-Photograph of cemetery grounds prior to 1938-

from: Die Juden und Judengemeinden Böhmens in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart

The Jewish cemetery dates to before 1669 and is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Bohemia. It is about 3300 sq. meters in size and is located 500 meters SW of the "Sobedruhy Square" The cemetery is listed as a "cultural landmark" with the government and contains valuable and historic tombstones. The cemetery suffered terrible vandalism under the Nazi occupation and benign neglect under Communist rule. Some minor vandalism and neglect continues today though there are attempts to clear and attempt restoration of the cemetery. The lack of funds and interest led to much neglect in present-times. For years the cemetery was barely visible through the thick trees and brush that covered the historic grounds. Most tombstones were buried deep in the thick grass and weeds. When my family an di visited in 1997, the remains of the funeral hall were barely visible at the edge of the cemetery boundary. In 2003 portions of the burial ground began to be cleared and a number of tombstones have been repaired and/or restored. The Freiberg, branch of the CJD Chemnitz through its "Shalom Saxony-Bohemia" program plans to restore and catalog the cemetery in the near future. The City of Teplice and the Teplice Jewish Congregation are now engaged in the costly and very slow process of making sure that this historic cemetery is secured, restored and will remain a tribute to the lives of the people that once were the Jewish Community of Sobedruhy.

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Photographs below were taken ca. 1997 and 2000

Click on a thumbnail to view a full-size picture

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