In August 2002, the Commission obtained the funds needed to restore a Jewish cemetery in Brody, a once-large town in western Ukraine. For centuries, Brody was one of the most historically significant centers of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. In the early 19th century, Jews comprised almost 90% of the population. The Commission obtained the funds from a private foundation.

The cemetery is one of two that once served the town. The other is now a sports field. The cemetery that is to be restored is noteworthy because almost 3,000 inscribed and decorated gravestones -- many of them six feet tall -- have survived.

The cemetery, also, however, suffers from extensive vegetation encroachment -- including as many as 2,000 trees and bushes that have taken root over the past half a century. This growth is destroying the site.

In addition, until recently, open access to the cemetery led to the removal and toppling of the gravestones, the disturbance of the ground by farm machinery, the cultivation of a part of the cemetery, and natural erosion. The cemetery has also been threatened by road building and other construction in areas that were within its historic boundaries but where no headstones are now visible. Some of this activity was attributable to a dispute as to whether certain areas were part of the cemetery or not.

Extensive negotiations between the representatives of the nearby Jewish Community of L’viv, assisted by the Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union, and the municipality of Brody resulted in the recognition of the cemetery’s true boundaries and its religious significance.

The Commission contracted with the Washington D.C.-based Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union in February 2003 to supervise the restoration of the cemetery. Meylakh Sheykhet, who represents the Union of Councils in Ukraine, is overseeing the project.

The first phase of the work started in Spring 2003. It will clear the excess vegetation and repair the damage to the gravestones.