Josh Leitner, Debra Brunner, Emma Phillips and Alfie Grace - some of the walking team!
Blog 7
By Debra Brunner
It’s been a few weeks since my last blog—so much has been happening at The Together Plan—but in case you missed it – there is huge news regarding the Brest Jewish Cemetery Memorial.
After years in storage, 1,250 salvaged gravestone fragments from the Brest (Brisk) Jewish cemetery have finally been brought to the site of the memorial, which is being built on the territory of the original cemetery. At last, they’ve come home—to where they once stood.
Each of these stones represents a life. They should never have been removed. But history had other plans. Originally ripped from their sacred resting places by the Nazis, the stones were repurposed to line roads and pathways, used as building materials, and later discarded—thrown into the Bug River or buried under rubble.
Miraculously, people in Brest began finding them and returning them to the Jewish community. For years, they were shifted from one storage site to another, with no clear plan for what to do next. But when I first encountered them 12 years ago, I knew we had to act. I had no idea how or what that would look like—but I knew they had stories to tell and deserved to return to rest.
These past 12 years have not been easy. The journey has been filled with challenges, doubts, and setbacks. But today, we are on the brink of something extraordinary. We’re in the final stages of creating a breath-taking memorial, and we aim to complete it by the end of July.
To help make that happen, we still need to raise more funds. That’s why I’m training to walk a full marathon—26.2 miles through London on June 8th. Finding time to train amid everything else is a challenge in itself, but it has to be done—or I won’t make the distance!
When the gravestones finally came out of storage, April 24th, I was glued to my computer as Artur, my incredible colleague in Belarus, was sending a constant stream of videos and photos. It was non-stop. I spent the entire day cataloguing and reviewing each image and video as they arrived—fast and furious, and my chair never saw me leave.
That same day, I reached out to Jewish News UK to ask if they would cover the story—and they immediately said yes. By the end of the day, the article was written and published. You can read it by clicking here. Thank you, Jewish News!
It was also Yom Hashoah, which made the moment even more poignant and meaningful.
You can watch the film of the gravestones coming out of storage by clicking here.
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- Gravestones in storage in Brest – about to be moved
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- Gravestones being loaded onto the lorry
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- Gravestones being safely delivered to the site of the memorial and the territory of the Brest Jewish cemetery
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- Gravestones safely delivered
On 24th April, the day that the gravestones came out of storage, I was supposed to have done a 6-mile training walk —but of course, that didn’t happen. It was the first training session that I have missed, but I didn’t let it set me back. I got back to it two days later but got set back by my first blister…grrr! When you are training every other day – it starts to get challenging and there is no time for blisters to heal. But luckily the weather in the UK has been unusually warm so having the opportunity to wear open sandals really helped. I must say I was a bit worried about doing the next big walk – but I am pleased to say that yesterday I completed my longest walk to date—14 miles and my blister made it through (because of lots of protection) – phew!!
It was a fantastic walk, made even better by the company of three members of my BNI business network, who will also be walking the marathon with me on June 8th: Emma Philips of Houseman Properties (lettings and management) Josh Leitner of Evertex Linens (banqueting and events suppliers), Alfie Grace of Projekt Rising (AI business solutions)
We powered our way from Woodside Park (North London) to the Three Mills Museum in East London, where we could see the Stratford Olympic Park—just a stone’s throw away. The first part of the walk took us through busy streets filled with shops, offices, and pubs. Then we joined the tranquil waterways of the Regents Canal, past charming canal-side cafés, locks, and barges. We spotted ducklings, swans, herons, and geese—surrounded by beautiful flora. The walk ended at Limehouse Marina, where larger boats rested quietly on their moorings.
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- Josh Leitner, Debra Brunner, Emma Phillips and Alfie Grace – some of the walking team!
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- Heron’s at one of the locks on the Regent’s Canal
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- Three Mills – the world’s largest surviving tidal mill at Three Mills Island., London E3 – our final stop after 14 miles
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- Me at the Three Mills Museum after 14 miles!
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- The approach to the Three Mills cafe and entrance
A few of us earned some blisters along the way and we were definitely ready for a break by the end. Josh sent a message last night to say ‘I am officially dead’—but the training continues as we move into the final month before the big walk. And now, we also step up our fundraising campaign in earnest.
We’re aiming to raise £40,000—and we believe we can do it with your help. Let’s do this!!
So, if you’re reading this, please click the donate button below ⬇⬇⬇ and help us bring this historic memorial to life. Let’s honour the memory of those whose stories deserve to be remembered—forever, and make history together!
THANK YOU!!
Debra x
To make a donation – click here
To make a donation in the USA – click here
Please email [email protected] for information on how to make offline donations in the UK or USA by bank transfer or cheque/check payments)
To join the campaign and register to walk – (you choose your distance, route and date between April 18th and June 8th) click here
If you are in the USA – register to walk here
with special thanks to our ‘stepping out together’ walkathon sponsors – I will be very happy to introduce you directly
- Houseman Properties – Family-run estate and letting agents, North London.
- Projekt Rising – Customized artificial intelligence solutions.
- Evertex Linens – Specialists in table linens, accessories, and printed textiles for events.
- Walfinch East Barnet – In-home care for independent living.
- Athletic Development Club – Personal training centre, Cockfosters