A few months ago, I received a phone call from a Jewish woman from Poland inviting me to come to Lodz, Poland to conduct prayers at the 80th anniversary of the liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto.
Being a Polish Jew myself, a grandchild of the Lodz Ghetto survivor, Brandla Cwajghaftig from Opoczno, Poland, I felt very honored to be chosen to conduct the prayers there and so I agreed right away.
Unfortunately, in the end the plans didn’t work out and I wasn’t able to be there, but I discovered something beautiful in the process.
While I was speaking to the woman on the phone, I mentioned that I’m looking for an organization that deals with preservation of Jewish cemeteries in Poland so I can help them with their work. She told me that there is one organization located in Brooklyn, known as HFPJC or Avoyseinu, that can use my help.
I immediately contacted them and soon after that I began helping them with their work in Poland.
Over time, I learned how wonderful they are. The entire foundation is completely nonprofit. It’s unbelievable how much effort they put in and how much time they sacrifice in order to save the Jewish graves, not just in Poland but also in many other countries in Eastern Europe such as Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Western Ukraine and more.
The Holocaust had left the vast majority of European towns virtually bereft of a Jewish presence. After decades of this void—and lack of awareness among the Western Jewish world—hundreds of cemeteries have tragically been desecrated or compromised for agricultural, commercial or private use. Those that did remain relatively intact are suffering from neglect and decay, a situation unacceptable by Jewish law; honoring the dignity of the deceased has always been among the primary duties of Jewish communities.
Since its founding in the year 2002, The Heritage Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries—HFPJC/Avoyseinu—has worked tirelessly to reverse this appalling situation and has achieved the complete restoration in hundreds of abandoned Jewish cemeteries, thus saving numerous gravesites from disgrace.
Under the leadership of the indefatigable volunteers and the endorsement of leading rabbinical authorities, HFPJC/Avoyseinu have already effectively enabled the reconstruction and preservation of over 400 cemeteries and have many more projects on their imminent agenda. Over 260 of these rehabilitated cemeteries are then maintained by competent locals who are accountable for their year-round supervision.
It is worthwhile to quote what Rav Chaskel Besser of blessed memory, a presidium member of Agudath Israel of America, president of the Jewish Nazi Victims Organization of America, and an officer of the Polish Jewish Commission for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland, once wrote in a letter:
“The Heritage Foundation for Preservation of the Jewish Cemeteries/Avoyseinu is a remarkable nonprofit establishment which is headquartered in Brooklyn, NY and is fervently committed to rescuing and restoring abandoned Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe.
“Working in close coordination with, and on behalf of, descendants of these cemeteries, HFPJC/Avoyseinu has forged relationships with municipalities in various cities, determined many a prewar boundary in apparently forsaken, hopeless batei chaim, and has successfully fenced enclosed cemeteries, cleared grounds and re-erected tombstones.
“Perhaps most significantly, they have succeeded in raising among the Jewish public the general awareness of the urgency and sacredness of this holy cause.”
Many cemeteries on European soil are visited by the descendants of the people buried in them, but unfortunately very few visitors are able to locate their ancestors’ graves. That’s because thousands of tombstones were destroyed, removed from the cemeteries or stolen.
There are many cemeteries in these countries that unfortunately no longer resemble a cemetery. However, according to the Jewish tradition the cemetery is where the human remains are, regardless of whether the external signs of the cemetery were destroyed, its boundaries were blurred, or other situations arose that may affect a cemetery’s security.
According to the Jewish law one may never destroy a cemetery because a cemetery is forever.
The fact that the necropolis was built up and some of human remains desecrated because of past earthworks does not mean that Jews no longer consider this area a cemetery—a holy place. Therefore, it’s extremely important that these sites are preserved because there are still people buried there underneath the ground. In such cases, the HFPJC works to identify the original borders and restore the entire cemetery properly.
Over the years, many Jewish cemeteries in Poland were preserved by the HFPJC, in partnership with prominent Jewish foundations and leaders such as Chief Rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich, and the Rabbinical Commission for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland.
Rabbi Schudrich has been working tirelessly together with the local government officials and HFPJC, with participation of many good people living in and outside of Poland, saving the Jewish cemeteries from destruction.
Although over the years a lot has been done to preserve the Jewish cemeteries in Poland, there is still a lot of work that has to be done. The HFPJC/Avoyseinu remains committed to do everything that is necessary to save and preserve the cemeteries.
With the help of all individuals and organizations, government officials and locals, the HFJPC can succeed in the many Polish projects they undertake, and these project partners are properly accredited for their kind help. Learn more at https://hfpjc.com
Yaakov Wasilewicz is a Polish-English translator, Polish genealogy researcher, educator and writer. Yaakov welcomes your questions and comments. He can be reached at [email protected]
