A look around


As I explained earlier this week, the cemetery was left to ruin behind the Iron Curtain. There are a few reasons for the decay, one being there were not a lot of Jewish people left in Berlin after the war. Survivors mainly went to live in the US, Israel or other countries, so there was no Jewish community to maintain the graves. The other reason is practicing any type of religion was generally frowned upon in the communist GDR.


Today volunteers from Berlin's newly thriving Jewish community are working on restoring the graves and bringing some order to the wilderness.


I really enjoyed walking around through the older part of the cemetery and just taking a look at all of the names. I was also happy to see there are new burial areas, so these sacred grounds are being used once more. I'll show you some more of the cemetery tomorrow, but until then, you'll find more signs at Signs, Signs.

20 comments:

  1. It's good that the place is being taken care of again.

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  2. It is beautiful and very touching.

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  3. There is something about walking around old cemeteries that just fascinates me. This one is particularly beautiful, even though it hasn't been kept up.

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  4. I'd love to take a look if we have time, but there will be so much to do in so short a time. The thing I remember most from the Jewish cemetery in Prague was prayers written on tiny slips of paper, held in place on the top of a tomb by a pebble. Did you see that here?

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  5. The cemetery is wild looking but not as dreadful as I feared it would be. And I'm glad that it doesn't seem to have been desecrated.

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  6. Nice to see it being returned to a tidier state. I never would've thought of gravestones as signs. Nice idea

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  7. This cemetery has a long history.
    I also like to walk in the cemetery, especially the older ones to view the names and the years.
    Your photos are great.

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  8. This arouses all kinds of memories in my mind...so glad that it is being kept up to some extent now.

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  9. Calling by from the Signs meme,a fascinating place to visit.

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  10. They'll have quite a lot of work to do there, and yet the graves still look very peaceful surrounded and buried in autumn leaves and ivy don't you think. Beautifully shown here Hal.

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  11. The overgrown look of the place reminds me so much of Highgate Cemetery in London. It's good to hear that it is being used again and that a group of people are helping to restore it's beauty.

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  12. Very beautiful. I rather like the overgrown look as opposed to manicured, park-like cemeteries. It seems only a natural cycle of life.

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  13. It will take dedication to bring the cemetery back to it's former beauty!

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  14. Very interesting place

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  15. Like Bob, I remember Prague. I really need to put this one on my Berlin places to go.

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  16. Is this the old cemetery which is so incredible big and beautiful? What I find amazing is that it was not destroyed during the Nazi time. I could spend days just walking around.

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  17. What a heart breaker, but thank goodness the community is now thriving and the members are slowing bringing that beautiful cemetery back to where it should be. Your post touched my heart.

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