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See the November, 2007 photo gallery including 24 pictures of over 100 tombstones from the Dokshitsy Jewish cemetery (courtesy of Franklin Swartz). Recently the town of Dokshitsy, which has no Jewish residents, began to restore the Jewish cemetery by re-erecting the extant tombstones. They need help to finish the job...to preserve their and our history. The cemetery will be rededicated on May 23, 2008.

In November, 2007 Franklin Swartz, an American resident of Belarus, met with the town officials, and inspected the carefully done work. The tombstones, most of which were uncovered during repair work to Pionersky St in 2005, are well preserved.

When the Germans entered Dokshitsy on July 3, 1941, they immediately started to destroy the cemetery. In 1964 during a period of religious persecution, the Soviet(Russian) regime declared the cemetery abandoned, and turned it into a park. Under the current Belorussian government there has been no destruction of Jewish cemeteries. The local authorities and the Belorussian embassy in London have assured us that the entire cemetery, most of which is a vacant lot, will be preserved.

The town is asking for help to help memorialize the Jewish citizens of Dokshitsy. We plan to erect a fence around the entire cemetery, erect two monuments, one "to the generations of Jews that are buried here," and to the memory of eight martyrs from the Holocaust who were buried in a mass grave on Rosh Hashana 1941 including Leah Bloch. Israel Friedman, and six others, to beautify the site where our ancestors were buried for generations. These monuments will be in Hebrew and Belorussian. Across the street we will erect a monument at the site of the Holocaust massacres to note that "among those killed here were more than Jewish residents."

The dedication of this important work will be on May 23, 2008. In the Jewish calender, this is Lag B'Omer. On Lag B'Omer, 1942, and the following days, most of the Jewish inhabitants of the Dokshitsy ghetto, were either murdered in the town or at the ravine across the street from the Jewish cemetery and buried in a mass-grave. I know that you will be with me when I attend the dedication, either in person, or in my heart. If you wish to attend please contact me. Our group will divide it's time between Minsk and Dokshitsy.

Aaron Israel Ginsburg November, 2007

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Please help save our history by making a donation to “The Friends of Jewish Dokshitsy, Inc," using this form. You may also help by giving some time and energy, by making suggestions, and by spreading the word.

• HELP save our history by making a donation.

• In the news. The Jewish Report from South Africa, Memphis Hebrew Watchman, and the Providence Jewish Voice and Herald.

• Submit Photographs and more!

• Read the moving letter by Joe Polliack about a visit to Dokshitsy in 2005 and other comments and family stories.

  • Visit and subscribe to our blog for regular updates..

  • Read about the The history of the cemetery restoration project.