Help Restore the Bagnowka Cemetery in Bialystock, Poland

Travel to Bialystok this Summer and Help Restore this Sacred Resting Place

Josh and Amy Degen, members of Congregation Shalom and founders of the Bialystok Cemetery Restoration Project, invite volunteers to join them this coming summer in Bialystok to help restore the Bagnowka Cemetery. They have been performing work since 2016 and cannot continue these restoration efforts without volunteers and financial donations. Read more about the project at bialystokcemeteryrestoration.org.

The trip will begin on Sunday, July 26th and end on August 12th. Volunteers are welcome to participate for some or all of the dates. Each volunteer will be interviewed to assess their skill set for the proper fit for our many tasks.

Below are more specifics about the trip, as well as the related costs.

• Round-trip reservations and airfare will be the responsibility of the volunteer. 

• Travel from Warsaw is an easy 3 hour train ride with 8 or more daily departures.

• If you arrive the same day as Amy/Josh within one hour of our arrival we can drive you there in our van or car. The same applies on the return date.

• People stay at Hotel Cristal in downtown Bialystok; It is great and centrally located. The cost per night is approximately $60 per person (double occupancy) and $115 (single occupancy).

• While in Bialystok, transportation is provided to and from the cemetery as well as Saturday excursions to surrounding towns. This adds $15 per person, per day.

• Meal costs including breakfast, lunch, dinner, on-site drinks/snacks are approximately $60 per person, per day.

• Heavy equipment is rented and materials bought to perform the work. Additionally there are clean porta-potties for both women and men. The cost share for these is $20 per person, per day.

• There is an administrative fee of $500.00 per participant that will applied to the capital improvement fund. This finances infrastructure and large scale projects other than direct matzevah resetting.

Cost Summary:

$155/day double occupancy OR $210/day single occupancy
Plus airfare
Plus $500 administrative fee.
These prices are as of November 30, 2025 and subject to exchange rate fluctuations.

Because we are a 501C3 nonprofit, the cost of the trip is tax deductible.

For more information or to apply email please email Josh and Amy at

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