Buildings of the former Jewish ghetto in Novogrudok sold to American owner of "Sula" park, a native of Belarus
The authorities' decision is not favored by the Judeo-Religious Association, which also wanted to become a co-founder of the ghetto museum. Nor is it favored by Tamara Vershitskaya, the museum's first director. But Andrei Zapolski, the owner of "Sula," and his business partner and former school friend Evgeny Meltser argue: this will not be an amusement park.
Monument at the ghetto site in Novogrudok. Archival photo: Nasha Niva
As recently as 2025, the future of the Museum of Jewish Resistance in Novogrudok seemed certain. In July of that year, local authorities signed a tripartite agreement with the Peace Foundation and the Judeo-Religious Association in Belarus (JRA) on the creation of the Belarusian Museum of the Holocaust and Resistance. This project was intended to succeed the small museum operating since 2007 and transform it into a larger scientific and memorial site.
However, in 2026, the situation changed dramatically. The Novogrudok executive committee put the territory up for auction. The JRA was not notified.
The auction took place on February 16 and lasted less than a minute. The sole bidder was Andrei Zapolski — president of the private company Wurtland Oil Works (WOW) from Kentucky (USA) and owner of the interactive park "Grand Duchy of Sula". Starting at 544 thousand rubles for the object, the businessman ultimately paid over 571 thousand Belarusian rubles — the cost of the first step.
The Judeo-Religious Association in Belarus is seriously concerned about this, writes Jewish News.
The article's author points out that "Sula" is advertised as a place "where history comes alive." Admission costs 35 Belarusian rubles for adults. Among the entertainments are a beach area with gazebos, restaurants, children's playgrounds, a barbecue area open on weekends, and pony rides for toddlers. Critics of the decision fear that Sula's commercially successful approach might be transferred to the memorial site in Novogrudok.
Arthur Livshits, chairman of the Judeo-Religious Association in Belarus, would like his organization to manage the buildings on the site of the former ghetto. He argues that in 2025, they presented their concept for creating a Holocaust Museum to the Novogrudok authorities. The idea was then supported by the Peace Foundation — a pseudo-public organization controlled by the authorities.
Signing of the tripartite agreement in July 2025. Photo: jewishnews.co.uk
Speaking about the tripartite agreement of 2025, Livshits noted that at that time, the phased implementation of the project was agreed upon, and a group of experts was created. A joint international conference was held with the participation of scientists and Holocaust specialists from Belarus, Great Britain, the USA, Israel, and Russia. According to the chairman of the association, "it was extremely painful to learn that the agreement was cancelled without any discussions."
Livshits' main question is: "How can memory be sold? The memory of those who died in that war, and the memory of those who survived? <...> Imagine if Sobibor or Khatyn were sold? The very thought of selling such a sacred place, imbued with the tears and blood of innocent people who can no longer defend their truth, is simply unbearable — but for Novogrudok, this has become a reality."
Business partner and school friend of the new owner, Evgeny Meltser, told Jewish News that they both "only just learned" about the Judeo-Religious Association's prior involvement in this project. According to him, in their understanding, the 2025 agreement was "not a contract at all."
"There was some letter of understanding or something similar. And since nothing had been done since then, the property was put up for auction, we participated and won," the publication quotes Meltser.
In response to fears that their two-story building project would be similar to the "Sula" theme park, Meltser argues that, unlike "Sula," a non-commercial project will be implemented in Novogrudok.
Andrei Zapolski, creator of Sula park. Photo Holiday.by
As Debra Brunner, head of the British organization The Together Plan and a member of the Association for the Preservation of European Jewish Heritage, recounts, she met with the mayor of Novogrudok on May 26. She was shown the site and briefed on the plans for the memorial complex.
"I left deeply concerned after the mayor confirmed that this would be an 'immersive ghetto experience,' including mannequins dressed as Nazi guards and Jewish prisoners crawling through a tunnel," Brunner shares.
