The U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad
By Steve Paul Johnson, November 14, 2000
Note: since this article was written, years ago, the Commission has undergone many changes. No longer do they assist with fundraising, and no longer are they providing assistance to the Gottscheer
Heritage and Genealogical Association. Please visit their website for the latest: http://www.heritageabroad.gov
- Steve Paul Johnson, June 11, 2003
The United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad is
a little known, yet important, federal agency for family historians.
It's goal is to encourage the preservation of documents, memorials,
and cemeteries in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet
Union.
The Commission was created by an act of Congress in 1979. It's chief
founder, Rabbi Zvi Kestenbaum of Brooklyn, New York, a holocaust survivor,
developed the concept of a commission to preserve Jewish cemeteries,
monuments and other holy sites throughout the world. He was instrumental
in getting federal legislation introduced into Congress to establish
the Commission.
Kestenbaum saw a great need to preserve and restore cemeteries in the
war ravaged nations of Europe. The damages done by two world wars, the
Nazi and Soviet aggression, and even today the battles waged in the
former Yugoslavia, have left cemeteries, monuments, and historic structures
in ruins. Because the United States is a nation of immigrants, Congress
recognized the need to help those nations restore all places of significance
to America's heritage.
The Commission is headed up by a Chairman, appointed by the President
of the United States. In addition, there are 21 "commissioners", also
appointed by the President of the United States. These commissioners
meet with local officials and heads of state, as well as genealogical
and historical societies, and leaders of religious groups. They tour
cemeteries and historic monuments in desperate need of repair. Through
these meetings the Commission is able to establish partnerships to restore
cemeteries and monuments.
The Commission involved in Cemetery Restoration
The Commission is able to work with foreign governments and special
interest groups to restore cemeteries and erect monuments. A Jewish
cemetery in Wyszkow, Poland, had been devasted by Nazis during the Holocaust.
After deporting the town's Jews to concentration camps, the Nazis removed
all tombstones, and used them to reinforce a river bank, which eventually
eroded away. Some 200 other stones were used to construct sidewalks,
building foundations, and even the floor of the local Gestapo headquarters.
Several descendants of those buried at Wyszkow asked the Commission
to assist in recovering the tombstones from the buildings, and to build
a memorial to the town's holocaust victims. One of the commissioners
spearheaded an effort in conjunction with the town of Wyszkow, the Polish
Government, and the Jewish Community of Warsaw, to construct the monument.
The Polish government supplied new tablets, and the Commission obtained
funding from private donors who traced their lineage back to Wyszkow.
The Commission Using its Influence
In some cases, the Commission may be able to use its influence to leverage
cooperation from foreign governments. In August of 1943, the British
bombed installations in Germany where V1 and V2 rockets were being developed.
To hide the rockets, the Nazis chose to dig tunnels out of solid rock
under the Austrian Alps. A concentration camp was set up near Ebensee,
and its more than 20,000 inmates were forced to dig. As many as 11,000
Jews died and were buried there before the Americans liberated the camp.
After the war, all signs of the graves were removed, and housing construction
was permitted on the entire campsite, virtually erasing all trace of
the graveyard.
A group of camp survivors, who had now become U.S. Citizens, banded
together to seek permission from the Austrian governement to designate
a small open area near the old campsite as a Jewish cemetery. A wall
would be created carrying the names of victims who perished there. When
the Austrian Goverment failed to move on this request, the group asked
the Commission for it's assistance. When the Commission approached the
Austrian Government about this, the Ministry of the Interior gave its
approval to proceed.
The Commission Providing Research Assistance
The Commission is also able to provide valuable research assistance.
In early 1945, the U.S. Army provided emergency medical services for
a group of liberated concentration camp victims brought to an Army unit
located in Hillersleben. Despite the care, 62 people died and were buried
in an unrecorded plot of land near the temporary U.S. Army field hospital.
The site was subsequently razed by the East Germans to make way for
a park.
