Project Launched to Preserve Jewish Graves in Ukraine

(lubavitch.com) The Jewish Community of Zhitomir, under the leadership of Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, has launched a project to restore and preserve approximately 1,500 Jewish cemeteries scattered throughout Ukraine.

The project will be funded by Chevra Kadisha, an organization dedicated to this cause. Many of the Jewish cemeteries that will be part of this project are located in towns and villages where there is no longer a local Jewish population or where there are very few Jewish residents.

The Jewish graves in these cemeteries are in serious disrepair, and are often the target of local vandals.

The project was formally begun this week. In the first phase of the project, a thorough inventory of all Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine will be prepared, with information as to the degree of neglect, damage and defacement. The staff will attempt to compile lists of famous individuals who are buried in these respective cemeteries.

In the second phase, the cemeteries will be restored and a system for maintenance will be established. 

Source: fjc.ru