Relying on preliminary sources, ESJF Senior Surveyor Ian Galevskii and local coordinator Ekaterina Karaseva have begun fieldwork, planning to survey around twenty cemeteries across Bulgaria, starting in Sofia. At present, the full list of known Jewish cemeteries in the country includes nearly 40 sites.
Their work includes locating each cemetery on the ground, mapping its boundaries, and documenting it through photos, videos, and drone footage. They also complete detailed questionnaires to record key information such as the cemetery’s size, the number of preserved tombstones, the presence of fencing, the general condition of the site, and any potential threats.
ESJF’s surveys in Bulgaria are part of a broader plan to document Jewish cemeteries across the Northern and Southern Balkans, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Slovenia.
This work is made possible thanks to funding from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad.
the Jewish sector of the Sofia Central сemetery