Memory Embrace – bearing witness in Brest

At a moving UK premiere screening in north London on Wednesday 25th March, and two online screenings that followed a few days later, Memory Embrace: The Brest Jewish Cemetery, offered far more than a historical documentary, it delivered an act of remembrance, restoration, and quiet defiance against forgetting. The film was introduced by The Together Plan’s CEO Debra Brunner and the charity’s UK patron former British Ambassador in Belarus, Fionna Gibb. Artur Livshyts, co-founder of The Together Plan and Chair of the Jewish Religious Union of Belarus in Minsk, joined for a post-screening Q&A.

Produced by Jewish Life Television (JLTV) in the USA, the film traces the rich and complex story of Jewish life in Brest, historically known as Brest-Litovsk or Brisk, a city whose geography placed it at the crossroads of empires, cultures, and conflict. Through archival material, expert testimony, and deeply human storytelling, the documentary explores how shifting borders and 20th-century political upheavals shaped, and ultimately shattered, a once-thriving Jewish community.

Brest’s Jewish population, which flourished for centuries, was decimated during the Holocaust. Alongside the loss of life came the desecration of sacred space: the ancient Jewish cemetery, a resting place for generations, was destroyed, its gravestones uprooted, repurposed, and scattered. What remained was not only absence, but silence.

It is into this silence that Memory Embrace speaks with clarity and purpose.

At the heart of the film is the story of The Together Plan’s 12-year campaign to reclaim that lost heritage. What began as a response to the discovery of hundreds of displaced gravestones evolved into an extraordinary international effort, uniting descendants, historians, local communities, and supporters across continents. The goal was both simple and profound: to restore dignity to those buried, and to create a permanent memorial on the very ground where the cemetery once stood.

The result is as powerful as it is symbolic. Incorporating 1,250 salvaged gravestones, the memorial now stands as a place of reflection, education, and continuity. It does not attempt to recreate what was lost, but instead honours it, acknowledging rupture while insisting on remembrance.

The screenings were marked by a palpable sense of connection. For many, this was not distant history but personal legacy. The film’s careful weaving of past and present resonated deeply, reminding us that memory is not static, it is something we must actively carry forward.

Here are a few quotes from some of the people who attended one of the online screenings:

‘Wow. I almost don’t know what to say. I’m really teary. It’s amazing what you and Artur have done. It’s mind-boggling, really. What you’ve created and what it means for the future is so important. It shows that the history is there. Jewish life was there. And, you know, please, God, things will continue and communities will grow back and be strong again. The film was beautiful, really beautifully done. And the work that you both in particular, I know, have put into this is so worth it and so important.’ Esther G

‘I just want to say a big thank you really to you both. I’m 74 years old, and when I think about things I’ve done in my life, just participating in your project I feel is one of the most significant things I’ve ever done in my life, because I think what you did is so important.’ Marcia C                                                                                                                           

‘I don’t have family from Brest or that area but I just wanted to say I think this is the most phenomenal project that I’ve ever come across, and the film summarised it really neatly for people with less knowledge of what you’ve been doing there.’ Katharine C

Memory Embrace ultimately asks a vital question: what responsibility do we bear to those who came before us? The Together Plan’s work in Brest offers one answer, through persistence, partnership, and a refusal to allow history to be erased.

As the final scenes faded, what remained was not only a story of destruction, but one of restoration and hope. In giving voice to Brest’s lost cemetery, the film ensures that those once silenced are, once again, remembered.

For more information about Memory Embrace the memorial at the site of the Brest Jewish cemetery, the JLTV documentary or the work of The Together Plan, please get in touch [email protected].