Obj. ID: 57507
Memorials Memorial Monument on the Site of the Jewish Cemetery in Brest, Belarus
Memorial name:
No official name.
Who/What is Commemorated?
Brest Jewish Cemetery.
Description
According to the construction plan, the memorial's central element is a mound where the large gravestones will stand. Two walls will enclose the mound, "each one being 85 meters long". "The smallest gravestone fragments are now being laid as mosaics along the tops of the walls and will be permanently fixed in place". Within these walls, the sandstone pathways have been laid. Additionally, "the approach paths from surrounding roads are now complete" [The Together Plan].
Inscription
Commissioned by
The Together Plan (UK), the Jewish Tapestry Project (US), and the Jewish Religious Union of Belarus.
sub-set tree: 
The Brest (Brest-Litovsk) Jewish Cemetery was established in 1835. "By 1941, more than 35,000 Jews were buried there" [Jewish News]. During the fascist occupation, the cemetery, as well as the whole Jewish community, was decimated. After the war, "the headstones were repurposed", and "in the 1970s, a portion of the sacred ground was paved over for the Lokomotiv Sports Stadium" [Jewish News].
In the 2000s, the "headstones that once stood in this cemetery started to be discovered all across the region, and today there are over 1,200 salvaged remnants" [The Together Plan]. In 2014, the British nonprofit organization "The Together Plan" and the international charitable organization "Dialog" decided to create a memorial monument on the site of the former Jewish cemetery in Brest. "The project brought together local communities, international organizations, and passionate individuals who were determined to honour the memory" of the local Jewish community. All the tombstones "were collected, stored, cleaned, photographed, read, translated, and catalogued" [The Together Plan]. The memorial was designed by the American artist Brad J. Goldberg [Jewish Heritage Europe].
The inauguration ceremony is set for July 28, 2025 - a symbolic date that "marks both the liberation of Brest from Nazi occupation in 1944 and the grim moment under Soviet rule when the decision was made to build a sports stadium over the Jewish cemetery grounds" [Jewish Heritage Europe].
"Belarus update: Construction on the Memorial Monument on the site of the Jewish cemetery in Brest (Brest-Litovsk) is nearing completion. Inauguration set for July 28," Jewish Heritage Europe, https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2025/05/26/belarus-update-brest-monument-2/ (accessed May 28, 2025)
Rosenberg, Michelle , "1,250 Jewish gravestones in Belarus returned to their original sites after 80 years," Jewish News, https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/1250-jewish-gravestones-in-belarus-return-to-their-sacred-ground-after-80-years/ (accessed May 28, 2025)
"The final push: Brest Jewish cemetery memorial nears completion," The Together Plan., https://www.thetogetherplan.com/the-final-push-brest-jewish-cemetery-memorial-nears-completion/ (accessed May 28, 2025)