Help Restore Lost Jewish Cemetery
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Help me restore the oldest Jewish Cemetery in the Western Hemisphere.
One of the earliest Jewish Settlements in the western hemisphere was in Jodensavanne (Jew's Savannah,) Suriname , a tiny country north of Brazil on the Carribbean sea. The town, Cassipora, was a thriving settlement from the early 1600s through the early 1800s when a slave revolt and fire destroyed the town. The remaining Jews moved to Paramaribo and Cassipora has been abandoned for centuries. I visited in late May, 2015.
The Path to the Cemetery
400 years later, all that remains is the ruins of their cemetery which has slowly been reclaimed by the jungle. I was struck by the experiences these Jews must have had in this place 400 years earlier and how they have been essentially abandoned. Technically, it is the responsibility of their descendants to care for these graves, but so many generations have passed. Is anyone even aware that he or she has an ancestor buried in the Surinamese jungle? After an hour of clearing off the graves with my machete, I was moved to say the Kaddish for these dead who have long since been forgotten.
Burried Gravestones
The Cemetery in May 2015
While Cassipora will never be a heavily touristed site, it would not be particularly expensive to hire the local Amerindians in Redi Doti to maintain the site and clean it up a few times each year. $25,000 would be enough to cover many decades of keeping the site clean. I feel like this would be a mitzvah, and if I don't facilitate the restoration of the Cassipora cemetery, no one will.
My background is in running political and fundraising campaigns so I’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a Cassipora cemetery restoration effort. Any money raised will go towards the cleaning and restoration of the cemetery. If you feel it is important to care for Jewish ancestors please donate what you can.
Thanks for taking the time to read about this project.
One of the earliest Jewish Settlements in the western hemisphere was in Jodensavanne (Jew's Savannah,) Suriname , a tiny country north of Brazil on the Carribbean sea. The town, Cassipora, was a thriving settlement from the early 1600s through the early 1800s when a slave revolt and fire destroyed the town. The remaining Jews moved to Paramaribo and Cassipora has been abandoned for centuries. I visited in late May, 2015.
The Path to the Cemetery400 years later, all that remains is the ruins of their cemetery which has slowly been reclaimed by the jungle. I was struck by the experiences these Jews must have had in this place 400 years earlier and how they have been essentially abandoned. Technically, it is the responsibility of their descendants to care for these graves, but so many generations have passed. Is anyone even aware that he or she has an ancestor buried in the Surinamese jungle? After an hour of clearing off the graves with my machete, I was moved to say the Kaddish for these dead who have long since been forgotten.
Burried GravestonesThe Cemetery in May 2015While Cassipora will never be a heavily touristed site, it would not be particularly expensive to hire the local Amerindians in Redi Doti to maintain the site and clean it up a few times each year. $25,000 would be enough to cover many decades of keeping the site clean. I feel like this would be a mitzvah, and if I don't facilitate the restoration of the Cassipora cemetery, no one will.
My background is in running political and fundraising campaigns so I’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a Cassipora cemetery restoration effort. Any money raised will go towards the cleaning and restoration of the cemetery. If you feel it is important to care for Jewish ancestors please donate what you can.
Thanks for taking the time to read about this project.
Organizer
Ben Eisenberg
Organizer
