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Cemeteries Vandalised in Germany, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Poland and Russia –Germany: Cemetery Consecrated at Former Camp Site – Memorial Stone Unveiled – Schoolchildren Clean Cemetery – Poland:Gravestones Returned to Cemetery – Schoolchildren Take Care of Cemetery -Construction at Cemetery Site |
Subotica Jewish Cemetery Vandalised
11 June 2009 – Between 31 May and 6 June, three separate acts of vandalism occurred in the Subotica Jewish Cemetery, desecrating and destroying a number of gravestones. Located in northern Serbia, Subotica is home to various ethnic and cultural groups. The Jewish community is expecting the authorities to launch an investigation. Read the original article.
Memorial Stone Unveiled in Siegburg Jewish Cemetery
10 June 2009 – In the presence of Holocaust survivors, the mayor of the German city of Siegburg has unveiled a memorial stone in the local Jewish cemetery. The stone, featuring a plaque with the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is part of a project co-ordinated by the Cologne Archbishopric and local secondary schools. On the same day, a new oaktree was also planted in the cemetery. Read the original article (in German).
Jewish Cemetery to be Consecrated at the Site of a Former Concentration Camp in Eastern Germany
9 June 2009 – On 16 June, Rabbi Menachem Halevi Klein of Frankfurt will consecrate the site of a former concentration camp in the Brandenburg town of Lieberose. The area was identified as a mass grave in 1958, when the remains of twelve Holocaust victims were located and exhumed. Additional remains belonging to 577 victims were located and exhumed in 1971; they will be reburied during the consecration next week. Recent excavations aimed at finding an estimated 753 additional remains were unsuccessful, but the Central Council of Jews in Germany is demanding searches be resumed.
Established in 1943 as part of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the Lieberose camp was dissolved in February 1945 and 1342 individuals were shot to death. Read the original articles here and here.
Salzgitter Jewish Cemetery Vandalised
9 June 2009 – Six gravestones have been toppled in the Wolfenbüttel Jewish Cemetery in the German city of Salzgitter. According to the local municipality, removing the damages caused by the vandals will cost some 4000 Euros. The police have launched an investigation. Read the original article (in German).
Gravestones Returned to Siedlce Jewish Cemetery
8 June 2009 – In co-operation with municipal authorities, the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) has returned pieces of gravestones to the Siedlce Jewish Cemetery. During World War II, they had been used for road construction.
Düsseldorf Jewish Cemetery Vandalised
8 June 2009 – 17 gravestones have been toppled in the Urdenbacher Kämpen Jewish Cemetery in Düsseldorf, four of which have been damaged beyond repair. The police have launched an investigation. Established in 1830, the cemetery was in use until 1920 and is one of about ten Jewish cemeteries in the Düsseldorf area. Read the original article (in German).
Ioannina Jewish Cemetery Vandalised
4 June 2009 – In the Greek city of Ioannina, six graves have been vandalised in the local Jewish cemetery, some of which beyond repair. The vandals broke and toppled gravestones, and covered them with animal blood. Read the original article.
Balassagyarmat Jewish Cemetery Vandalised
3 June 2009 – A number of 18th-century gravestones have been vandalised in the Balassagyarmat Jewish cemetery in Northern Hungary. Similar acts of vandalism occurred in the same cemetery five years ago. The police have launched an investigation. Read the original article (in French).
Jewish Section of Nizhny Novgorod Cemetery Vandalised
2 June 2009 – Nineteen gravestones were desecrated in the Jewish section of the Marina Roshcha Cemetery in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod. The police have launched an investigation. Read the original article.
Göttingen Jewish Cemetery Vandalised
1 June 2009 – Three gravestones have been vandalised in the Dransfeld Jewish Cemetery in the German city of Göttingen. A swastika was carved into one of the stones. The police have launched an investigation. Read the original article (in German).
Góra Kalwaria Jewish Cemetery Vandalised
24 May 2009 – The graves of Hassidic Tzaddik Yitzhak Meir Alter and his grandson have been desecrated with anti-Semitic graffiti in the Góra Kalwaria (Yiddish: Ger) Jewish Cemetery near Warsaw. The Tzaddik’s grave is a site of pilgrimage for the followers of the Gerrer Hassidic dynasty. Read the original article.
Schoolchildren Clean Lüdinghausen Jewish Cemetery
19 May 2009 – For the second time, pupils of a secondary school in the German city of Lüdinghausen have carried out an annual clean-up of the local Jewish cemetery. As part of the project, the children received lessons about the fate of the city’s Jews during the Holocaust. Read the original article (in German).
Lithuanian Government Decides to Protect Vilnius Jewish Cemetery
18 May 2009 – The Lithuanian government is working towards the recognition of the 16th-century Snipiskes Jewish cemetery in central Vilnius. Following the recommendations of a prime-ministerial task-force, it has been decided that the boundaries of the cemetery will be determined. Subsequently, the Vilnius municipality will put to tender the creation of a memorial at the site. Source: Baltic News Service
Schoolchildren Take Care of Dabrowa Tarnowska Jewish Cemetery
18 May 2009 – Within the framework of a commemoration programme, schoolchildren of Dabrowa Tarnowska in Poland are taking care of their local Jewish cemetery by visiting and cleaning it regularly. Read the original article.
Dutch Elementary School Adopts Jewish Cemetery
17 May 2009 – Children of a Raalte elementary school have ‘adopted’ the local Jewish cemetery. As part of the adoption, a memorial marker was unveiled at the site. Several weeks a year, the pupils learn about local Jewish history. Read the original article (in Dutch).
Bad Aussee Jewish Cemetery to be Renovated
16 May 2009 – The Bad Aussee Jewish Cemetery in Austria, which according to the Graz Jewish Community is desolate, will be renovated. The Bad Aussee municipality has agreed to cover one fourth of renovation costs. Read the original article (in German).
Jewish Cemetery in Armenia Restored
16 May 2009 – About sixty graves have been restored in the Yeghis Jewish Cemetery in the Armenian region of Vayots Tsor. Rediscovered by an Armenian bishop ten years ago, the 13th-century burial ground was re-consecrated on 22 May in the presence of historians and heritage specialists from Armenia and Israel. The restoration was financed by the Armenian Ministry of Culture. Read the original article.
Jewish Cemetery Vandalised in Oslo
15 May 2009 – A number of graves in the Jewish section of the Sofienberg Cemetery in Oslo have been desecrated with swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti. The cemetery, which was in active use between 1869 and 1917, is a registered landmark site.
Shtip Jewish Cemetery to be Restored
13 May 2009 – The Shtip Jewish Cemetery in Macedonia will be restored, involving the fencing of the site. According to the Shtip Museum, which is responsible for the restoration, the Macedonian government has secured funds for this project. Jewish settlement in Shtip dates back to the early 16th-century. In 1943, the city’s Jews were deported to Treblinka. Read the original article.
Construction at Ostroleka Jewish Cemetery
12 May 2009 – During recent road construction work at the Ostroleka Jewish Cemetery in Poland, human remains were unearthed. The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) and Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland, have protested the construction work, which has been suspended as the search for a solution is ongoing. The cemetery was cleared during World War II. Read the original article.
