MACEVA, the non-profit organization founded by Lithuanian psychologist Aleksandr Avramenko and Lithuanian author Sergey Kanovich, has announced that it is digitizing, reconstructing and cleaning three more abandonded Jewish cemetery sites in Lithuania: the cemeteries in Pabrade, Dieveniskes and Utena.
This will entail photographically documents remaining tombstones and translating all legible gravestone inscriptions. In conjunction with local municipalities, permanent memorial plaques will be installed which will provide information about the site and community.
“The goal is to share information regarding the site with those who now inhabit the area, especially about the history of the Jews who formerly lived in the neighborhood,” a MACEVA press release stated. “Through this information sharing, MACEVA seeks to gain the support of local residents to help care for these Jewish cemeteries.”
MACEVA has already digitized and published data on 10 cemeteries on its website http://litvak-cemetery.info where more information about the organization can be found.
About 200 Jewish cemeteries are believed to remain in Lithuania; almost all are abandoned and/or desecrated.