the power of together like never before
As we reflect on the challenges that 2023 has presented, it is evident that our commitment to supporting Jewish communities in Belarus has never been more crucial. Despite the obstacles, our dedicated team on the ground in Minsk has shown remarkable resilience, making significant strides forward in our mission. The recent attack on Israel on October 7th has ushered in a new world order, causing a surge in antisemitism and islamophobia and underscoring the urgency of our work. Now more than ever, we must not only shine a light on the history and plight of the Russian Jews, whose narrative has been suppressed for decades, but also ensure that the world starts paying attention. It is through understanding this history that we can begin to unravel the roots of antisemitism. Let us stand united in our pursuit to bring awareness to these vital stories and foster a world built on knowledge, empathy, and shared understanding.
Thank you for all your support in bringing us to this point and as we move forward, please consider becoming a regular donor to enable us to have the strong support we need to take us on the next part of our journey together.
Wishing you a new year filled with peace, hope for better days, good health and happiness
All the best
The Together Plan Team
Upcoming events
The Jews of Crimea and the Story of the Karaites by special guest speaker Evgenia Kempinski Sunday January 7th 2024 (virtual event)
The Jews of Belarus: From the Pale of Settlement to the USSR and Beyond Thursday January 11th 2024 (virtual event)
Restoring Legacy: Reclaiming the Brest-Litovsk Jewish Cemetery Sunday January 14th 2024 (virtual event)
Charity Networking, antiques auction, booze and shmooze (in-person event, north London) Sunday January 21st 2024
Making History Together Exhibition and events – part of Newcastle City Council’s Holocaust Memorial Day programme 29th January – 2nd February 2024
The Israeli Boxing Rabbi from Gomel Belarus – in conversation with WBA super welterweight world champion Yuri Forman. Sunday February 25th 2024
Sunday March 3rd – Annual Supper Quiz 2024 (in-person event, north London)
CLICK HERE FOR ALL OUR EVENTS AND TO BOOK TICKETS
The Together Plan at work in 2023 - restoring the legacy of Jewish Belarus
As we bring 2023 to a close, let’s take a tour of what The Together Plan has been doing and why.
Click here for the article
the antisemitism conundrum - a complex web woven through time, and a time to reimagine
As we unravel the stories hidden in the annals of history, it becomes clear that antisemitism is not an isolated phenomenon but a complex web woven through time. In this interconnected world, the key to progress lies not just in the information at our fingertips but in our capacity to use it wisely and empathetically.
Click here to find out what steps The Together Plan is taking to address this
reclaiming the Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery
Over 80 years ago, the Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery in the southern part of Belarus witnessed a devastating act as the cemetery was dismantled and headstones were desecrated and repurposed. On January 14th – The Together Plan will be telling the story and laying out the road map to build a stunning new memorial.
Click here to read more and find out how to register for the event
genealogy, entropy and a journey back in time - Stephen Cohen’s story
Most people cannot attribute the origins of their lifelong hobby to a 2nd grade class project, but for Stephen Cohen of New York, his family tree which now includes thousands of people began with a hand-drawn assignment from when he was just seven years old.
Click here to read the article
Gilbert’s Ghetto Guides
The experience of Jews in the area that is now Belarus has its rightful place in Sir Martin Gilbert’s histories of the Holocaust. As a feature of our monthly newsletter, share with us some of his prolific work.
Click here for this month’s guide – Episode 13 – Righteous Diplomats Part 3 by Esther Gilbert
Belarus ancestry and archives - we can help
The Together Plan has been helping people locate records in the Belarus archives for some years. There has never been a more exciting time for people to connect to personal history – or for that history to have a greater impact on world knowledge!
If you are looking for assistance with regards to the Belarus archives and would like to make an appointment to speak to us and discuss your requirements, please email us at [email protected] – we are ready to help
a call for some ad hoc volunteer help with our Humanitarian Aid project in the north London area
Our Aid Together volunteer team are often asked to collect donations from various places in and around the North London area. Would you be interested in helping transport aid to our warehouse in Watford from time to time? There is no regularity to this and it would be totally voluntary on an as and when required basis. For more information please contact us here.
Event details
The Jews of Crimea and the Story of the Karaites by special guest speaker Evgenia Kempinski
A talk with Qesher – Discover, Learn, Connect
Sunday January 7th 2024
USA 12:00 pm PT / 3:00 pm ET
UK 8:00 pm / France 09:00 pm / Israel 10:00 pm
Virtual talk
The talk will last approximately 90 minutes
A donation from this talk will be made to The Together Plan
The peninsula of Crimea, on the northern shore of the Black Sea, has been historically a land of different peoples and contested borders. It was once the territory of Greek colonies, then a province of the Ottoman Empire, later the naval base of Russia and until recently, the holiday resort of independent Ukraine. Today it is once again immersed in conflict.
Crimea also has a long history of Jewish settlement. Jews may have first settled here during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The legendary Khazaria state, whose elite converted to Judaism, was located here in the 8th and 9th centuries.
