The Commission helped the Ozarow Jewish Cemetery Restoration Project (OJCRP) Group restore the Jewish cemetery in Ozarow, Poland in 2001.
The cemetery is over 350 years old and still contains 100 tombstones. The wall was almost totally destroyed during World War II and many of the tombstones were taken for fortifications by the Germans.

For years, Ozarowers and their descendants, many in the United States, dreamed of restoring the walls, erecting a commemorative monument, and repairing toppled headstones. The OJCRP Group was formed in May 2001 and completed the restoration within months. The cemetery was rededicated in October of that year.

A plaque by the front entrance bears the following inscription:

This cemetery, noted for its beautifully carved monuments, dates back more than 350 years. It remains an eternal memorial to the Jewish community of Ozarow that had once thrived here. The Jews of Ozarow were deported by the Nazis in October 1942, to perish in the flames of the Holocaust. Some 120 of those martyrs lie buried here in a mass grave. In 2001, a worldwide group of Jews, both Ozarowers and their descendants, in cooperation with the people of Ozarow, and many others, initiated the restoration of this cemetery and made plans for its future maintenance. It is our hope that your visit to this remarkable place will provide you with a glimpse into the deep religious and cultural heritage of the Jews of Ozarow, a heritage that lives on and will continue to live throughout time. We gratefully acknowledge the generous contributions toward the financing of this project, as well as the time and energy devoted by so many from around the world, that have made this important restoration possible.
Ozarow Cemetery Restoration Project: Tishrei 5762-October 2001

The project will be a focus of a documentary film on the restoration of Jewish cemeteries in Poland. The film is scheduled to be completed in July 2003.

More information on the project is available at http://www.ozarow.org/

More photographs of the cemetery