Statement of Objectives

The "Poland Jewish Cemeteries Restoration Project" (PJCRP) has two major objectives:

1. RESTORATION/PRESERVATION-of hundreds of still devastated Jewish cemeteries in Poland, recognizing the important efforts already underway on specific sites and the need for continued funding for perpetual care of every site.

2. DOCUMENTATION-photographing and translating every monument; filming documentaries of before, during and after restoration; and, making all of this freely available on the Internet through our the PJCRP website (not yet up), through JewishGen and others.

An estimated 3 million Jews were murdered in Poland during World War II leaving behind many devastated cemeteries and synagogues. With almost no assistance under the Soviets and with no resources to pay for restoration and preservation, the few Jews left in Poland (about 10,000 to 30,000 today) had little option but to leave these sites to further decay.

From the "SURVEY OF HISTORIC JEWISH MONUMENTS IN POLAND" (see http://www.preservationcommission.org/plrep.PDF) we know that over a thousand Jewish cemeteries existed within Poland before the Holocaust. Of these, 487 have at least one gravestone, and of these, 134 have between 20 and 100 gravestones; 83 have between 100 and 500 gravestones; 37 cemeteries, including those at Biala, Sieniawa, Przemysl (II), and Szydlowiec, have between 500 and 5,000 remaining gravestones. Seven cemeteries in Bialystok, Krakow, Lodz, Warsaw, and Wroclaw have over 5,000 gravestones. The authors noted a variety of serious threats:

· overgrowth of many years of vegetation and erosion
· vandalism
· pollution
· planned development of offices, schools, stadiums, bus stations, and warehouses.

Only 190 cemeteries were totally enclosed by a wall or fence and 399 sites remain used only as Jewish cemeteries (although there are few if any new burials); 303 sites are used for agricultural (usually grazing) or recreational purposes, 96 for industrial or commercial sites, and 72 for garbage dumps.

An estimated 80% of Jews in the US can trace their roots to Poland, yet until very recently, have done little to restore the holy sites of their thousand year old heritage in Poland. They care for the cemeteries in the Diaspora, but have almost neglected those of their close relatives in Poland, including parents, grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts, as well as those murdered by the Nazis and buried in mass graves in almost every Jewish cemetery in Poland.

Why restore the Jewish cemeteries of Poland? Here are just a few important reasons:

· to recover and restore what is left of Jewish heritage in Poland;

· honoring the dead and care of cemeteries is the highest level of Mitzvot (good deeds) that a Jew can perform…because the dead cannot give thanks.

· to remember the hundreds of thousands of Jews murdered by the Nazis, buried in mass graves in most of the Jewish cemeteries and in nearby forests;

· we have little time left before the destruction of these sites is complete;

· for valuable genealogical and historical information;

-to improve relations and reconciliation between Poles and Jews;

· for Jewish and non-Jewish tour groups, traveling through Poland, especially Jewish youth, eager to learn about their heritage.

 
Dr. Norman L. Weinberg
PJCRP, Executive Coordinator
nweinberg@adelphia.net
Tel. 716-688-5272
Fax 716-636-6093