteers joined the traditional Czech Union of Jewish Students’brigade at the local cemetery, cleaning and restoring the site. Click here to see more on Facebook

Loštice, August – After cleaning the gravestones, the TAMUS NGO completed detailed photographic documentation of the Jewish cemetery. Click here to see more on Facebook 

Luže, October – Volunteers carried out clean-up work in the Jewish cemetery.  See more on Facebook, with photos  

Mikulov, August 26 – September 3 – The ASF summer camp invited volunteers, especially those aged 40 and over, to clear ivy and undergrowth to help preserve one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the country. Click here to find out more 

Mladá Boleslav, July 18-20 – Volunteers from the Czech Union of Jewish Students worked to clean and restore the Jewish cemetery, celebrate Shabbat together, and visit Jewish heritage sites. Click here to find more on Facebook

Poběžovice – Volunteers gathered to clean up the local Jewish cemetery. The action was organized by the Municipality. Click here to find out more on Facebook 

Prague, Smíchov New Jewish cemetery, August 28 – 13 volunteers from the ČEZ Group held a team-building cleanup at the New Jewish cemetery in Smíchov, focusing on removing ivy from tombstones and pledging to return and help again. Click here to read more on Facebook

Prague, Žižkov New Jewish Cemetery, September 16 – Autumn volunteer work at the New Jewish Cemetery brought Maccabi Club members from Ukraine to Prague, as part of the “Heritage 5785” project spanning Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna. Click here to see more on Facebook

 

FRANCE

Cronenbourg, July 16 – Volunteers organized by the Consistory and La Chaîne carried out maintenance at the Jewish cemetery. Click here to see more on Facebook 

 

HUNGARY

Budapest, July 14-24 – A civil initiative continued the work begun by ASF and Mazsike at the Kozma Street Jewish cemetery, restoring the graves of WW2 forced laborers and making their inscriptions legible, with volunteers joining daily between July 14–24. Click HERE to see more in local media  Click HERE to see more on Facebook  And… ongoing… The Friends of the Budapest Jewish Cemetery NGO continued its cleaning of the vast cemetery during the year, and also carried out monument restoration. As of July, according to its email newsletter, it had cleared 50,000 sq meters year-to-date regaining access to 15,920 graves.  It also had instituted a searchable database of graves.

Csurgó, August – 35 students from the Lauder Javne Jewish Community School and another school, along with 11 adults, spent a week at Csurgó cleaning the Jewish cemetery, continuing the Lauder school’s 22-year tradition of maintaining neglected cemeteries across Hungary. Click here to read more in local media 

Hódmezővásárhely, Summer – A major storm in July devastated the Jewish cemetery – which had been restored and cleaned a year earlier, felling trees and branches, severely damaging around 50 gravestones, and leaving an estinated 450 cubic meters of debris. By September, thanks to the efforts of the city, the local Jewish community, and Mazsihisz, most of it was cleared, and funds were raised to restore the graves and plant 40 new trees. Click here to read more on local media 

Üllő, Fülesd, Szabadszállás, Dunaharaszti, Gáborján, Summer – These Jewish cemeteries were recently cleared of overgrowth by MAZSIHISZ and its local partners. Maintenance included resetting tilted or fallen tombstones, cutting back vegetation, and related work. Click HERE, HERE and HERE to read more on the MAZSIHISZ website t &  &

 

LATVIA

Višķi, August 4-13 – This action was 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 was carried out under the guidance of specialized staff. Volunteers contributed to the construction of an open-air museum, and during the summer camp, two signposts were also unveiled. Click here to see more on Facebook 

Rūjiena, July 14-22 – Young volunteers from the German LOT eV association, together with representatives of the German Embassy and  the Jews in Latvia Museum, cleaned up  the overgrown Jewish cemetery. Click here to read more on local media 

 

LITHUANIA

Antalieptė, September 3 – The NGO Litvak Cemetery Catalog Maceva documented the historic Jewish cemetery, recording 116 graves and involving local residents and youth in its restoration and cleaning it up. Click here to see more on Facebook 

Joniškis, August 3-11 – Organized by the ASF, in collaboration with MACEVA, 14 international volunteers documented, cleaned, and photographed nearly 750 monuments in the Jewish cemetery for digitization and public access through the Litvak Cemetery Catalogue. Click here to read a report on how it went in local media 

 

THE NETHERLANDS

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, carried out Jewish cemetery work in several towns. Each project focused on cleaning and clearing a cemetery that has become overgrown and possibly neglected. Volunteers from the Foundation and its partners were joined by volunteers from local communities and worldwide. Click here to see details on TMF website  

• 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 continued 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 concluded in Grójec, outside of Warsaw. They partnered with a local Baptist church and other volunteers to clean this small cemetery.

