ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative

ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative Protecting and preserving Jewish cemetery sites across the European continent

The ESJF survey of all known Jewish cemeteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina has now been successfully completed.Our Senior ...
12/06/2026

The ESJF survey of all known Jewish cemeteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina has now been successfully completed.

Our Senior Surveyor, Ian Galevskii, visited 38 locations where Jewish cemeteries were believed to exist. Fieldwork confirmed Jewish burial sites at 32 of these locations. We are now preparing a list of sites that require urgent fencing and protection.

📍ESJF’s surveys in Bosnia and Herzegovina are part of a broader plan to document Jewish cemeteries across the Balkans and the Baltic region: Latvia, Estonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Slovenia.

This work is made possible thanks to funding from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad.

We are also very grateful for the support of our local coordinator, Ekaterina Karaseva.

Shabbat Shalom!

ESJF fences Jewish cemetery in Manđelos, SerbiaThis Jewish burial site is located within a small section of the municipa...
12/06/2026

ESJF fences Jewish cemetery in Manđelos, Serbia

This Jewish burial site is located within a small section of the municipal cemetery. Three Jewish tombstones have been preserved there, dating from 1885 to 1892.

Without a proper fence, the site was at risk of being gradually overtaken by new burials in the surrounding municipal Christian cemetery.

📌The first Jews appeared in the village of Manđelos in the second half of the 19th century. By the late 19th century, one or more Jewish families lived there, including the Rosenzweig family.

According to the 1931 census, there were no Jews living in the village.
During World War II, local residents provided refuge to two Jewish families: the Rosenzweig family and the David family, including Ruža David and her sons, Miša and Filip David (1940–2025), who would later become a prominent Serbian-Jewish writer, essayist, dramatist, and screenwriter.

The fencing project at the Manđelos Jewish cemetery was funded by the Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office) and made possible with the support of our partners at the Federation of Jewish Communities in Serbia, especially our country coordinator, Ladislav Trajer

ESJF hosts online event dedicated to the legal protection of Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine.During the event, participants...
09/06/2026

ESJF hosts online event dedicated to the legal protection of Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine.

During the event, participants explored the various legal statuses of cemeteries, discussed whether changes to these statuses are necessary, and examined how such changes can affect the preservation of cultural heritage.

The speakers shared practical experience, explained procedures for changing legal status, and reflected on the challenges and opportunities involved in these processes.

📌Recordings of the speakers’ presentations are available at the links below:

Serhii Prokhoda — Deputy Head of the Kryvyi Rih District Military Administration.
https://youtu.be/jgMIKKpt4y0

Oleh Pohorilets — Director of the Державний історико - культурний заповідник "Межибіж" State Historical and Cultural Reserve “Mezhybizh.”
https://youtu.be/KBZ68JuVDGM

Роман Маленков — Head of the State Historical and Architectural Reserve “Ancient Kyiv.”
https://youtu.be/ItrnOACd_nc

Albert Venger — PhD in History, Head of the Department of World History at Oles Honchar Dnipro National University.
https://youtu.be/X7DVjjDK_Wg

We would like to thank all participants for joining the discussion and contributing to the important conversation on preserving Jewish сemeteries in Ukraine.

We are extremely grateful to Vitalii Kamozin, Executive Director of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine, for partnering with us on this event.

The event was held with the support of the Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office).

03/06/2026

ESJF has launched its surveys of Jewish cemeteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Our Senior Surveyor Ian Galevskii has begun fieldwork and plans to survey around 40 cemeteries across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In this country, Sephardic communities historically formed a significant part of the Jewish population. Therefore, we expect to document many Sephardic Jewish cemeteries.

📌Bosnia and Herzegovina is also the first country in which we are surveying Jewish cemeteries in a region where a significant portion of the population is Muslim, making this work particularly important for understanding the region’s diverse heritage.

ESJF’s surveys in Bosnia and Herzegovina are part of a broader plan to document Jewish cemeteries across across the Balkans and the Baltic region: Latvia, Estonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Slovenia. For now, ESJF has already completed the surveys in Bulgaria.

