Recording Cultural Genocide and Killing Sites in Jewish Cemeteries
  • Stories
  • Behind the Scenes
  • About
  • Contact
Support
Cultural GenocideCultureSteven Reece

“Poland has a huge hole in it”

Steven D. Reece, Founder and CEO of The Matzevah Foundation, discusses the impact that the destruction of the Jewish community in Poland had one the nation.

Authored by Steven D. Reece

  • Share
The Loss of Jewish Culture
Play Video

'“Poland has a huge hole in it”' Authored by Steven D. Reece

  • Share

Other Stories:

  • Articles

    Oświęcim: Transforming the Town

    Oświęcim was one of the first towns in Poland to be invaded by the German army after the outbreak of World War II.

    Oświęcim: Transforming the Town
  • Places

    Wąwolnica: Social Action

    Wąwolnica's Jewish cemetery was neglected and overgrown. However, thanks to dedicated volunteers and the support of the local government, it is finally being restored and cared for.

    Wąwolnica: Social Action
  • Articles

    Jewish Cemeteries: Desecration and Cultural Genocide

    When Jewish cemeteries are vandalised and destroyed, it is an attack at the very heart of Jewish communities.

    Jewish Cemeteries: Desecration and Cultural Genocide
  • People

    Piaski: Kurt Thomas Eyewitness Testimony

    Kurt Thomas describes the Piaski ghetto

    Piaski: Kurt Thomas Eyewitness Testimony
  • People

    Piaski: Anna Świetlicka Eyewitness Testimony

    Anna Świetlicka (née Łysakowska) was 12 years old when the Nazis occupied her home town, Piaski (Poland).

    Piaski: Anna Świetlicka Eyewitness Testimony
  • Piaski

    Piaski: Vandalism, Misuse and Neglect in the Present

    The Jewish cemeteries in Piaski were desecrated during WWII and used as killing sites. But vandalism, misuse and neglect still continues today

    Piaski: Vandalism, Misuse and Neglect in the Present
View all stories

Recording Cultural Genocide and Killing Sites in Jewish Cemeteries:

  • Engage The Stories
  • Understand Behind the scenes
  • Connect About us
Contact us

This project was funded by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) under Grant No. 2016-597

Recording Cultural Genocide and Killing Sites in Jewish Cemeteries Join us on Facebook

Origins:

Before the Holocaust, Jewish cemeteries were at the heart of Jewish communities, as places where history was preserved and remembered. During the Holocaust, the Nazis saw them as physical and symbolic expressions of Jewish culture. In an attempt to erase all traces of Jewish people, tombstones were toppled, graves desecrated, bones removed, and funerary houses looted. Not content with inflicting physical damage, the Nazis used cemeteries as execution sites, with mass graves excavated for (and sometimes by) those killed.

Goals:

This project will raise awareness of the causes and consequences of cultural and physical genocide within Jewish cemeteries, directly tackling racism, xenophobia and hostility in the present. It will mark the beginning of a planned long-term collaboration between the project partners as part of a commitment to researching these important, yet under-examined, aspects of Holocaust history.

Partners and supporters:
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Staffordshire University Centre of Archaeology The Matzevah Foundation Fundacja Zapomniane Rohatyn Jewish Heritage
Browse our website:
  • Home
  • Stories
  • Behind the Scenes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 Copyright Centre of Archaeology. All rights reserved.

Website by David 'Ed' Edwards.