Tamara Vershitskaya, creator of the 2007 museum and a specialist in the history of the Novogrudok ghetto, told the publication that she met with Zapolski but categorically refused to cooperate.
"I told him that I could not participate with him in this project for several reasons, including the previously signed agreement. I told him many times: if he wants barbed wire and mannequins, I will not participate in this. And each time he confirmed that he would use it," the publication quotes Vershitskaya.
Monument to the participants of the ghetto escape. Novogrudok. Photo: Nasha Niva
In turn, Andrei Zapolski remarks on the use of mannequins and barbed wire: "This is a concept we are exploring. If there was barbed wire around the camp, then we try to make everything as historically accurate as possible, and this may include mannequins to convey the ratio of German soldiers to Jews." According to him, mannequins and display cases are used in every museum in the world to exhibit historical artifacts.
However, representatives of the Judeo-Religious Association note that German soldiers were not permanently stationed in the ghetto itself — they only visited occasionally. The security was carried out by the police.
Critics of the sale of the object to new owners claim that the new owners plan to open a hotel in one of the buildings where the ghetto's workshops were previously located.
This caused a wave of protest: more than 100 descendants of those who escaped through the tunnel from the Novogrudok ghetto in 1943 signed a petition to Alexander Lukashenka against the creation of an "interactive park." The petition states that the construction of a "permanent interactive Holocaust theme park, for which money will be charged for entry" is planned.
The authors argue that with mannequins ordered from China, plans to use barking dogs (live or robots), the construction of guard towers, and barbed wire fences, the tragedy of the Jews of Novogrudok will be turned into a theme park attraction.
"This will be an insult to the memory of the victims and us, their living descendants. This shameful process must be stopped. The tragedy of our families must not be allowed to turn into entertainment. We appeal to your morality not to let this happen," the publication quotes the petition.
The article's author claims that the Novogrudok authorities are ignoring requests for comments, and international organizations, including Yad Vashem, are demanding explanations, including through diplomatic channels.
Evgeny Meltser, photo from Linkedin
In turn, Evgeny Meltser swears that the museum at the site of martyrdom will not become a commercial project and that he and Andrei are involved in this "due to personal interest in World War II and because they grew up in Minsk," where "they went to such places to dig up artifacts."
His grandfather, Aizik (Isaac) Rafamlovich Meltser, himself survived the war in detachment 106 — the second-largest Jewish partisan detachment, which was camped 7 km from the Bielski detachment in the Naliboki Forest.
Meltser says that owning this property is "a dream come true" for him and Andrei Zapolski. He adds that the auction "was conducted by the authorities, the authorities put it up for auction." And they "didn't know anything about anything being signed, promised, or agreed upon."
Mordechai and Fania Duniec, who escaped from the Novogrudok ghetto to the Naliboki Forest. After the liberation of Belarus with their cousin Chaim. Archival photo
In turn, Tamara Vershitskaya, keeper of the ghetto's memory and creator of the museum, said:
"I don't know any other country where the ghetto territory would be sold to a private individual, when practically nothing is left there, literally a couple of buildings. I created that museum, and the authorities were never particularly interested in it. When we created the museum in 2007, their reaction was: 'Why are you so concerned about Jews?'"
"Suddenly," she recalls, Zapolski called her and said, "he's in Novogrudok and wants to meet, because he was told that I'm the person who knows this story."
She says she met with Zapolski, as well as three other people from his enterprise — Sula park, and they talked for an hour.
Tamara Vershitskaya has concerns about Andrei Zapolski's plans: "He wants thousands of tourists to come and visit this place, which is good, however, he has no idea about the value of this place. And he doesn't want to hear that what he is proposing is the wrong way," she says.
The Peace Foundation, which was initially supposed to be a partner in the project, is not protesting. The decision made in July 2025 "lost its force due to a change in the position of the Novogrudok District Executive Committee and its vision for the form of the future project," Maxim Misko, chairman of the board of this pseudo-public organization, told Jewish News.