Dear Sub-Carpathia researchers,

As I have mentioned in my recent "Trip Reports," the Uzhhorod (Ungvar)
cemetery has looked like "Jurassic Park" with most of its tombstones
inaccessible. This has been a subject of concern to many researchers
interested in finding and photographing their ancestors' burial places
therein. Furthermore, recent visitors were unable to reach any of the
stones due to the severe overgrowth on the cemetery grounds---a common
problem throughout Sub-Carpathia for many abandoned cemeteries.

However, I am pleased to announce that over the past month, the Uzhhorod
(Ungvar) cemetery has been cleared of its severe overgrowth to allow
access to all of the plots and tombstones. This mitzvah was funded by a
rabbi >from upstate New York, who has no relatives in the Uzhhorod
(Ungvar) cemetery, but had a keen interest in seeing that the deceased
who are buried there have their final resting place properly cared for.
He contacted fellow rabbi >from Brooklyn, with experience managing
restorations in Sub-Carpathia, to oversee this cemetery project that was
completed last week.

Some grass and small twig cuttings remain for the spring, but the
cemetery is fully accessible now. Needless to say, clearing the cemetery
of the overgrowth and dealing with the large piles of cut trees and brush
was an extremely time-consuming task.

Plans are underway to repair the breaches in the stone wall surrounding
the cemetery which permitted "unauthorized access" to it and hopefully,
putting a stop to the removal of any more tombstones. Additionally, many
tombstones have fallen due to age or vandalization. Plans are underway
to erect them. Sadly, in some instances, the top sections of the
tombstones were removed, only the bases remain.

In 2013, I plan to photograph all of the tombstones in the Uzhhorod
(Ungvar) cemetery.

For your viewing, I made a small slide show of 14 images taken today and
one image showing one of the breaches in the cemetery wall, yet to be
repaired.

Here is the link for the slide show:

< http://216.220.160.82/Uzhhorod-Cemetery/ >

Feel free to contact me off list if you have any questions.

Very respectfully,
Marshall KATZ
Sub-Carpathia SIG coordinator