Hfpjc

Rachiv, Ukraine

Evaluation

Fundraising

PREPARATION

RESTORATION

MAINTENANCE

INDEXING

Evaluation of Cemetery

Heritage Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries (HFPJC), first began evaluating the Cemetery on Sep 06 2006.

The evaluated was initiated upon request of Mr. Shmiel Binyumen Friedman.

Once the evaluation request was submitted, HFPJC representatives set out to visit the site and provide a detailed report with accompanying photos on the condition of the grounds, enclosure and gravestones, naturally reporting any existing or potential threats to the cemetery. A highly important facet is determining the pre-war boundaries by comparing the current borders to cadastral, pre-war maps obtained from the local archives, to ensure that the original cemetery property has remained intact.

As a result of the analysis and assessment, HFPJC has produced the following Evaluation Report.

Restoration Committee

Mr. Shulem Kohn

Mr. Leibi Szydlo

Mr. Abraham H. Horowitz

Raising Funds for the Restoration

Upon receiving the request, the descendants, assisted by the dedicated staff at HFPJC, set out to raise the necessary funds to restore the cemetery.

Chief Sponsors

Rabbi Yakov Tzvi Friedman

Mr. Abraham B. Godinger

Mr. Shmiel Binyumen Friedman

Mr. Chaim Aharon Szydlo

Mr. Isadore Godinger

Rabbi Shimon Breish

Mr. Usher Perlman

Mr. Daniel Walch

Mrs. Judith Friedman

Mr. Leibi Szydlo

Mr. Hersh Landau

Mr. Abraham H. Horowitz

Mr. Mordche Yakov Berger

Mr. Menachem Yida Schlesinger

Mr. Yitzhok Shulem Hollander

Mr. Yakov Hersh Bernat

Mr. Shimon Horowitz

Mr. Israel Bernat

Pre-Restoration Reasearch & Preparation

The Rachov cemetery is located next to a steep hillside, with a stream flowing at its foot. Over the years, the stream gradually washed away the base of the hill, causing a significant erosion that ate away at the cemetery. Graves, stones and human remains were exposed and washed away as the hill gradually deteriorated. After intervention and negotiations for necessary permits, HFPJC constructed gabions at the foot of the mountain, which will prevent further erosion of the mountain and save the cemetery.

Cemetery Restoration Project

HFPJC launched the restoration project on Aug 21 2012. The following restoration works were executed:

Cleared Overgrowth

Constructed Durable Fence

Fence Type:

Repaired / Erected Tombstones atop
New Concrete Foundations

Amount of Tombstones Restored:

The Hfpjc Maintenance Program

Upon completion of the cemetery restoration, HFPJC works with the families to arrange a viable maintenance plan for the cemetery. One cannot overstate how crucially important it is to ensure that a cemetery is maintained, both so that the wild vegetation, left to grow unchecked, doesn't overwhelm and damage the fence, as well as to prove to the locals that this is a place of honor and respect and should be treated as such. Maintenance can either be arranged privately through the family, scheduling periodic, on-site inspections by descendants or visitors, or the family may enroll the cemetery in the HFPJC Maintenance Program.

This cemetery is under the HFPJC Maintenance Program

Maintenance Committee

Indexing & Cataloguing

As a post-restoration service, HFPJC offers to photograph each restored gravestone, transliterate the information culled from the stones, and then catalogue the entire cemetery so that the descendants could receive a full index listing of those buried in the cemetery.

Indexing Requested

Indexing Completed

Photographs of Individual Gravestones available

Photo Gallery

Before

During

After