Ahead of Tisha B'Av — a time when Jews from all over the world visit the graves of their ancestors — large-scale work to tidy up the grounds is taking place at the Jewish cemetery in Baku. This was reported by the General Director of JNEWS.AZ and administrator of the city's Ashkenazi religious community, Yakov Azaryev.
Difficulties with removing fallen trees
Last winter's anomalous weather caused dozens of trees to fall on the cemetery grounds. It is noted that one cannot simply remove a fallen tree on their own, as this carries criminal liability. All trees are on the state balance sheet, and the procedure for obtaining permission requires coordination through the municipality (Bələdiyyə), the Ministry of Ecology, conducting an expert assessment, and applying to the landscaping service.
Joint efforts and maintenance challenges
Preparing the cemetery in a matter of days became possible thanks to the joint efforts of the Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, as well as city authorities. Special gratitude is expressed to the Baku Mayor's Office, city landscaping services, the executive power, and the municipal bodies of the Yasamal District. Workers are manually carrying the felled logs through the narrow rows of graves.
An additional problem is fires caused by dry grass and cigarette butts, which are extremely difficult to extinguish due to the conditions of the terrain.
