A Cross Cultural Education and Service Project
Provided by Dartmouth College Hillel in Hanover, NH
Kamenka (Kaminka, Kamionka), Belarus is located approximately 30 miles east of Grodno in northwest Belarus. Prior to the Holocaust, Jews comprised a considerable proportion of the population of Kamenka. Today, no Jews remain and the cemetery was left in disrepair and abandoned for close to 60 years prior to the team's arrival. In Kamenka, the team worked side by side with community members - town officials, workmen, teachers and school children. With their help, the team was able to erect a fence around the perimeter, right gravestones, document gravestones, and beautify the grounds in only four and a half days of work. By restoring this landmark of a once vibrant Jewish community, the team essentially preserved the history of the community for future generations.