At the request of the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Commission has been helping to restore the Jewish cemetery of Sarajevo since 2000.

The cemetery, founded in 1630, is the oldest intact, burial ground of any religious group in the city. Its strategic location made it a favorite of snipers during 1992-1995 War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a result, the cemetery, its elaborate pre-burial house, and walls sustained significant damage. The area was also extensively mined. The pre-burial house, a large building near the entrance to the cemetery, was totally burned during the siege, destroying much of the original structure and undoing the restoration work that had been done only a few years before.

The United States Congress appropriated $100,000 to the Commission to restore the site. These funds have been matched by donations from private sources and from the Sarajevo municipal and regional governments.

The first stage of the restoration consisted of removing the explosive mines. The second, currently being completed, is restoring the pre-burial house. The building's structure has been secured and the restoration of the exterior has been completed.

Completion of the interior and the renovation of the caretaker’s basement apartment are expected to be finished by Spring 2004.

A third phase of repair at the cemetery, still unscheduled, calls for rebuilding the cemetery wall damaged during the siege. While the oldest section of the cemetery itself was not significantly damaged, there also are some headstones that need to be repaired.

Click here to view pictures of the pre-burial house.

For more information about the site visit - http://www.isjm.org/Links/Sarajevo.htm