Righting a Wrong: The Bialystok Cemetery Restoration Project

Bialystok Restoration

Is it possible to “fix” the hate crimes of the past or present? In the city of Bialystok, Poland, volunteers from the United States, Germany, Poland and Israel gather every summer to “right a wrong.” The group is restoring Bialystok’s last surviving Jewish cemetery, desecrated by the Nazis in World War II and later looted by neighbors who used gravestones as building materials. The volunteers know they cannot undo the horrors of the past, but say every toppled stone they stand in the sun again is a step in the right direction.

This ongoing effort would not be possible without your generous support. For more information on how you can help, or to learn more about the Jewish community of Bialystok, please visit http://bialystokcemeteryrestoration.org/

(Directed by Peter Koziell and Darren Garnick. Special thanks to Lukasz Baksik and Tomasz Wisniewski for permission to use archival images.)