Jewish Heritage Europe

New Have Your Say by Sergey Kanovich: “Brothers and Sisters in Arms, of Memory. ” German soldiers help clean-up a Jewish cemetery in Lithuania

A German soldiers cleans a matzeva in the Jewish cemetery of Dr. Cornelius , Lithuania Photo courtesy of Sergey Kanovich

For four days in mid-June, about 150 soldiers from the German Bundeswehr’s 45th Panzer Brigade joined members of the Maceva Jewish cemetery preservation group to clean up the old Jewish cemetery and Holocaust monument in Merkinė, in southeast Lithuania. The … continue reading →

Poland: See pix and video of Sunday’s volunteer cleanup at the sprawling Jewish cemetery in Łódź

Volunteers clean the Jewish cemetery in Łódź, Poland, June 15, 2025

It was hot on Sunday in Łódź, Poland, but a dedicated group of volunteers — mainly high school kids — worked enthusiastically to clear part of the vast Jewish cemetery of undergrowth and saplings. It was one of the regular … continue reading →

Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups 2025 — Round-up #1. More than 50 initiatives in 14 countries. (We know we’ve missed some, so please add in the comments)

An overgrown part of the Muiderberg Jewish cemetery near Amsterdam

Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups — Our first round-up of initiatives for 2025. More than 50 actions from 14 countries Every year on Jewish Heritage Europe, we post round-ups of initiatives and projects aimed at restoring and cleaning up Jewish cemeteries all … continue reading →

Poland: Opportunities to volunteer to help clean up a Jewish cemetery this summer

A volunteer washes a matzevah during the workshop in 2022. Photo: courtesy Heidi M. Szpek/BCRP

People often want to know how they can volunteer to help clean up a Jewish cemetery. Several volunteer opportunities for this coming summer have already been announced: Białystok The Białystok Cemetery Restoration Fund (BCRF) welcomes volunteers for its 2025 annual … continue reading →

Hungary: NGO says 2024 was its biggest year of progress to date in cleaning and restoring the vast Kozma utca Jewish cemetery in Budapest.

A worker in the Kozma utca Jewish cemetery, Budapest, 2024

The NGO working to clean and restore the vast Kozma utca Jewish cemetery in Budapest reports that 2024 was a “banner year” and its biggest year of progress to date. By the end of December, the Friends of the Budapest … continue reading →