Remarkable Discovery of Polychrome Matzevot (gravestones) in Radom
By Samuel Gruber
ISJM
Approximately one hundred matzevot (gravestones) were discovered During recent construction work in Radom. Most of these are richly painted. It is not surprising to find Jewish gravestones in this way – since so many were removed during the Second World War and used for paving and other construction work (see recent report on Kremenets, Ukraine). But never before has such a large number of painted stones been found - where the color is so vividly preserved.

Sochaczew Cemetery Cleaned and Murowana Goslina Memorial Planned
ISJM
The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland cleaned the Jewish cemetery in Sochaczew (Mazowieckie province), site of the shared ohel of Rabbi Avraham Bornstein (1839-1910), founder of the Sochaczew hasidic dynasty, and his son Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain (1856–1926), a frequent destination for Jewish pilgrims. Sochaczew was a major Hasidic center before the war.

Also, on August 7, 2008, a memorial tablet to commemorate the pre-World War II Jewish and Evangelical communities will be unveiled in Murowana Goslina (Wielkopolskie province). The ceremony begins at 16:30 in the Świętego Ducha Church on Dworcowa St.

More on Synagogue Demolition in Dushanbe
ISJM
Sergey Kravtsov, architect and architectural historian at the Center for Jewish Art sends the following update about the recent destruction of Tajikistan's only synagogue:
"Our architectural historian Zoya Arshavsky managed to organize the last-moment documentation of the compound. The work was done by a group of local Tajik architects. They drafted sketches and took measurements and photos on parallel with the bulldozer's work and lamentations of the community."

New Excavations for Subway Line Under Destroyed Thessaloniki Jewish Cemetery Destruction Raise Concerns
By Samuel Gruber
ISJM
More than sixty years after one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe was destroyed to make room for a university campus in Thessaloniki (Salonika), Greece; excavation at the Aristotle University for a subway line has spurred new interest in the site's history, new concerns about the fate of the thousands of Jewish graves, and calls for broader public recognition that the University is built on the site of tens of thousands of Jewish graves.  The international community is also showing interest.  U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust issues, Ambassador J. Christian Kennedy, recently visited Greece to discuss the matter, which has been raised by the Greek Jewis