[Cz-L]Restoration of Czernowitz & SAdgora cemeteries

Hello Czernowitzers!

     As some of you might know, we at the HFPJC had been approached by one
of the Czernowitzers-Melita (Fuhrman) Vickter-regarding the restoration of
the Czernowitz and Sadgura cemeteries, both of which are apparently in a
rather deplorable condition.

      As many of you probably know, the Heritage Foundation for Preservation
of Jewish Cemeteries (HFPJC), a non-profit organization dedicated to the
restoration of abandoned and/or neglected Jewish cemeteries throughout
Eastern Europe. To date, we have reconstructed tens of cemeteries and
rescued thousands of decadent tombstones, many of which have lain in ruin
for decades. In the past couple of months alone we have initiated/completed
more than a dozen cemetery projects, all upon the request of families and
descendants who were immensely grateful to entrust these sacred projects to
a professional entity.

      For a more detailed and graphic description of the HFPJC's activities,
goals and mode of operation, you can send an e-mail to the following
address-no message needed- in response to which you should receive our
Spring PDF brochure. The last few monthly updates of the particular cemetery
projects are also available in the same manner via the second e-mail
address.

brochure_at_hfpjc.org news04_at_hfpjc.org

     So as you can see on Pg. 2 in the brochure, the very first step is to
arrange for a professional, on-site evaluation. The latter would include
visiting the local government office and obtaining the necessary documents,
permits and original survey showing the boundaries of the cemetery,
measuring the current site and compare to original, quoting a price for the
erection of a durable, concrete enclosure(if necessary), digitally
photographing the graveyard, and of course, a general overview of the
condition of the grounds and stones, etc. Only then will we have a clear
direction as to what the projects will entail. Barring unforeseen problems,
the ideal process would be to first and foremost erect a durable enclosure
to ensure the cemetery's protection, clear the grounds and restore the
broken/toppled/sunken gravestones, and arrange a maintenance contract with a
local to ensure the long-time preservation of the cemetery. Of course, if
the funds are available, we could also photograph the individual tombstones
for future indexing. (In fact, we are in the process of publishing a
beautiful pamphlet including the individual tombstones and inscriptions of a
Romanian cemetery recently restored, as well as a description of the history
of the Jewish population and cemeteries in that town. ) It is imperative
that these cemeteries are protected and preserved, lest the last concrete
memories are lost to us forever, not to mention the wealth of genealogical
information each cemetery contains.

  Melita wrote me that she has already received monetary assistance from some
of you and she's almost ready to order the evaluation. Truth be told, the
real expenses will only be clear afterward once we get the contractors'
quotes, but I do believe that with the support and cooperation of this
wonderful group (I've subscribed to the SIG a while ago, and your web-site
is very impressive!), the projects are entirely feasible. Fortunately,
there are numerous descendants of these cemeteries to significantly ease the
process of raising the necessary funds; there are often less than a handful
of descendants of many of the cemeteries we've restored previously or are in
the process of restoring, making it substantially more complicated.

As I told Melita, time is of essence here. Once the harsh weather sets in
and the place becomes snowed over, we will have no choice but to wait for
the spring, or until the snow melts, whichever happens first.
So if you'd like to participate in any manner, please contact or send your
contribution to Melita at:

Melita (Fuhrman) Vickter
20124 Allentown Drive
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
E-mail: Naturesmom_at_aol.com

If you have any questions or would like to get more information, please
don't hesitate to contact me via e-mail or phone(718-384-6751). Photos
showing the progress of the recent projects are also available upon request.

Thank you. May the merit of rescuing and preserving the dignity and honor of
our ancestors bless you and your families.

Shabbat Shalom!

Toby Mendlowitz
Assistant Director
HFPJC
148 Ross Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Tel. 800-945-1552
Fax 718-228-8368
E-mail: hfpjc_at_thejnet.com
Received on 2004-11-13 23:52:27