Białystok, August 3-15 – As every year, the Białystok Cemetery Restoration Fund held its annual cleanup and documentation session at the Bagnówka Jewish Cemetery, accompanied by a Ghetto Commemoration event on August 16. Click HERE to read more on their website  Click HERE to see all the news on their Facebook Page 

Błażowa, August – Volunteers from the Błażowa Informal Historical Group “Save from Oblivion” and the local public library cleaned up the Jewish cemetery, including marking its access route, under the auspices of FODZ. Click here to read more 

Chmielnik, July – The “Świętokrzyski Shtetl” and Przystań Chmielnik Association carried out a project to clean tombstones and tidy greenery at the town’s “new” Jewish cemetery, restoring its dignity with expert conservation work funded by the Jewish Historical Institute Association. Click here to read more in local media 

Częstochowa, September – The local Jewish cemetery was cleaned up by students from the Multi-Discipline School of Petah Tikva, Israel, thanks to the initiative of Alon Goldman. Click here to watch a video on YouTube 

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 have worked at the cemetery on September 9. Click here to see more on their Facebook page 

Gorzów Wielkopolski, October – A cleanup of the historic Gorzów Jewish Cemetery—the city’s oldest surviving Jewish cemetery—takes place in October to combat overgrowth and preserve this important site, with volunteers encouraged to join. Click here to read more 

Kielce, October 8 – Students and teachers from Vocational Schools Group No. 1 in Kielce carried out clean-up work at the Jewish cemetery, including cleaning and repainting the gate. Click here to see more on Facebook

Koronowo, July – The local Volunteer Fire Department removed a dead tree, while teachers and students from the General Stanisław Maczek Vocational School Complex continued caring for the local Jewish cemetery through the “Adopt a Cemetery” program. Click here to read more 

Krośniewice, August – The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland oversaw greenery maintenance at the local Jewish cemetery, carried out by Sekatorek with support from donors and local partners, as part of its care for over 150 historic cemeteries in the country. Click here to read more

Krosno, August – Thanks to Grzegorz Bożek’s dedication, the grass at the local Jewish cemetery was mowed, and on August 21, visitors were invited for a guided tour followed by a cleanup. Click here to read more 

Jaworzno, August – Descendants of Jaworzno’s Jews, together with volunteers, restored the town’s historic Jewish cemetery, cleaning and uncovering matzevot so that the site can serve as a place of memory and education. Click here to read more in local media

Jedwabne, October – A local man, Kamil Mrozowicz maintained the greenery at the entrance to the Jewish cemetery in Jedwabne. Click here to read more on Facebook

Łódź, ongoing – The local Jewish community and the NGO “Strażnicy Pamięci – Guardians of Remembrance” routinely clear the cemetery of vegetation. Ruth Ellen Gruber, director of JHE, 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

Markuszów, August – The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland oversaw tree maintenance at the local Jewish cemetery, completed with support from Professor Dan Oren, Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, and local authorities. Click here to read more

Myszyniec, October – Thanks to the initiative of Barbara Wojciulewicz and the “Kulturalne Kurpie” Foundation, a cleanup of the local Jewish cemetery took place with help from local seniors and children—supported by tools donated by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage and Aharon Shachal. Click here to read more 

Mszana Dolna, September 13 – 25 volunteers — including schoolchildren from Mszana Górna and Kasina Wielka — joined teachers and community members to clean and restore the Jewish cemetery as part of the 2025 “Story about the Jewish Cemetery” project and European Heritage Days. Click here to see more on Facebook 

Nowy Żmigród, September 8 – More than 20 volunteers from the US, Canada, and Israel made a photo documentation of some of the gravestones at the Jewish cemetery in Nowy Żmigród to preserve them digitally, visiting local heritage sites and meeting community leaders, in a project organized by the New York Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Jewish Heritage Travel Agency in cooperation with Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland and the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage. Click here to read more 

