HISTORY

In 1997, the Chernivtsi City Council designated it as an historical-cultural heritage site, as it is the only remaining Jewish cemetery in the area.

The first Jewish community on record in Czernowitz dates back to approximately 1800.  At its height, during the inter-war years there were approximately 120,000 residents in the city, half of which were Jewish. This Jewish population was more secular, German speaking, and participated in the everyday fabric of life in Czernowitz. During World War II, these German-speaking Jews were vastly deported to concentration areas in Transnistria and labor camps. Many perished and most of the survivors scattered across the globe, holding on to this community that only exists in name and memory. After World War II and under the Soviet regime, a new Russian speaking Jewish population made its way into the city, however this community also left when it was possible during the 1970s and 1980s, mainly to Israel and the United States.

After 1991 the Czernowitz Jewish community was depleted and the remaining members were  no longer able to maintain the historic Jewish Cemetery.

 
In 1997, the Chernivtsi City Council designated the Jewish Cemetery on Zelena Street as a historical-cultural heritage site. This designation afforded the cemetery a certain degree of protection and put it under the management of the city¹s cemetery administration, Unfortunately as  the city had limited resources  the cemetery became progressively more and more overgrown with invasive trees, bushes, vines and annual weeds.
 
The dense invasive vegetation, made the cemetery impassable, the roots of trees lifted gravestones and displaced them, branches of old trees broke and fell on the graves, often breaking the tombstones. Vines spread over the gravestones damaging their surface and new sapling trees sprouted by the thousands between the graves and on the paths.
 
Former inhabitants of the city, and their descendants, who occasionally visited the graves of their ancestors and relatives, were shocked and dismayed at the condition of the cemetery.

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Many former residents of this community began intense discussions over the “Czernowitz List” (The Ehpes Group: http://czernowitz.ehpes.com) on how to save the cemetery and honor the graves of their ancestors. In 2007, a few members of the group began to approach various NGOs for assistance. A year later, SVIT Ukraine  recruited some volunteers to begin the monumental task of clearing the cemetery. These young volunteers were very enthusiastic and convinced several local residents and the Chernivtsi city council to join in their efforts.

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Despite their enthusiasm and hard work, it became evident that the cemetery could not be cleared and maintained based exclusively on the labor of volunteers.  A new approach was necessary and former Czernowitzers and some of their descendants decided to hire and pay local agricultural workers to clear the cemetery. This endeavor was to be funded by Czernowitzer Jews and their descendants who still have a link with their place of origin. The new approach proved to be successful and therefore marked the birth of the Czernowitz Jewish Cemetery Restoration Organization (CJCRO), which was incorporated in Florida in 2009 and granted not for profit status in the USA. 

Today, most of the Czernowitz Jewish cemetery has been cleared due to the sustained work of CJCRO and due to the generous contributions of the many donors who became involved in this cause. But if the work stopped within a not very long time the cemetery would return to the terrible state from before 2009.

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Through donations and generous gifts, the CJCRO funds and recruits local workers to maintain the status of the cemetery.

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In order to continue and sustain these efforts, any contribution is welcome and meaningful for our goal.