From Nyasvizh back to Minsk

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Belarus, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

April 27, nearly a month ago, was the last day of our road trip through the west of Belarus. With detours left and right of the Brest-Minsk highway we visited the towns of Nyasvizh, Garadeya, Mir, Turets, Stowbtsy, Novy Sverzhan, Rubezhevichy and Dzerzhinsk (formerly Koydanava). One place stands out: Mir with its synagogues and other former Jewish institutions in the town center.

Nyasvizh – memorial on a mass grave

Nyasvizh – destroyed Jewish cemetery

Nyasvizh – memorial on a mass grave

Garadeya -memorial on a mass grave

Mir – mass grave marker

Mir – Craftmen’s prayer school

Mir – former yeshiva

Mir – former cheder

Mir – former Great Synagogue

Mir – former synagogue

Mir – Jewish cemetery

Mir – mass killing site next to the castle

Mir – castle

Turets – Jewish cemetery

Stowbtsy – mass killing site

Stowbtsy – Jewish cemetery

Stowbtsy – former Great Synagogue

Stowbtsy – one of the many beautiful wooden houses we saw in Belarus

Novy Sverzhan – Jewish cemetery

Rubezhevichy – Jewish cemetery

Dzerzhinsk – former yeshiva

Dzerzhinsk – mass killing site

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From Slonim to Nyasvizh

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Belarus, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

My friends and I continued our journey through the west of Belarus on 26 April. Again, this question came into our minds: what happens to Jewish heritage sites, when there is no or just a small Jewish community left? Others make use of these places and reshape them. We found such transformed landmarks in the towns of Molchad, Novaya Mysh, Baranavichy and Lyakhavichy. But we also found well preserved and maintained heritage sites and memorials in some of the mentioned towns and additionally in Kletsk and Kapyl.

Slonim – Great Synagogue

Molchad – former synagogue or beit midrash

Molchad – Soviet war memorial

Molchad – former Jewish bakery

Molchad – Jewish cemetery

Molchad – mass killing site

Novaya-Mysh – Jewish cemetery

Novaya-Mysh – former synagogue

Baranavichy – mass killing site and deportation point

Baranavichy – former Great Synagogue

Baranavichy – former yeshiva

Baranavichy – Jewish cemetery

Lyakhavichy – Jewish cemetery, now a motodrome

Kletsk – Jewish cemetery

Kletsk – former synagogue

Kletsk – mass killing site

Kapyl – Jewish cemetery

Kapyl – mass killing site

Kapyl – plaque for Menahem Mendel Sforim

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From Brest to Slonim

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Belarus, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Day 7 of our 9 days road trip through the west of Belarus brought us on 25 April finally to the town of Slonim. For all of us – Achim, Petra, Juliana and me – it was one of the highligts of the entire journey. Not much compares to the beauty of the Great Synagogue. En route were more heritage sites in Kobryn and Byten, but also sad places – mass killing sites – in Smolyarka and Bronnaya Gara.

Kobryn – Jewish cemetery

Kobryn – Great Synagogue

Kobryn – Holocaust memorial

Smolyarka – mass killing site

Bronnaya Gara – mass killing site

Bronnaya Gara – Holocaust memorial

Byten – Jewish cemetery

Byten – mass killing site

Slonim – Jewish cemetery

Slonim – former synagogue, now a furniture store

Slonim – Great Synagogue

Slonim – synagogue

Slonim – mass killing site

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From Pruzhany to Brest

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Belarus, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

In the early afternoon of 24 April, my friends and I reached Brest, one of the biggest cities in Belarus and known for the peace negotiations at the end of World War I and its uncompromising resistance against the invading German forces in World War II. En route were Jewish heritage sites in Pruzhany, Sharashova and Kamienets.

Pruzhany – Jewish cemetery

Pruzhany – Holocaust memorial at the Jewish cemetery

On the road – Afghanistan war memorial

Pruzhany – former synagogue

Sharashova – Jewish cemetery

Kamienets – former yeshiva

Kamienets – former beit midrash

Kamienets – former synagogue

Brest – Jewish tombstones in the fortress

Brest fortress

Brest – former Great Synagogue

Brest – monument for Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin

Brest – functioning synagogue

Brest – Holocaust memorial

Brest – former synagogue

Brest – former Jewish hospital

In our hotel

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From Hrodna to Pruzhany

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Belarus, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Starting in the morning of April 23 in Hrodna, my friends and I turned south to continue our road trip through the west of Belarus. Join us to visit imposing synagogues, hidden Jewish cemeteries and a haunted house – a former beit midrash – in the towns of Indura, Lunno, Wolpa, Mstibovo, Svislach, Porazava, Lyskava and Ruzhany!

Indura synagogue

Indura Jewish cemetery

Lunno – Jewish neighbourhood

Lunno – former synagogue

Lunno Jewish cemetery

Wolpa Jewish cemetery

Mstibovo Jewish cemetery

Svislach Jewish cemetery

Svislach – former beit midrash

Porazova synagogue

Porazova Jewish cemetery

Lyskava – Catholic church

Lyskava – Jewish cemetery

Lyskava – ruins of the Jewish school

Lyskava – ruins of the synagogue

Ruzhany – Great Synagogue

Ruzhany – palace

Ruzhany Jewish cemetery

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From Lida to Hrodna

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Belarus, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

My friends and I continued our Belarus road trip on April 22. From Lida we headed further west until we reached Hrodna (Grodno) in the evening. En route were Jewish heritage sites in Radun, Noviy Dvor, Astryna, Razhanka, Zhaludok and Skidzyel.

Lida – memorial for the destroyed Jewish cemetery

Radun – restored Yeshiva

Radun – in the ohel of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan

Radun – mass grave at the Jewish cemetery

Noviy Dvor synagogue

Astryna synagogues – returned tombstones

Astryna synagogues

On the road – monument for a Soviet long distance bomber

Razhanka – former synagogue, now a church

Razhanka – Jewish cemetery

Zhaludok synagogue

Zhaludok Jewish cemetery

Zhaludok mass grave site

Skydziel synagogue

Hrodna Jewish cemetery

Hrodna – synagogue at Kosmonatova Avenue, now a bank

Hrodna Great Synagogue – returned tombstone fragment

Hrodna Great Synagogue

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From Ashmyany to Lida

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Belarus, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

The weather was changing when my friends and I continued our road trip through the west of Belarus on 21 April. It was raining when we started our day with a visit to the magnificent synagogue of Ashmyany. Later, we headed further west to the towns of Halshany, Iwye, Vselyub, Delyatichi, Liubcha, Navahraduk and Dziatlava.

Ashmyany synagogue

Halshany Jewish cemetery

Iwye beit midrash

Iwye – destroyed Jewish cemetery

Iwye – Soviet monuments

Vselyub synagogue

Vselyub Jewish cemetery

Delyatichi Jewish cemetery

Delyatichi – terraine of the recently destroyed synagogue

Liubcha – one of two synagogues

Navahrudak – mass killing site

Navahraduk memorial

Navahrudak Jewish cemetery

Diatlovo – former synagogue

Diatlovo Jewish cemetery

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Between Minsk and Ashmyany

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Belarus, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

April 20 was the first day of our 9 days road trip through the west of Belarus. My friends Achim, Petra, our guide Juliana and I expolred the towns of Rakaw, Ivyanets, Butkovichi, Valozhyn, Vishneva, Kreva and finally Ashmyany with its synagogues, Jewish cemeteries and other heritage sites.