SHOMER — Society for Historical Observation and Maintenance of Eternal Remembrance — safeguards and restores the historic Jewish cemetery of Karnobat, Bulgaria.
SHOMER stands for Society for Historical Observation and Maintenance of Eternal Remembrance, a heritage-preservation initiative dedicated to safeguarding the Jewish cemetery of Karnobat with reverence, historical accuracy, and communal responsibility.
One of Bulgaria’s largest historic Jewish cemeteries, serving multiple communities for centuries.
Tombstones face erosion, vandalism and neglect. Urgent restoration is needed.
We document, protect and restore with dignity and respect for future generations.
Karnobat is home to the largest Jewish necropolis in Bulgaria, established by the Jews of Karnobat—present in the town since the 16th century—and used by neighbouring communities as well.
The cemetery once contained more than 1,000 tombstones. The earliest known marker dates to 1686, and later burials include those from the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and the First World War.
SHOMER’s preservation work is anchored in documentation and research, including Zvi Keren’s 2014 study The Jews of Karnobat, described as the first study of the Karnobat Jewish community and its cemetery—and the first study of a Jewish cemetery in Bulgaria.
Support the stewardship of this important heritage site. Students, professionals and community members are warmly invited to participate.
Selected gallery images are hosted locally on this site for reliability. Source archive: photographs of the Jewish Cemetery in Karnobat by Oleg Yunakov on Wikimedia Commons.
Attribution for reused images: Oleg Yunakov / CC BY-SA 4.0. Please retain author credit, source link, and license notice when reusing site files.