Headstones from the Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery in storage
On September 10-11, a dedicated team from The Together Plan, along with members of the Lech Lecha Jewish community in Minsk, embarked on a historical journey from Minsk to Brest, Belarus (formerly known as Brisk or Brest-Litovsk). The trip was a key event in the European Days of Jewish Culture festival, organised under the patronage of the European Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Jewish Culture and Heritage (AEPJ). This year’s festival theme, “Family,” made the two-day exploration of Brest’s Jewish past all the more poignant.
European Days of Jewish Culture 2024 – in the storehouse in Brest, learning about the lost Jewish community of Brest-Litovsk
Day One: A Walk Through Jewish Brest
The first day of the trip brought the participants face to face with Brest’s rich Jewish history. Led by Efim Basin, a historian and The Together Plan’s Brest Heritage Coordinator, the group toured key Jewish sites that have been remarkably preserved for over a century. From synagogues to yeshivas, and the homes and workshops of Jewish families, every corner of the city revealed a story from the past. The streets, once bustling with Jewish life, still hold the echoes of the vibrant pre-war community. As Ekaterina Kulakova from the Lech Lecha Jewish community shared, “I’ve never been to Brest before. Every courtyard, street, and house was once filled with the Jews of the Brest community. The guided tour of the historic city center helped to get a sense of this. I will return to this city many more times to savour the atmosphere of this place.”
European Days of Jewish Culture 2024 – Artur Livshyts leads a talk at the site of the future Lapidarium (memorial)
Day Two: Preserving the Past Through Matzevahs
On the second day, the group had the chance to witness an extraordinary piece of Brest’s Jewish heritage: more than 1,200 remnants of Jewish gravestones, or matzevahs, that were desecrated during World War II. The Together Plan has safeguarded these fragments, which were rediscovered over the past two decades, and currently they reside in a safe storage facility. There, Yuli Verkholevsky, an expert on Jewish headstones, gave a powerful lecture on the symbolism, epitaphs, and traditions of Jewish gravestones.
Participants, including the youth from the Lech Lecha community, learned how to read the basic inscriptions on these headstones, uncovering details about the deceased’s name, family, and date of death. Svetlana Sologubova, another participant, reflected on the experience: “I had no idea that the Brest community was once so large. These matzevahs tell a story. I immediately imagine people who lived over a hundred years ago and what kind of families, traditions, professions they had. It’s a whole heritage that’s important to preserve.”
European Day of Jewish Culture 2024- The Together Plan workshop on Brest and the community of the past
A Vision for the Future: Brest’s Lapidarium
The group also visited the future site of Brest’s first Lapidarium, a memorial project dedicated to preserving the memory of the city’s Jewish cemetery. Artur Livshyts, co-founder of The Together Plan, shared the vision behind this initiative: “The Lapidarium will stand as a testament to Brest’s Jewish heritage. It will honour the community that was once so large and which was brutally extinguished, while educating visitors about Brest’s Jewish past and present.”
The project holds deep meaning for many, as David Korshikov of the Lech Lecha Jewish community expressed: “The preserved matzevahs are living witnesses to the history of Jewish communal life in Brest and an important part of Jewish historical and cultural heritage. What happened to these headstones during and after World War II is sacrilege. The future memorial will be a reminder of that for everyone.”
The trip to Brest offered a unique opportunity for the participants to not only explore a rich history but also reflect on the importance of preserving and honouring the memory of the Jewish community that once thrived there. Through initiatives like the Lapidarium, this legacy will continue to be passed onto future generations.
European Day of Jewish Culture 2024- The Together Plan team leading a workshop in the storage warehouse in Brest – where the 1249 gravestones from the Brest-Litovsk Jewish cemetery are being stored
For more information regarding the Brest-Litovsk Jewish Cemetery Memorial Project – click here.
The Together Plan has been a member of the AEPJ since 2019. The development of tours, cultural programmes, visits and talks is all part of The Together Plan’s work to build a Jewish Heritage Route through Belarus – you can read more here. To get involved or to learn more – please contact us here.
To support our work please click here