Two different Jewish communities lived side by side in Crimea for a very long time: traditional Jews and Karaites. We are going to visit Crimea and learn the differences between traditional (Rabbinic) and Karaite (Non-rabbinic) Jews. We will talk about Jewish agricultural settlements, Zionist training camps and Soviet Jewish collective farms and the history and traditions of the Karaites in the Russian Empire, as well as their story of social and political success. We will also look at the Synagogues, Karaite praying homes (Kenesas) and old Jewish cemeteries.
To book tickets click here
The Jews of Belarus: From the Pale of Settlement to the USSR and Beyond with special guest speakers Artur Livshyts and Debra Brunner of The Together Plan
A talk with Qesher – Discover, Learn, Connect
Thursday January 11th 2024
USA 12:00 pm PT / 3:00 pm ET
UK 8:00 pm / France 09:00 pm / Israel 10:00 pm
Virtual talk
Belarus’ Jewish story is rich, vital, traumatic, fascinating and barely spoken of. The modern country of Belarus can trace its origins to Slavic peoples who entered the area in the early Middle Ages. The territory was ruled at different times by Lithuania, Poland and Russia. It was invaded by Nazis in 1941 and with redefined post-war borders it came under the rule of the Soviet Union as a territory within the USSR until 1991.
This talk will give a snapshot of the history of the Jewish people of Belarus, the legacy on the Belarusian Jewish community of today, and an insight into the building of Jewish Cultural Heritage Trail under development, a new project initiated by The Together Plan Charity.
Learn from the Jewish activists offering support, training and aid to Belarusian communities today, in order to help them become self-sustaining again.
To book tickets click here
A donation from this talk will be made to The Together Plan
Restoring Legacy: Reclaiming the Brest-Litovsk Jewish Cemetery
Sunday January 14th 2024
Time: 19:00 GMT, 11:00 USA PT, 14:00 USA ET, 21:00 Israel, 22:00 Belarus
Virtual talk – free event
Over 80 years ago, more than 1200 remnants of headstones that once stood in the Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery, in the south of Belarus, were desecrated and used for other purposes. These headstones have been discovered over the last 20 years and will finally come home to rest in a stunning memorial.
This memorial will be a testament to Brest’s rich Jewish heritage, acknowledge and honour the community that was so brutally extinguished, and educate visitors about Brest’s Jewish community of today.
Join us on January 14th where we will be telling the story of this incredible project.
How did the cemetery disappear?
What happened to the matzevot?
How did The Together Plan discover become involved?
What has been done so far and what are the plans for the future?
Where are the 1249 salvaged headstones at the moment?
How does this memorial play a pivotal role in Jewish history?
How will it help to support the functioning Jewish community in Brest today?
This event will be recorded.
Charity networking, antiques auction, booze and shmooze
Sunday January 21st 2024
7pm
Finchley Reform Synagogue, 101 Fallow Ct Ave, London, N12 0BE
Join us for an evening of networking and socialising with members of the BNI Chipping North London business network where the Together Plan is a nine year member.
The jovial Jonathan Myers will be our special guest speaker and he will regale us with his expertise and antiques anecdotes. He will also be auctioning some wonderful and curious artefacts with all proceeds going to the charity.
Jonathan is one of London’s famous black taxi drivers. He started buying and selling antiques about 15 years ago and completed a two year course at the Hampstead Institute on identifying and understanding antiques. He has also completed a 3 year watchmakers course dealing with antique and vintage watches.
Funds will be raised in support of community projects at the Polotsk Community in the north of Belarus and the sending of humanitarian aid.
To book tickets, click here
Holocaust Memorial Day Event
Newcastle City Library
Thursday February 1st 2024
4:45-6:50pm
THE RESCUERS uncovers the largely unknown stories of 13 heroic and courageous diplomats who, at tremendous personal cost, saved tens of thousands of Jews during World War II. The film follows Stephanie Nyombayire, a young Rwandan anti-genocide activist who lost 100 members of her family in the Rwandan Genocide of the 1990s, and Sir Martin Gilbert, the renowned 20th century and Holocaust historian, as they travel across 15 countries and three continents interviewing survivors and descendants of the diplomats. Nyombayire and Gilbert explore “the mystery of goodness” and “moral courage in the face of danger” in contemplating the horrors of the past, in part, to better understand what should be done to stop the ongoing genocide in Darfur and elsewhere.
Often going against their own government policies, many of the World War II diplomats, who were not Jewish, willingly sacrificed their careers, families and livelihood, working desperately to save people they didn’t know. Their actions raise the question of the mystery of goodness. What leads one person and not another, to do the right thing regardless of the consequences they may face? What causes one human being to bypass praise or reward for his action, and just do something good and right because his instinct, soul and spirit knew he had to, at all costs and by any means necessary?
Executive Producer Joyce D. Mandell and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Michael King.
Watch the trailer here
Doors open 3.45pm for ticket holder access to The Together Plan’s ‘Making History Together’ exhibition exploring the Holocaust in Belarus between 1941 and 1944, followed by the screening of ‘The Rescuers, the Heroes of the Holocaust’ at 4.45pm with a virtual Q&A with Lady Esther Gilbert.
Click here to book
