Jewish Heritage Europe

Poland: Long(er) read! Dr. Heidi M. Szpek’s detailed report on the Bagnowka Cemetery Restoration Project’s work in 2022 in Białystok, including recovery of long-buried early 19th century matzevot

In August, members of the U.S.-based  Białystok Cemetery Restoration Project (BCRP), carried out their first field work in the Bagnowka Jewish cemetery in Białystok Poland, since before the pandemic. We posted earlier about some of the discoveries — particularly of the … continue reading →

Poland: an artificial mound outside the Bagnowka Jewish cemetery in Białystok could cover hundreds of matzevot dating back over 200 years

(JHE) — Excavations have begun at a large, artificial mound outside the Bagnowka Jewish cemetery in Białystok where researchers believe possibly hundreds of historic matzevot uprooted under communism from another cemetery were buried. In an announcement, the US-based Białystok Cemetery Restoration Project … continue reading →

Call for proposals: 42st Annual IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. August 21-25 2022, Philadelphia

  The IAJGS has issued a Call for Proposals for the 42st Annual IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, to be held in Philadelphia, PA, August 21-25, 2022. The deadline for submissions is November 21. Reflecting on the location of the … continue reading →

Jewish Cemetery Clean-ups — Round-up #4. Dozens more initiatives. Episodes of vandalism prompt legitimate outrage and widespread condemnation, but the many, many more instances of volunteers cleaning, restoring, and maintaining Jewish cemeteries are often overlooked

We can’t stress enough the importance of this post. Episodes of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries prompt legitimate outrage and widespread condemnation, but the many, many more instances of volunteers and others cleaning, restoring, and maintaining Jewish cemeteries are rarely noted. … continue reading →

Austria: Using QR Codes to provide information on Jewish gravestones and the people they commemorate. A significant — and painstaking — project

Today’s visitors to Jewish cemeteries are often frustrated by their inability to read the Hebrew inscriptions on the gravestones. In Eisenstadt, Austria, this has been remedied by the attachment of stickers with QR codes to each matzevah in the city’s … continue reading →