Internet Project Aids in Honoring the Departed

S. PETERSBURG, Russia [FJC] — In Russia’s northern capital, the Jewish community of S. Petersburg is completing a massive internet project through which visitors will be able to find the graves of their relatives in the Preobrazhenskiy Jewish Cemetery, one of the main Jewish cemeteries in the area.

“The Jewish Community Center regularly hosts visitors eager to determine where their ancestors are buried,” said Moishe Treskunov, the coordinator of this project. “They are mainly former residents of S. Petersburg and those whose great-grandparents came from our city. They are interested in their family history or wish to honor their ancestors by visiting their graves.” He further explained that the S. Petersburg community also receives many calls from individuals looking for their ancestors’ burial places from other countries, including Israel and the U.S.A.

The Jekl.ru website project grew out of the fact that even when someone knows that his relative is buried somewhere in the Preobrazhenskiy Cemetery, he or she has no way of finding the exact grave. This initiative will make it possible for people to determine whether their relative is indeed buried at this particular cemetery, and then be able to locate the exact burial site.

This massive undertaking involved various types of organizational and archival work, including photographing and cataloging all graves located in the Preobrazhenskiy Cementary. The www.Jekl.ru website provides extensive search capabilities. Mr. Treskunov explained that the site will soon also additional features, including the ability to request that a relative’s grave be cared for. This is an invaluable service as, due to distance or time limitations, not everyone has the opportunity to visit and maintain the graves of their loved ones and ancestors.

“To put people’s conscience at ease, they will be able to have their relative’s grave cared for and the gravestones restored,” said Mr. Treskunov. “Project staff will regularly send the client photos of the grave via e-mail, so that he can see its condition with his own two eyes.”

The Jewish community of S. Petersburg, a groundbreaking member of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, thanks S. Petersburg businessman Mr. Mikhail Khidekel for his invaluable financial support for this project.