A group of American holocaust survivors whose family members were buried
at Hillersleben, was able to obtain authorization from the local government
to restore the site as a cemetery. However, no boundaries of the plot
could be determined well enough to satisfy both the authorities and
the preservationists. The Commission was asked to help ascertain the
original boundaries. The Commission searched for archival material and
aerial reconnaissance photos and was able to produce enough information
to satisfy both parties.
The Commission Promoting Projects in the United States
Not all of the work the Commission does is focused at places abroad.
As part of its cultural preservation agreement with the Slovak Republic,
the Commission upgraded the Washington D.C. burial site of Dr. Stefan
Osusky, cofounder of the Czechoslovakian nation and a founder of the
League of Nations. Osusky died in exile in the United States in 1973.
His grave, at Oak Hill Cemetery, was overtaken by urban development.
The tombstone had been repeatedly knocked over by careless traffic on
the nearby street. In conjunction with the Republic, the Commission
erected an ornamental protective gate at the gravesite, upgraded the
landscaping, and cleaned the tombstone. A rededication was held in September
of 1999, where one of the Commissioners, and ambassadors of the Slovak
Republic and France attended.
Public Involvement
Many of the projects involving the Commission were brought to attention
from concerned U.S. citizens. Much of the work so far has been centered
around Jewish heritage, but the Commission is open to all family heritage
focused in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. Organizations
interested in starting a project in these regions can contact the Commission
for assistance, fundraising, and to gain approval from foreign governments.
This year, the Commission entered into a partnership with the Gottscheer
Heritage and Genealogical Association to support preservation projects
in Slovenia.
I communicated with Chris Hill, the Deputy Executive Director of the
Commission and asked how individuals can help. Hill responds, "We would
really appreciate interested parties in completing the survey form,
which can be sent to our Research Director, Dr. Sam Gruber". The Cemetery
Survey Form is the Commission's primary tool for identifying the locations
of cemeteries. Anyone planning to travel abroad is encouraged to download
a copy of the form and take it with them in the event they find a cemetery.
Says Hill, "Dr. Gruber oversees our survey efforts and is an architectural
historian and expert on Jewish cultural sites". You can download a copy
from the Commission's
site.
Since 1991, the Commission has used these forms to collect data from
over 5,000 cemeteries, killing sites, buildings, and mass gravesites.
Just recently, they launched survey projects in Latvia and Lithuania.
All the data from the surveys are online at the webiste of JewishGen,
Inc. There are no burial records in these surveys. Instead, they contain
descriptions, locations, and conditions of cemeteries. The survey data
can be found at: http://www.jewishgen.org/cemetery/index.html.
If necessary, the Commission can assist people with finding records
of burials.
The Commission is also interested in learning about cemeteries in danger
of being destroyed. Any persons with such knowledge is urged to notify
the Commission, who in turn will get involved in protecting them. "We
react to reports of cemetery desecration when they are brought to our
attention. This, unfortunately, happens with some degree of regularity.
We work with our government contacts, both U.S. and foreign, to mediate
these disputes", says Hill.
The Commission is also interested in receiving donations from the public.
Funds are needed to finance preservation and restoration projects. Says
Hill, "We are able to raise funds for preservation work, donations are
tax-deductible. We usually hold the funds until directed by an individual
or group to release them. We try to help anyone who needs it and have,
in some cases, cosponsored projects where preservationists demonstrate
a financial commitment to a particular site."
- Steve Paul Johnson
Completed Cemetery Survey Forms can be submitted to:
Dr. Sam Gruber, Research Director
United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad
123 Clarke Street
Syracuse, NY 13210
For general questions about, to seek help from, or to get involved
with, the Commission, contact them at:
United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad 1101
15th Street, NW, Suite 1040
Washington D.C. 20005
Telephone: (202) 254-3824
Fax: (202) 254-3934
E-mail: uscommission@heritageabroad.gov
Website: http://www.heritageabroad.gov
