News

The US Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad (USCPAHA) has contracted with the European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative (ESJF) to survey Jewish cemeteries in Latvia, Estonia, and the countries of the former Yugoslavia. With the agreement in place, ESJF will begin work with country partners immediately. The comprehensive surveying of Jewish cemeteries will take […]

Currently, ESJF is carrying out fencing work at this cemetery, with our contractors and coordinators working on site. During these works, matzevot were discovered in the village and returned to the burial place. This is a very common situation with Jewish cemeteries, as tombstones were often removed or taken by authorities or local residents in […]

Our Senior Surveyor Ian Galevskii visited 15 Jewish cemeteries in 7 regions of Bulgaria, covering cities such as Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Gotse Delchev, Dupnitsa, Kyustendil, Berkovitsa, Lom, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Samokov, and Vidin. The surveys we have not yet completed (the next round will begin after Pesach) have already shown incredible results. At several cemeteries that were […]

At the Jewish cemetery in Titel, around 15 tombstones have survived, along with several brick and concrete tomb bases. Most of the preserved gravestones date back to the early 20th century, between 1902 and 1908. Jewish presence in Titel dates to the late 18th century, while an independent community was established in the second half […]

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 […]

The site is located behind the Christian cemetery. Around ten tombstones have survived, belonging to local Jewish families such as Marberger, Steinitz, and Löbl, and dating from 1898 to 1912. According to Yad Vashem, there are 27 records connected to Kovilj. Before the war, the Jewish community included families such as merchant Adam Morgenstern, Franjo […]

These days we are cleaning the area, clearing thick bramble and bushes, and removing garbage that had been thrown into the cemetery. The burial site preserves around ten tombstones. The Giurtelecu Șimleului Jewish cemetery is the fourth cemetery we are fencing in Sălaj county and the tenth in the country. The construction of the metal […]

The burial site is located in the northern part of the municipal cemetery and had long been hidden in bushes and trees. As shown in the drone photos, the area was completely overgrown. To install the fence, the construction team carefully cleared the site. The fencing project at the Titel Jewish cemetery is funded by […]

In Romania, the rededication ceremony at the Jewish cemetery in Medieșu Aurit took place, marking the recent installation of a protective fence at the site. Alongside the ceremony, a lecture on the importance of preserving Jewish cemeteries for schoolchildren was held in Satu Mare. At the event, participants were addressed by Her Excellency Angela Ganninger, […]

However, this percentage can vary significantly between different regions within the same country. In some cases, the gap is substantial, ranging from as high as 80% in one region to 14% in another. This variation is clearly illustrated by the example of Poland. Poland has the highest overall percentage of demolished cemeteries identified by ESJF […]

The village of Opályi is located in the Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg region – an area that borders Slovakia and Ukraine and has an exceptionally high and unique concentration of Jewish cemeteries. The Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg region has 414 such burial sites, as confirmed by our surveys. As the majority of them require urgent physical protection, ESJF pays special attention […]

This report is the most comprehensive survey of Slovakian cemeteries ever produced and includes 745 sites visited by ESJF over a five-year period (link in the comments). The conference, organized by ESJF together with the Federation of Jewish Communities in Slovakia (Židia na Slovensku, ÚZŽNO), was aimed at discussing the protection of Jewish cemeteries in […]