Oświęcim, August 27 – Students from the Philipp Melanchthon Gymnasium (Germany) helped clean and restore the local Jewish cemetery. Click here to see more on Facebook

Przasnysz, September – The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage commissioned grass mowing and removal of self-seeded trees at the Jewish cemetery in Przasnysz. The work was carried out by Michał Opalach’s company and funded by descendants of Przasnysz Jews in cooperation with Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland. Click here to read more

Skorogoszcz, October – Volunteers led by the activist
Slawek Pastuszka cleaned up the tiny Jewish cemetery, where maybe as few as 20 people were ever buried, the last in 1859. The work was carried out in cooperation with the Cultural Heritage Foundation and thanks to funding obtained by it from the National Centre of Culture as part of the  2025 Cultural Intervention program.  See more on Facebook

Tomaszów Mazowiecki, ongoing – The latest action took place on September 21. Actions are led by Paweł Kulig, who brings volunteers with different backgrounds, including high school students and teachers. Click here to find more on Facebook

Warsaw, ongoing – Restoration, clean-up, archaeology, and other work continue on a regular basis at the vast Okopowa st. Jewish cemetery. As part of this, students from the Saska Szkoła Realna worked in part of the cemetery in September, as part of a program supported by a grant from the National Centre for Culture awarded to the Cultural Heritage Foundation under the Culture Intervention program.  Click here to see more on Facebook 

Wielkie Oczy, September 9 – More than 20 volunteers from the US, Canada, and Israel restored the fence of Wielkie Oczy’s Jewish cemetery and visited the former synagogue, with the project organized by the New York Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Jewish Heritage Travel Agency in cooperation with Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland and the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage.. Click here to read more

Wrocław, New Jewish Cemetery, August 24-September 3 – The ASF invited primarily people aged 40 and over, but was open to anyone who was interested, to clean up the cemetery. The focus that year was on the old, largest part of the cemetery, which had served as a final resting place until the end of the Second World War. This place had been neglected for a long time and had been damaged in many places. The northern half was heavily overgrown and there were numerous graves in need of care. Click here to find out more 

 

ROMANIA

Alba Iulia, July 21-30 – The 12th Conservation and Restoration Camp at the Jewish Cemetery in Alba Iulia gathered students and experts ifor an interdisciplinary workshop on stone restoration, history, and Hebrew epigraphy, expanding long-term efforts to preserve this historic site. Click here to see more on Facebook

Miercurea Ciuc, September – The city of Miercurea Ciuc restored the Jewish cemetery, repairing tombstones and clearing vegetation, with plans to make it accessible and honor the memory of the city’s historic Jewish community. Click here to read more in local media

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

Buciumi, ongoing – Click here to see more on Facebook  

Hida (two Jewish cemeteries), ongoing – Click here to see more on Facebook

Meseșenii de Sus, ongoing – Click here to see more on Facebook

Șimleu Silvaniei, ongoing – Click here to see more on Facebook

Jibou, August – Click here to see more on Facebook

Zalău, ongoing – Click here to see more on Facebook 

 

RUSSIA

Astrakhan, August – After a natural disaster damaged graves at a Jewish cemetery, funds totaling 35,000 rubles were raised to remove fallen trees and restore the site. Click here to see more on STMEGI News

Novozybkov, July – Jewish community members cleaned up the local Jewish Cemetery by clearing debris, mowing grass, and cutting hazardous trees, with the city administration set to remove the remaining trash. Click here to read more on STMEGI News

Kursk, August – Members of Kursk’s Jewish community cleaned and maintained the three local Jewish cemeteries. Click here to read more on STMEGI News 

 

SLOVAKIA

Dunajská Streda, August – The repainting of faded registration numbers on the tombstones was led by József Schwartz, head of the local Jewish community, with students from the Hungarian-language school actively participating. Click here to read more on local media 

Košice – Krásna district, 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. Latest actions were held in September. Click HERE to follow the efforts on the Facebook page   Click here to read more 

Michal nad Žitavou, August 10 – 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 to help with  gardening, research, 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

Dubove and Mala Dobron’, August – The ESJF cleaned these Jewish cemeteries in Transcarpathia, which were fenced in 2016 and 2017 with support from the German Foreign Ministry. Click here to find more

Čerkasy, September 28 – 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, October — 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 was completed in October. Click to see more on their Facebook Page