putting the Brest Cemetery Back on the map – we are nearly there!

By Debra Brunner

Twelve years ago, I learned about a Jewish cemetery in Brest, Belarus, that had been completely erased from the map. It was gone—no sign, no markers, no gravestones. Nothing remained to show that generations of Jewish people had once been laid to rest there. Today, two-thirds of that former cemetery site is occupied by a sports stadium. The remaining third—at least until last October—was overgrown shrubland. A whole community, rubbed out of existence.

Soon after learning about the cemetery, I discovered that while the space itself had vanished, the stories hadn’t. The bodies still lay buried beneath the soil, and gravestones from the cemetery were beginning to surface all over Brest—in gardens, in construction sites, in the river, even embedded in roads and pavements. And yet, something remarkable was happening: the people of Brest were doing the right thing. When gravestones were found, they were being returned to the Jewish community.

When I first visited Brest in 2014, I saw some of these recovered stones. They had been dumped. They were surrounded by rubbish, and in short, it was a pitiful sight. It affected me deeply and I knew then that we had to act.

And so began what has become an extraordinary journey.

We started small—raising money to build a fence, clear the area, and protect what we could. But then, unexpectedly, we lost access to the site. Our offers of help were not always welcomed, and our efforts were blocked. Then, in 2019, the gravestones disappeared entirely. After much searching, we discovered they had been moved by local authorities to a warehouse on the outskirts of Brest. Many had been damaged in the process.

I flew out to Belarus with a film crew to document the scene—it was heart-wrenching to witness the devastation. But we didn’t give up. We applied to the local authorities for official permission to access the stones and on 2021, that permission was granted. We were given three years to come up with and action a plan.

And that’s exactly what we did.

With support from a US donor, we were able to painstakingly photograph and catalogue every single gravestone fragment. We reached out to people around the world with roots in Brest, sharing our progress and inviting them to be part of the mission. Then the original donor commissioned a memorial which was designed by U.S. artist Brad Goldberg, and pledged cornerstone funding to bring the vision to life.

Momentum built quickly. In May 2024, we ran a powerful crowdfunding campaign to raise the remaining funds. Alongside this, we hosted a 36-hour exercise bike challenge—a virtual cycle from the UK to Belarus. It was fast, furious, and absolutely exhilarating—and we hit our target!

The memorial build began in October 2024, and I’m delighted to share that the construction is now almost complete. With just a month to go, we are right on schedule, and the final phase of the work is now underway. So stay with us—we can’t wait to welcome you to the official opening this July.

Of course, as with so many projects these days, geopolitics and world events did affect our budget, and we found ourselves needing to raise more funds. So in March, we launched another fundraiser—Stepping Out Together—inviting people across the globe to walk in solidarity. And walk they did! In Philadelphia, Chicago, Greece, Manchester, London… And me? I power-walked a full marathon—26.2 miles—joined by amazing colleagues from my BNI business network. Annie (5) and Eva (15 months), our youngest Together Plan volunteers, walked the last part of the marathon with me—an unforgettable moment that perfectly captured the spirit of community that drives everything we do.

And now, on 28th July 2025, the memorial will be officially unveiled. The date is deeply significant. It marks the day Brest was liberated in 1944, and—tragically—the day 60 years ago that Soviet authorities decided to build a sports stadium on the cemetery grounds.

This memorial is unique in its design. There is nothing like it in the entire former Soviet Union. It doesn’t just commemorate—it restores. It puts the cemetery back on the map, and with it, a forgotten chapter in the story of Jewish suffering and resilience.

I am so proud of what we have achieved together. This has been a global effort—a tapestry of generosity, passion, and belief from people across the world. It’s a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we come together.

To access the catalogue, click here

To read our previous updates and articles in the press – click here

To make a donation in the UK or in the USA, please contact us: [email protected]