European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative (ESJF)

The ESJF European Jewish Cemeteries Initiative is a German-based non-profit established in 2015 by Rabbi Isaac Schapira with the core objective of protecting and preserving Jewish cemeteries across Europe through the accurate delineation of cemetery boundaries and the construction of walls and locking gates.

Thanks to consecutive grants from the Federal Republic of Germany since 2015 as well as private donations, the ESJF has managed to fence over 250 Jewish cemeteries across Europe. The ESJF has also received funding from the European Union (EU) since 2018, which has been used to conduct mass surveys using cutting edge drone technology, produce publications and conduct educational outreach.