Campaign launched to honour memories of 20,000 Holocaust victims in Belarus
1200 remnants of desecrated headstones found, preserved and put together in new memorial
A UK-based charity dedicated to revitalising Jewish communities and preserving their heritage has launched a campaign for a memorial to Holocaust victims from Belarus.
The Together Plan (TTP) is championing fundraising efforts to rediscover, preserve and commemorate more than 1200 remnants of headstones that once stood in the now destroyed Jewish cemetery in Brest, also known as Brest-Litovsk (Belarus).
For the past two decades, the Jewish community in Brest has tirelessly gathered salvaged headstones that once stood in the cemetery that were found scattered throughout the region. It’s taken two decades to discover them all and bring them together in the form of an historic memorial, designed by American artist Brad J. Goldberg.
Together with their partners in Belarus, TTP has photographed, meticulously documented, and catalogued every salvaged gravestone fragment, with the complete catalogue and accompanying images now accessible on the Foundation for Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland’s website.
The Together Plan credits Stephen Grynberg, based in Los
Angeles, the founder of the Illuminate Foundation, as the main driver behind the historic project. His own father and grandparents are among the few to have survived the Holocaust in Brest.
In collaboration with their partner organisation in the USA, Jewish Tapestry Project, the Religious Jewish Union of Belarus, Stephen Grynberg and the Illuminate Foundation and the International Charitable Organization Dialog in Belarus, TTP has raised a third of the necessary £265k for project.
They are now appealing to the international community to help them raise the outstanding £178k.
Debra Brunner, CEO, The Together Plan, tells Jewish News: “In the heart of Brest, the Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery memorial will stand as more than just a tribute to the past; it will be a beacon of hope, a place of connection, and a testament to the enduring spirit of a brave community with a harrowing story.
“With the reclaimed headstones returning to their rightful place, this memorial will become a sacred ground for quiet reflection and remembrance, rekindling the ties between the isolated Jewish community and the global diaspora.
“It will be a tangible link to a lost cemetery, enabling Jews worldwide to reconnect with their roots, while serving as an educational source, preserving the rich history of the Jews of Brest-Litovsk. Above all, it will empower the living Jewish community, instilling pride and ownership in a precious piece of heritage that must be safeguarded for generations to come and we are appealing to the world to help us reach our fundraising target so that we can begin construction in the Spring.”
Building works are scheduled to begin in 2024; to contribute to the fundraising campaign, click here.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
