13 May 2009
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The Lo Tishkach Foundation has completed a report on legislation and practice relating to the protection and preservation of Jewish burial grounds in Ukraine. The survey, based on preliminary research, finds that most of the country’s Jewish burial grounds – cemeteries as well as mass graves – lack proper demarcation, identification and regular maintenance. |
While virtually all Jewish cemeteries that are currently in use are owned by municipalities and thus receive some form of maintenance, most of the country’s historic cemeteries as well as numerous mass graves are not properly recognised as burial grounds. As a result, they lack legal and physical protection. A 1994 bilateral agreement between Ukraine and the United States on the protection of American heritage abroad, which extends to Jewish cemeteries, has not been properly implemented.
In addition to basic maintenance by municipalities for a limited number of cemeteries, several private initia