This work is made possible thanks to funding from the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad.

We are also very grateful for the support of our local coordinator, Ekaterina Karaseva.

Az Európai Zsidó Temetők Védelméért (ESJF) nonprofit társaság várja múzeumi szakemberek, ahelytörténet és kulturális örö...
02/06/2026

Az Európai Zsidó Temetők Védelméért (ESJF) nonprofit társaság várja múzeumi szakemberek, a

helytörténet és kulturális örökségvédelem iránt érdeklődők és oktatók jelentkezését a zsidó temetők megőrzéséről szóló országos szemináriumra.

📍Az eseményre 2026. július 21–22-én kerül sor Budapesten.

A rendezvény témái a következők lesznek:

1. Bevezetés a zsidó vallásba, történelembe, hagyományokba és a zsidóság mindennapi életébe
2. Ismerkedés a zsidó archívumok és múzeumok anyagával
3. Zsidó sírkövek feliratainak olvasása és szimbólumainak értelmezése
4. Zsidó örökségi helyszínek felfedezése Budapesten
5. Látogatás egy budapesti zsidó temetőben

A regisztrációhoz kérjük, töltse ki az alábbi űrlapot június 22-ig: https://forms.gle/9wtCcFYzLw8Bw2R49

A jelentkezők a kiválasztás
eredményéről június 26-ig kapnak értesítést.

Kérjük, vegyék figyelembe: a helyek száma korlátozott; az utazási költségeket a résztvevőknek kell fedezniük. Ellátást, és amennyiben szükséges, egy éjszakai szállást biztosítunk. (Szállásigényét kérjük
az űrlapon jelezni!). A szeminárium nyelve magyar.

A szervezőbizottság fenntartja a jogot, hogy indoklás nélkül elutasítson jelentkezéseket.
További információkért vagy kérdések esetén kérjük, írjon Baranyi Máriának a
[email protected] e-mail címre.

A szemináriumot az ESJF szervezi együttműködve a Magyarországi Zsidó Hitközségek Szövetségével
(MAZSIHISZ-Magyarországi Zsidó Hitközségek Szövetsége) és a Német Szövetségi Köztársaság külügyminisztériuma támogatásával (Auswärtiges Amt).
________________________________________

ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative invites professionals working in museums, interested in local history and cultural heritage, as well as teachers, to participate in the national seminar on Jewish cemetery preservation.

📍The event will take place on July 21–22, 2026, in Budapest.

The seminar will cover the following topics:

1 Introduction to Jewish religion, history, traditions, and everyday life
2 Familiarization with collections of Jewish archives and museums
3 Reading epitaphs and understanding symbols on Jewish gravestones
4 Exploring Jewish heritage sites in Budapest
5 Visit to a Jewish cemetery in Budapest

To register, please fill out the form by 22 June. Applicants will be informed of the selection results by 26 June.

Please note: spots are limited; travel expenses must be covered by participants; meals and, if needed, one night’s accommodation will be provided (please indicate lodging needs in the application form). The seminar will be held in Hungarian.

The organizing committee reserves the right to decline applications without explanation. For further information or questions, please email Mária Baranyi at [email protected].

The seminar is organized by ESJF in cooperation with the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSIHISZ) and with the support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

In May, an educational visit to the Jewish cemetery in Giurtelecu Șimleului, Romania, took place following the completio...
28/05/2026

In May, an educational visit to the Jewish cemetery in Giurtelecu Șimleului, Romania, took place following the completion of the fencing project at the site.

Representatives of ESJF met with members of the Jewish Community of Sălaj and presented educational materials on Jewish cemetery preservation, which will be distributed in schools and libraries across the region.

During the visit, participants read the inscriptions on the tombstones that have miraculously survived despite decades of neglect and deterioration. This visit became the first organized visit to the cemetery in more than 60 years.

