An international group of supporters is working to restore the Jewish cemetery in Trzcianne.
The Jewish cemetery in Trzcianne ("Trestina" in Yiddish) had no identifying signage and was completely overgrown with trees and shrubs, when the restoration project started in 2017.
Unmarked main entrance to the cemetery (with project leader Bill Brostoff and his wife) 2016
The only signs indicating the presence of the cemetery were some rustic, country-style, gravestones made of fieldstone.
Representative gravestones found 2017
Currently, a dozen or so headstones are visible. An unknown number of headstones remain hidden, however, under a thick layer of matted and decomposed vegetation that has accumulated since the German army occupied and largely destroyed Trzcianne in 1941. It is likely that further degradation has since taken place.
Several organizations and individuals have expressed their support for the restoration project, including:
- The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODŻ)
- Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich
- The mayor of Trzcianne and other town officials
- Dr. Tomasz Wisniewski, a Polish filmmaker, author, and expert on Jewish cemeteries in Poland, who has helped restore several other cemeteries, including the ones in the nearby town of Knyszyn and the city of Bialystok
Work started in 2017 and included a stone memorial installed in 2018, funded by the project leader and other donors. The local government meticulously cleaned trash from the cemetery and removed weeds from the area of memorial. In 2024, a newly-elected mayor enthusiastically met with the restoration project leader and the Executive Director of FODŻ to restart the project. In particular, the mayor requested that we work with the city and school to design and install an information sign.
On-site meeting with project leader, town mayor, and head of FODZ 2024
The project has also funded a series of memorials listing the names of Jewish families from Trzcianne thought to be buried in the cemetery and purchased historical aerial photos of the cemetery.
Memorial with list of family names installed in collaboration with activists from Bialystok 2023
Our current fundraising goal is $55,000, which will cover some of:
Beyond this initial restoration and preservation effort, we hope to establish an endowment for perpetual care of the cemetery (primarily vegetation maintenance) for approximately US$35,000. Please contact the project leader for additional information.
Further information on the cemetery is available here and here.
Your donation will help preserve this otherwise neglected cemetery and honor the memory of those who are buried there.
Please click on either "Donate" button on this page to make your donation to the Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland Trzcianne project by credit card or Pay Pal. To learn more about how donations are handled or to send a check by regular mail, please obtain information by clicking here.
- Determining the precise boundaries of the cemetery (to address a concern about adjacent landowners encroaching)
- Fencing or otherwise marking the boundary
- Installing an information sign and organizing a ceremony
- Clearing the vegetation to find remaining gravestones and prevent further degradation
- Cleaning and resetting the headstones, transcribing the inscriptions and creating an index
- Holding a rededication ceremony involving descendants, town officials, the local Catholic church and school.
Beyond this initial restoration and preservation effort, we hope to establish an endowment for perpetual care of the cemetery (primarily vegetation maintenance) for approximately US$35,000. Please contact the project leader for additional information.
Further information on the cemetery is available here and here.
Your donation will help preserve this otherwise neglected cemetery and honor the memory of those who are buried there.
Please click on either "Donate" button on this page to make your donation to the Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland Trzcianne project by credit card or Pay Pal. To learn more about how donations are handled or to send a check by regular mail, please obtain information by clicking here.
