preserving memory: a new chapter for the Sukhaya Street Jewish cemetery in Minsk

The Jewish Religious Union in the Republic of Belarus has taken a significant step forward in its mission to preserve Jewish heritage in Minsk.

On 23-24 June 2026, with the official permission of the authorities, the Union began the careful relocation of approximately 250 surviving matzevot (Jewish gravestones) and their fragments from the Jewish Memorial Park on Sukhaya Street. The stones have been transported to the grounds of the Daumana Street synagogue, where they will undergo cleaning, documentation and cataloguing.

a site of sacred memory

The Jewish cemetery on Sukhaya Street holds a special place in the history of Minsk’s Jewish community. For more than a century, it served as one of the principal burial grounds for the city’s Jews. Thousands of members of the community were laid to rest here, including individuals whose families helped shape the religious, cultural and social life of Minsk. Among those buried were prominent rabbis, scholars, community leaders and ordinary families whose lives were woven into the fabric of the city.

During the Holocaust, the cemetery became part of the territory of the Minsk Ghetto, turning it into a place of both sacred memory and profound tragedy. It was here that many victims of Nazi persecution were brought, including Jews deported from across Europe, adding another layer of pain to this already hallowed ground.

Despite its immense historical and spiritual significance, the cemetery was closed in the mid-twentieth century. By the 1990s, most of the site had been levelled and transformed into a small city park. A few memorials now stand to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, but the surviving gravestones – approximately 250 in total – have remained scattered on the ground for years, exposed to the elements, neglected and gradually deteriorating.

from neglect to dignity

For years, these stones lay abandoned. Visitors to the park could see them lying among the grass, some broken, others half-buried, with no one to tend to them or read their inscriptions. Many had been displaced during construction work in the area. Others had simply been forgotten. These matzevot, many of which date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, are among the last tangible links to generations of Minsk Jews whose names, family histories and spiritual legacy are engraved upon them.

Without intervention, these stones – and the information they carry – would continue to deteriorate and eventually be lost forever.

Now, for the first time in decades, they are being treated with the care and respect they deserve. The Jewish Religious Union, working closely with The Together Plan in the UK, Jewish Tapestry Project in the USA and other international partners, has secured the necessary permissions to remove the stones from the park and bring them to a secure location for conservation.

what happens next

Over the coming months, each stone and fragment will be carefully cleaned and documented. Epigraphy specialists will read and record the inscriptions, preserving the names, dates and details of those buried here. This meticulous work will ensure that the information they carry is not lost to future generations. Photographs will be taken, translations will be made, and every piece of surviving data will be catalogued in a dedicated database.

Once the conservation and cataloguing are complete, plans will be developed for a permanent lapidarium. This memorial structure will incorporate the preserved matzevot into a unified architectural composition, transforming scattered remnants into a dignified place of remembrance and reflection. The lapidarium will honour the sanctity of the cemetery, preserve an irreplaceable element of Belarusian Jewish heritage and create a lasting memorial for future generations.

a sacred responsibility

According to Jewish tradition, a cemetery is a Beit Olam – a “House of Eternity.” The preservation of burial sites and memorial stones is not only a matter of historical heritage but also a religious obligation and an expression of respect for those who came before us. Jewish law teaches that we are not permitted to disturb the resting place of the dead, but we are also obligated to ensure that their memory is honoured and their graves are maintained.

The Jewish Religious Union bears a special responsibility for preserving Jewish cemeteries, memorial sites and places of historical and spiritual significance in Belarus. Leading this initiative, they are working together with historians, heritage specialists, conservation experts and international partners to ensure that the project meets the highest standards of historical accuracy, religious sensitivity and long-term sustainability.

why it matters

This project is about far more than the preservation of stone. It is about restoring dignity to a sacred site. It is about protecting the memory of those buried there – people who lived, loved, prayed, worked and raised families in a community that was later destroyed. It is about ensuring that the history of Jewish Minsk remains visible and accessible for generations to come.

By creating the lapidarium at the site of the cemetery on Sukhaya Street, we will transform a neglected collection of gravestones into a place of memory, education and spiritual significance – a permanent testament to the Jewish community that once flourished in Minsk.

For decades, these stones lay forgotten. Now, they are finally being cared for.

how you can help

If you have family connections to Minsk, a personal interest in preserving Jewish heritage, or would simply like to support this important initiative, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please get in touch at [email protected].

For supporters in the United States, donations to this project can be made through our sister 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation, Jewish Tapestry Project.