ESJF completed the fencing of the Jewish cemetery in Giurtelecu Șimleului in April. Today, around a dozen tombstones remain preserved at the site, dating from the late 19th to the mid-20th century.

The construction of the metal fence at the Giurtelecu Șimleului Jewish cemetery was made possible thanks to the financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), as well as the work of our local coordinator in Romania and the President of the Jewish Community of Sălaj (Comunitatea Evreilor Zalau Sj), Dan Has.

The fencing of the Jewish cemetery in Kupyn, located in Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi region (historically Podolia), has been c...
27/05/2026

The fencing of the Jewish cemetery in Kupyn, located in Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi region (historically Podolia), has been completed.

The cemetery has existed since at least the mid-18th century, and around 70 gravestones are still preserved there today, with the oldest dating back to the 1750s. The fencing project at the site was funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt).

📌Jews lived in Kupyn from the early 18th century, and possibly even earlier. By the mid-19th century, the Jewish community numbered 923 people, and by 1897 the Jewish population had reached its peak of 1,351. At that time, Jews made up almost the entire population of the town (96.5%).

From the late 19th century onward, Zionist ideas were especially influential in Kupyn. One of the town’s best-known Hebrew teachers was Zalman Malamud, who, according to memoirs, used the “Hebrew in Hebrew” teaching method and made a significant contribution to promoting the language and modern Hebrew education.

The community suffered greatly during the 20th century. In March 1919, a pogrom was carried out by units of the Red Army. Under Soviet rule, the Jewish population gradually declined. Following the occupation of Kupyn by Wehrmacht forces in July 1941, a ghetto was established in the town. In October 1941, 300 Jews were murdered by Ukrainian auxiliary police and buried in a mass grave at the Jewish cemetery. Another 500 Jewish residents were executed in late 1942.

Today, the Jewish cemetery in Kupyn remains an important historical monument and a lasting reminder of the town’s rich Jewish history. Its protection and preservation are not only a matter of respect for the past, but also an important step in safeguarding the cultural identity and historical memory of the community.

Two Jewish cemeteries were visited during a single guided tour by participants of the ESJF educational program in Satu M...
25/05/2026

Two Jewish cemeteries were visited during a single guided tour by participants of the ESJF educational program in Satu Mare, Romania.

Students from Class 11B of the Johann Ettinger German Theoretical High School (Liceul Teoretic German "Johann Ettinger") first attended a lecture on reading Hebrew epitaphs and interpreting symbols on Jewish tombstones. Then, together with their teacher, they traveled by bus to the Orthodox and Neolog Jewish cemeteries in Satu Mare.

Local journalists also joined the visit at the cemeteries and interviewed students about their experience and newly acquired knowledge.

The program was organized in partnership with the Democratic Forum of Germans in Satu Mare. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Elisa Vaughan and Josef Hölzli for co-organizing the event. We are also grateful to the teachers and principal of Johann Ettinger School, as well as the Jewish Community of Satu Mare (Comunitatea Evreilor Satu Mare), for their cooperation and continued support.

This educational activity was supported by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt).

ESJF fences Jewish cemetery in a Moldovan town that was once 99.8% JewishMarkulești (also known as Starovka, after the n...
21/05/2026

ESJF fences Jewish cemetery in a Moldovan town that was once 99.8% Jewish

Markulești (also known as Starovka, after the name of the landlord, or Kot-Markulești, from the Hebrew phrase ki tov — “this is good,” according to local legend) was founded in 1837 (according to another version, in 1839) as one of the first Jewish agricultural colonies in the Bessarabia region, established on leased land. According to the 1897 census, the town had 1,339 residents, 1,336 of whom — 99.8% of the population — were Jews.

World War II brought an end to this Jewish community. Bessarabia was retaken by Romanian and German forces in July 1941. More than 1,000 Jews were murdered on the outskirts of the town. Later, between September and November 1941, a transit camp for Jews deported to Transnistria operated in Markulești.

