[Cz-L] Czernowitz Jewish cemetery overgrown with weeds

In recent month, a number of people have written about the overgrown
condition of the cemetery, or have referred to having heard that the
cemetery is overgrown.
I would like to explain some things about the vegetation at the cemetery,
how CJCRO has attempted to eradicate or control this vegetation.

When CJCRO and the volunteer organizations SVIT Ukraine and ASF Germany
started work at the cemetery, the plants which grew densely over the whole
area were:

1. Mature trees which reseed very readily, such as Norway Maple,
   Black Locust and Tree of Heaven.
2. Assorted bushes
3. Young sapling trees
4. Vines and climbing plants such as Vinca and English Ivy.
5. Annual weeds such as nettles, which die every winter, but grow back
   the following spring.
These plants grew both between the graves and very close to them,
As well as on the paths of the cemetery.

CJCRO decided that we would first cut down the sapling trees, before they
became larger and their roots grew into the graves, we also asked the
cemetery administration to cut down some of the old trees which threatened
to fall on the graves and destroy the headstones, or trees which produce
most seeds.
In 2009 and 2010, both the volunteers and the workers who were hired
by CJCRO, together with an employee of the cemeteries administration
cleared certain areas of the cemetery of all vegetation. As each area was
cleared, the cemetery administration was supposed to spray it with
herbicides, in order to prevent the regrowth of all perennial plants from
their roots. Some of the old trees were cut by the cemetery administration,
but unfortunately they did not spray with herbicides as required and shoots
of trees and bushes grew back from the roots. Since this summer we are
employing a new method of eradicating bushes, young trees and vines.
We now paint a solution of herbicides on the stumps of the cut trees, bushes
and vines. Using this method has been very effective, but it is much slower
than spraying herbicides indiscriminately with a spray gun over large areas.

We do not attempt to control the growth of annual weeds. Even though these
can grow quite high, they cause no harm to the matzevot and may actually
prevent seeds of trees from taking root in the soil.

I last was at the Jewish cemetery in July of this year and I know from first
hand that some areas look very overgrown and much remains to be done.

Mimi

On 11/4/12 12:26 PM, "yosi-jerry" <eshet1_at_netvision.net.il> wrote:

> Maybe they sell junk too but it's mainly a farmer's market where I used to
> buy fresh vegetables when in 2006 I made daily visits to the cemetery
> supervising the cleaning and restoration of the graves of my close family.
> Regretfully overgrown again with the vegetation - as I was told.
> Yosef Eshet
>
>
>

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Received on 2012-11-05 11:40:11