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.

Rakaw synagogue

Rakaw Jewish cemetery

Rakaw – wooden house in a former Jewish neighbourhood

Ivyanets – wooden beit midrash

Ivyanets Jewish cemetery

Ivyanets mass killing site

Butkovichi – former wooden synagogue

Valozhyn Yeshiva

Valozhyn Jewish cemetery

Vishneva – birthplace of Israeli President Shimon Peres

Vishneva mass killing site

Kreva Synagogue

Ashmyany Jewish cemetery

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Vyshnivets and Kremenets

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

March 6, was the last day of our one week journey through Galicia, Podolia and Bessarabia – Ukraine and Moldova. Actually, it was only a half day as I had to be at Lviv airport at 2 pm to fly home. We got up early to visit Vyshnivets and Kremenets with its Jewish heritage sites – places that were already on our itinerary since the last trip in December 2018.

Vyshnivets – former Great synagogue

Vyshnivets – Old Jewish Cemetery

Vyshnivets – New Jewish Cemetery

Kremenets Jewish cemetery

Kremenets – former synagogue, now a bus station

Take off from Lviv airport

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All the Way back

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Podolia, Synagogues

March 5, was nearly the last day of our one week trip through Ukraine and Moldova. Coming from Sharhorod, we bridged 400 kilometers at that day until we reached Ternopil in the evening – with Jewish heritage sites in Sharhorod, Luchynets and Khotyn on our way.

Sharhorod – Old Jewish Cemetery

Sharhorod – New Jewish Cemetery

Luchynets Jewish cemetery

Khotyn synagogue

Khotyn – former Great Synagogue

Khotyn – New Jewish Cemetery

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A Day of Miracles

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Podolia, Synagogues

We returned from Moldova to Ukraine on March 4. It was truly a day of miracles. We saw the stunning Jewish cemeteries of Edineț, Otaci, Chernivtsi (Podolia, not Bukovina) and Mohyliv-Podilsky. We found the synagogue in Chernivtsi, left behind by Jews leaving the former Soviet Union after 1991. In Sharhorod we talked to Hryhoriy Saulko, who wants to restaurate the magnificent synagogue of his hometown and already started to do.

Edineț Jewish cemetery

Otaci Jewish cemetery

Mohyliv-Podilsky Jewish cemetery

Chernivtsi (Podolia) Jewish cemetery

Chernivtsi (Podolia), former Jewish neighbourhood

Chernivtsi (Podolia), synagogue in the former Jewish neighbourhood

Sharhorod Great Synagogue

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In the north of Moldova

Posted on March 9, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries

After our Transnistria trip the day before, our group moved further north. We stayed over night in Bălţi and visited the local Jewish cemetery in the morning of 3 March. It is the biggest in the north of Moldova. After a detour to Alexandreni – east of Bălţi – we headed further to Lipcani and Briceni to visit the Jewish cemeteries there.

Bălţi Jewish cemetery

Alexandreni Jewish cemetery

Briceni Jewish cemetery

Lipcani Jewish cemetery

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From Chişinău to Bălţi via Transnistria

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Christian Herrmann under Bessarabia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

On 2 March our little group continued the road trip through the Republic of Moldova. We headed east, crossed the Russian checkpoint near Dubăsari, and entered the internationally not recognized break away “republic” of Transnistria – rarely visited by western travelers. On our itinerary were Dubăsari and Raşcov before we crossed the “border” again to see the Jewish cemetery of Vadul Raşcov.