 |
France: Skinheads jailed for vandalising Strasbourg cemeteries; Germany: New technique helps preserve inscriptions, documentary about Berlin Weißensee cemetery; Macedonia: Holocaust centre inaugurated; Netherlands: Local research project, Excess vegetation cleared at cemetery; Russia: Malakhovka cemetery extended; UK: Metal stolen from Blackpool cemetery. |
Dutch Municipality Contributes to Research on Local Jewish Cemetery
March 2, 2011 – The municipality of the Dutch town of Maasdonk, located in the province of North Brabant, is providing 3,500 euros for research on the local Jewish cemetery in Geffen. A further 1,500 euros will be provided by a local history club. The aim of the project is to determine the number and type of graves at this site first mentioned in 1693 and which is believed to be the oldest Jewish burial ground in Brabant. Read the original article (in Dutch).
Malakhovka Jewish Cemetery Extended
March 2, 2011 – A new section of the Jewish cemetery in the Russian town of Malakhovka, near Moscow, was recently inaugurated. Purchased by the local Jewish burial society on behalf of the Jewish community, the extension will help reduce the shortage of Jewish burial space in and around Moscow. A special prayer was organised at the occasion of the plot’s inauguration. Read the original article.
Three-dimensional Techniques Help Preserve Inscriptions
March 7, 2011 – A new technique involving three-dimensional scanning has been proved useful in deciphering tombstone inscriptions that have faded as a result of the negative effects of weather exposure. Developed by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Calculation of Heidelberg University, the method has been used by a regional cultural heritage conservation authority in order to document historic inscriptions at the Worms “Heiliger Sand” Jewish Cemetery. The scientific work is being carried out by Jewish epigraphics expert Professor Michael Brocke of Duisburg and his team of researchers, who will make the documented inscriptions accessible online. A local bank has committed to providing funds for the study of 22 gravestones. Read the original article (in German).
Holocaust Memorial Centre Opens in Macedonia
March 10, 2011 – A new memorial centre, dedicated to the memory of Macedonian and Balkan Jews who perished in the Holocaust, was opened in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. The opening ceremony was attended by the country’s president and included a video address by U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton. The exhibit focuses on the life of pre-Holocaust Macedonian Jewry and includes several hours of interviews. 7,148 Macedonian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and only 50 survivors returned to the country after the War. Read the original article.
Volunteers Clear Borculo Jewish Cemetery
March 21, 2011 – Following an extended period of negligence, volunteers have removed excess vegetation at the Jewish cemetery in the Dutch town of Borculo. As a result of vegetation overgrowth, the burial ground had been misused as a playground and leisure area. The local municipality hopes that the clearing of vegetation will help restore calm and dignity to the site. Read the original article (in Dutch).
Metal Stolen from Blackpool Jewish Cemetery
April 1, 2011 – Thieves stole copper taps and standpipes from an ohel at the Carleton Jewish Cemetery in the UK town of Blackpool, causing thousands of pounds’ worth of damage. According to the local Jewish community, no graves were disturbed in the incident. The police have launched an investigation. Read the original article.
Six Individuals Jailed for Vandalising Strasbourg Cemeteries
April 1, 2011 – Further to the arrest of eight individuals presumed to have vandalised Jewish and Muslim cemeteries in Strasbourg last year, six of them were jailed. The remaining two are under police surveillance. A ninth person is scheduled to be interrogated on the issue. Aged between 18 and 27, the group of skinheads is accused of having vandalised the cemetery on grounds of religious and racial hatred, and two members of the group have admitted to committing the crime. If found guilty, they may face prison sentences of up to five years. Read the original article (in French).
Documentary Released About Europe’s Biggest Jewish Cemetery
April 8, 2011 – Following an extended period of research and preparation, a major documentary film has been released about the Berlin Weißensee Jewish Cemetery, considered to be Europe’s largest Jewish burial grond and covering an area of 42 hectares. The film, which was awarded at the Berlinale film festival, attempts to show the many different aspects of the burial ground which has never ceased to function since it was established in the 1880s, including during the Holocaust. Read the original article and view the trailer (in German).