📌The Jewish cemetery in Markulești likely dates back to the earliest years of the colony. The oldest identified gravestone ( no longer in its original location) appears to bear the date 1767, around 70 years before the colony itself was founded, which raises questions about its origin. If the date is correct, the stone may have been brought from another cemetery, possibly in Bălți. Today, the cemetery contains more than 200 preserved gravestones, most dating from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the latest burials dating to 1969.

ESJF has now completed the fencing of the Jewish cemetery in Markulești. The project was funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and implemented with the support of our partners, Еврейская Община Молдовы / Comunitatea Evreiască din Republica Moldova (the Jewish Community of Moldova), and our country coordinator, Pavel Tuev.

Wishing our friends around the world a joyful Shavuot celebration. Chag Sameach!

Польовий табір із дослідження єврейської спадщини "Камені пам'яті"Запрошуємо молодь взяти участь у триденному таборі, ор...
21/05/2026

Польовий табір із дослідження єврейської спадщини "Камені пам'яті"

Запрошуємо молодь взяти участь у триденному таборі, організованому ESJF Європейською ініціативою зі збереження єврейських цвинтарів.

Під час табору на вас чекають: практичні воркшопи та лекції про єврейську історію та спадщину на теренах України; польові дослідження єврейського цвинтаря в с. Жабокрич на Вінниччині; екскурсії цікавими локаціями Крижопільщини та Вінниччини.

📅 Коли: 13-15 липня 2026 року
📍Де: селище Крижопіль, с. Жабокрич Вінницька область
👥 Для кого: для молоді віком 18-25 років, яка цікавиться історією та історичною і культурною спадщиною

Умови участі:

Програма є безоплатною.

Організатори беруть на себе витрати на:

• проживання: дві ночі у готелі в Крижополі (двомісні/трьохмісні кімнати);
• триразове харчування;
• усі транспортні переміщення, передбачені програмою.

Учасники самостійно оплачують дорогу до Крижополя, де табір розпочнеться 13 липня о 10:00, а також повернення з Вінниці після завершення програми 15 липня після 20:00.

Реєстрація – за посиланням: https://forms.gle/6tozhgLJXZZwgkjF8
Дедлайн подачі заявки: 15 червня
Підтвердження участі: 19 червня

Організатори: ESJF Європейська ініціатива зі збереження єврейських цвинтарів, Крижопільська селищна рада, Міжнародна міждисциплінарна сертифікатна програма з юдаїки.

Захід відбувається за фінансової підтримки Auswärtiges Amt Міністерства закордонних справ Німеччини.

Field camp on Jewish cemetery research and preservation “Stones of Remembrance"

ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative invites young people to take part in a three-day field camp dedicated to the research and preservation of Jewish cemeteries.

During the camp, participants will take part in practical workshops and lectures on Jewish history and heritage in Ukraine, conduct field research at the Jewish cemetery in the village of Zhabokrych in Vinnytsia region, and join excursions to historical and cultural sites in Kryzhopil and the surrounding area.

📅Dates: July 13-15, 2026
📍Location: Kryzhopil and Zhabokrych, Vinnytsia region, Ukraine
👥Who can apply: young people aged 18-25 interested in history, cultural heritage, and memory preservation

Participation is free of charge.

The organizers will cover:
• accommodation (two nights in a hotel in Kryzhopil in double/triple rooms);
• three meals per day;
• all transportation included in the program.

Participants are responsible for arranging and covering their travel to Kryzhopil, where the camp begins on July 13 at 10:00, as well as their return journey from Vinnytsia after the end of the program on July 15 after 20:00.

Application deadline: June 15
Confirmation of participation: June 19

Organizers: ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative, Kryzhopil Settlement Council, and the International Interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Jewish Studies.

The event is supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Address

Bohdana Khmelnitskogo 51b
Kyiv
01054

Opening Hours

Monday 10:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 10:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 10:00 - 17:00
Thursday 10:00 - 17:00
Friday 10:00 - 15:00

Telephone

+380444861686

Website

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