Cemetery Restoration

DARTMOUTH HILLEL

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Cross Cultural Service Project

BELARUS 2003

Cemetery Restoration

Newly constructed entrance gate to the Indura cemetery

Indura

Indura, Belarus is located approximately 20 miles south of Grodno in northwest Belarus. Prior to the Holocaust, Jews comprised 90% of the population of Indura. Today, no Jews remain and the cemetery was left in disrepair and abandoned for close to 60 years prior to the team's arrival. In Indura, the team worked side by side with community member - town officials, workmen, teachers and school children. With their help, the team was able to erect a fence around the perimeter, right gravestones, document gravestones, and beautify the grounds in only four days of work. The people of Indura provided participants with numerous construction equipment, manpower, and heart. The connections everyone made with the community was tremendous.

Indura Construction Statistics:

4 Days of Work
90 9-Foot Panels of Fence Erected (810 Feet)
Between 50 and 75 Gravestones Righted
Weeds Cleared from Entire Area
Considerable Trash Removed
Over 50 Gravestones Documented through photographs

Some high school students from Indura righting a gravestone

Rabbi Boraz deciphers an inscription on a gravestone

Indura cemetery before the team's arrival

Irina Kholkina '06 and Mike Mina '06 prepare holes for entrance gate

Finished back segment of fence

Ethan Levine '03, Misha and Evan Konwiser '03 contribute to last hole

Ethan Levine '03, Diana Bellonby '04 and Lydia Gensheimer '06 are the focus of attention

Irina Kholkina '06 carries around Veronica, a girl from Indura

Rabbi Boraz speaks during rededication of cemetery

View from Entrance Gate

Sopotskin

Sopotskin, Belarus is located about 20 miles northwest of Grodno in northwestern Belarus. In June of 2002, a different team traveled on the first ever project to Sopotskin to conduct the core of its work. The team traveled back to Sopotskin in 2003 to check on the previous year's work and do further work on the cemetery. Such work included righting more gravestones, photographing decipherable stones and beautifying the grounds. Unfortunately, poor weather impeded the amount of work that could be completed.