28^th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities – 24-26 March 2015

Speech by Abraham Ginsberg, President of the Committee for the preservation of Jewish cemeteries in Europe

Jewish Cemeteries, the responsibility of local authorities

Strasbourg, 25 March 2015

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Mr. President,

Dear Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The destruction of Central and European Jewish Communities during the Holocaust has resulted in hundreds of thousands of Jewish graves in cemeteries across Europe, being destroyed or abandoned. In the aftermath of World War Two, even those European Jews privileged to survive, rarely had the means to ensure the protection of ancestral graves in the deserted towns and villages, which had been their homes for hundreds of years.

Following WWII, non-democratic, totalitarian regimes in power in many European countries, frequently sadly disregarded and abused the designated resting places purchased by, and for, the Jewish dead.

During this period, hundreds of European Jewish cemeteries were expropriated by national and Regional governments as well as by local individuals, ignoring their sacred nature and the fact that they were legally acquired by the Jews interred there, whose descendants cared for the graves until they themselves were murdered, often in the cemeteries, by the Nazis.

The unfortunate fact that in most cases, no tombstones remain, in no way affects their sacred status and the everlasting rights of ownership of the Jewish Community, and its responsibility for their upkeep.

The Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe (CPJCE) is dedicated to the sacred task of saving, protecting and maintaining the graves of Jews who have died in Europe since Jewish settlement began here, hundreds of years ago.

Since the establishment of our Committee, 20 years ago, its main task has been to liaise with government officials and local authorities to protect Jewish legal rights and beliefs and to stop schemes, which could result in the desecration of burial places, cemeteries or mass graves.

The President of the CPJCE, the esteemed Rabbi Elyakim Schlesinger, the most senior orthodox rabbinical Jewish leader in Europe today, who is widely respected and recognised internationally, has earned respect and admiration amongst Governmental leaders and diplomats all over Europe. Rabbi Schlesinger has written a special memorandum explaining the Jewish Law and Tradition on the preservation of the eternal resting place of our deceased, from which I quote:

"The connection between the soul and the human body after death is an essential aspect of our belief in the eternity of the soul. The soul suffers when a grave is disturbed or even when disrespect is shown to what appear to us to be merely dry bones. The soul and spirit can only be at rest if the physical body in which they were located is at rest in the grave it acquired during its lifetime or which was allocated for it after death.

This belief is the basis for the attitude to the respect and protection of graves in Jewish law and tradition. Even the removal of one single bone from its place of rest is strictly forbidden, as it would cause deep pain to the soul and spirit of the deceased.

It is the sacred responsibility of every Jew to preserve Jewish cemeteries. A Jewish cemetery is referred to in our tradition as a ‘House of Life’ and its sanctity is eternal."

Furthermore, this is a commitment and obligation that we have towards our ancestors and earlier generations, to respect their everlasting wish to rest in peace in perpetuity.

In all generations, Jewish people have ensured that the resting place of their deceased remains sanctified, and our commitment to ensure that it remains so is not only freedom of religion but also a respect of their Human Rights and those of their descendants.

Naturally, the responsibility lies with the local Jewish Communities, and until WWII they were caring for the cemeteries according to Jewish Law and Tradition.

Unfortunately, after the Holocaust, these thousands of cemeteries all over Europe were left with no active thriving Jewish Communities to care for them and those communities now re-establishing themselves all over Europe are dependent on the full co-operation of local, regional and national authorities.

Another very important issue is the recent discovery of hundreds of Mass Graves across Europe of men, women and children who were brutally tortured and killed, and most worrying are the calls from various sources for forensic and scientific investigation into their deaths, which would involve intrusive examination. This is an issue causing renewed pain to hundreds of thousands of Jews worldwide, most notably to Holocaust survivors, who are concerned that the unfortunate men, women and children who were brutally tortured, should be left to rest in peace for eternity.

The carrying out of tests or investigations on human bones is of course also strictly forbidden.

Past experience has shown that through direct communication with local, regional and national authorities, we can achieve an understanding of our concerns and reach satisfactory solutions ensuring that the requirements of Jewish law and tradition are met.

I take this opportunity to pay tribute and express our gratitude to the delegates of member countries of the Council of Europe, for years of co-operation and understanding, which have achieved wonderful results. These include a major breakthrough in Poland in 2004 where the memorial at the Belzec death camp was opened, after an extensive memorial project in which the CPJCE was involved. In 2005, Holocaust-era Jewish remains were found at an Army base near Stuttgart airport in Germany, and protected in recognition of our religious principles. In 2010 in the ancient historic town of Toledo in Spain, a school was being built when remains of an 800-year-old Jewish cemetery was dsicovered on the site, in Romania a mass grave was found in the suburbs of Iasi in 2009, and the ancient Snipshkes Jewish cemetery in Vilnius was faced with destruction to make room for redevelopment of the area. These and many other Jewish burial grounds and sites of martyrdom in and around cities and villages across Europe, have all been preserved and crises resolved through direct dialogue, understanding and co-operation, to the satisfaction of all parties.

Whilst we greatly appreciate the positive attitude of the authorities, these problems continuously arise, and we need to raise awareness of the responsibility of national and local authorities at all levels, to ensure basic recognition and respect for religion and human dignity.

As I have the privilege to stand here at this wonderful and respected Institution, which is at the forefront of promoting European co-operation in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation, I speak to you on behalf of those who cannot stand here. I speak on behalf of our ancestors and relatives; men, women and children many of whom were deprived their human rights and freedom of religion, and often of their very lives.

We are most grateful to you for taking this initiative to promote dialogue and to urge all local authorities to recognise their responsibility, and work closely with the Jewish Community in these areas. We offer our commitment, to cooperate and assist in all aspects of safeguarding the Jewish cemeteries and mass graves, and we can all today say to our Jewish ancestors and relatives. ‘We have not forgotten you!. We are carrying out our moral and ethical duties, and in today's world where democracy and freedom of religion are respected and promoted, you too will have your everlasting wish fulfilled - to rest in peace in perpetuity!’

To conclude; our Sages assure us, that the souls of the deceased are indebted to those who act for the protection of their graves and intercede on their behalf in the higher worlds.

On behalf of the Jewish Nation worldwide and on behalf of our ancestors, we thank you for your initiative and co-operation and wish you all the best in all your endeavours.

Thank you very much.