Vaclav Chvatal

This presentation gives a status report of the rural Jewish cemeteries in Czech Republic during the post-communism period. Oldest gravestones are from 16th century, but they were mostly unknown after the Holocaust and hidden by dense vegetation.? Only at the beginning of 21st century did restoration of these cemeteries begin. This was followed by huge amount of data collection including: cartographic, photographic and text documentation. An important part of this research is its genealogic significance - translating of epitaphs from Hebrew and searching for living descendants, mostly overseas (USA and other parts of world).