Poland: Virtual Tour of Przysucha Synagogue

Poland:  Renovation Plans and Virtual Tour of Przysucha Synagogue

Przysucha, Poland. Synagogue. Photo: Ruth Ellen Gruber (1990s)

Przysucha, Poland. Synagogue. Photo: FODZ (2009)

Now that the restoration of the synagogue in Zamosc, Poland is complete, the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Monuments in Poland (FODZ) is turning its attention to the great synagogue of Przysucha (Yiddish: Parshishe vel Przishe).   FODZ has begun efforts aimed at revitalizing the 18th-century synagogue into a vibrant cultural center to serve the needs of the visiting Jewish groups and the local community.

Even if you cannot go to Poland, you can get a good sense of what si left of the structure from a  virtual walk through the 18th century synagogue in Przysucha.  The big masonry synagogue was built between 1774 and 1777, during a period when Przysucha was an important center of Hassidism and gained considerable renown for its tzadikkim (religious leaders) Abraham of Przysucha (d. 1806), Jacob Yitzhak ben Asher (1766-1813), known as the Holy Jew of Przysucha and credited with being the first propagator of Chassidism in Central Poland, and the latter’s disciple Simcha Bunem (1784-1827).  Their ohelot (small structure protecting their graves in the Jewish cemetery), were (re?)built  in the 1980’s are regularly stops for  Hassidim religious pilgrims.

 FODZ took ownership of the long neglected site in 2007 and the following year carried out protective renovations. The building, however, still needs urgent repairs. In December 2009 construction and conservation documentation was completed, and FODZ can now apply for European Union funds to start the restoration and adaptive use work.  Private funds will also be needed for significant parts of the work.

The massive limestone synagogue has an area of 650m², and it towers over the small town (current population: 6800).  The rectangular prayer hall has a vaulted ceiling that descends in its central part on to the four-piered central bima (reader’s podium).  A typical example of the once-common Polish 'bimah support' masonry synagogue. The aron ha-kodesh (Ark) niche in the is framed by a portal topped with stucco griffins.  The synagogue originally would have had brightly colored wall decorations.  A few fragments are preserved on the walls.

See picture galleries here:
ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS
THE SYNAGOGUE IN PRZYSUCHA

Before the Second World War Jews constituted over 60% of the town’s population.  The community was entirely destroyed - the people murdered and a two centuries of Jewish life and culture
ended and were mostly forgotten.  Only the synagogue survived as an abandoned ruin.  There were some unsuccessful efforts at restoration undertaken in the 1960s and in 1970, including repairs to the roof, but overall, the building condition is very bad will need extraordinary measures to make it whole and useful once again.  I do not know how fine a restoration is planned.  I would propose that the space not be over restored, but left with some of raw ruined appearance.  No need to replace lost decoration here.  Better to let the bones of the building speak.  Its a fine big space and can serve many uses, inclusion exhibits, concerts, lectures and prayer.

Przysucha, Poland. Synagogue. Photo: FODZ (2009)

 Przysucha, Poland. Elevation of present state. Courtesy of FODZ

Contributions can be made to  FODZ towards this work. For more information visit the website of the Revitalization of the synagogue in Przysucha project.

Poland: Radoszyce Jewish Cemetery Has New Fence and Gate

Radoszyce, Poland. New Wall and gate at Jewish cemetery. Photos courtesy of The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland

Poland: Radoszyce Jewish Cemetery Has New Fence and Gate

(ISJM) The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland reports that in 2010-2011 it has built a wall and gate surrounding the Jewish cemetery in Radoszyce, and the access road to the cemetery was renovated. The works were carried out in cooperation with the local Forest Authority (Nadlesnictwo Ruda Maleniecka). Funds were raised by the descendants of Radoszyce Jews from Israel and the USA.

The Jewish cemetery in Radoszyce was established in the 18th century. The grave of Rabbi Issachar Ber Baron, Tzaddik of Radoszyce and disciple of the Seer from Lublin, is located on the cemetery grounds. His ohel is annually visited by his disciples.

Poland: Szczebrzeszyn Jewish Cemetery Restoration Project

Szczebrzeszyn, Poland. Jewish cemetery, new wall in construction. Photos courtesy of The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (2011)

Poland: Szczebrzeszyn Jewish Cemetery Restoration Project

The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland has begun the first stage of the Szczebrzeszyn Jewish cemetery restoration project. The town is just a short drive west from Zamosc. Part of a large stone wall facing the Cmentarna St. is being erected.


The Jewish cemetery in Szczebrzeszyn was established established in the 16th century and was used until the World War II. today, over 2,000 matzevot (gravestone) survive, making it one of the best preserved Jewish cemeteries within the boundaries of modern Poland.

The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland is implementing the 1st stage of the Szczebrzeszyn Jewish cemetery restoration project. Within its framework a part of the fence facing the Cmentarna St. is being erected. The Jewish cemetery in Szczebrzeszyn was established in the 16th century and used until the World War II. Over 2,000 matzevot (gravestones) are thought to survive there, making it one of the better preserved Jewish cemeteries within the boundaries of modern Poland - but everything is relative. Most stones are toppled, and only about 400 were clearly visible before work began, the others are covered with vegetation or have fallen and been covered with years of accumulated debris. Before the restoration began the area was filled with trash. To see pictures before the restoration click here.

Walling or fencing Jewish cemeteries is usually a necessary step to ensure their long term protection and preservation. Buildings wall, however, especially around large cemeteries, is a difficult and expensive endeavor.

See more pictures of the wall construction here.

Szczebrzeszyn, Poland. The synagogue has been used as a local cultural center. Photo: Wikipedia Commons.

Poland: Reopening of Restored Zamosc with Conference April 5-7, 2011

Zamosc, Poland. Synagogue after present restoration.
Photos: Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.

Poland: Reopening of Restored Zamosc with Conference April 5-7, 2011
by Samuel D. Gruber

The restored Renaissance synagogue in Zamosc, one of the finest surviving synagogue buildings in Poland, will reopen on April 5th in conjunction with the conference “History and Culture of the Jews of Zamosc and the Zamosc Region.” The synagogue, unlike the Jews of Zamosc, survived the Holocaust and was used as a public library during much of Poland's Communist period. Unlike many other Jewish communal and religious buildings transformed for new use after World War II, the Zamosc synagogue retained many original features, including its built-in masonry and plastic Aron-ha kodesh (Ark) frame. The building was long recognized as a polish architectural monument and so a wealth of photographic and descriptive information from before 1939 survives informing us about the history, art and architecture of the building.

Zamosc, Poland. Synagogue interior during interwar years from Loukomski, Jewish Art in European Synagogues.

The Renaissance planned town of Zamosc is one of the most picturesque towns in Poland and one of the most important intact sites in the early history of European urban planning. Thus, it has been and continues to be a destination for specialized scholars and for Polish and international tourists. I first visited Zamosc in 1990 when surveying surviving synagogue buildings in Poland for the World Monuments Fund. Since compared to other synagogues in Poland at that time Zamosc was in extremely good condition, we did not list it as a preservation priority. I am happy that now, two decades later, WMF has continued to show interest in the building and contributed along with other international donors to the restoration. I include some of my photos from that first visit - when the sight of the Italian Renaissance inspired synagogue and the entire town was a revelation to me.

Zamosc, Poland. Synagogue in 1990. Photos: Samuel D. Gruber/World Monuments Fund

Photos and description of the restoration process and the finished buildings can be seen here.

The restitution of the synagogue to the Jewish community of Poland through the administration of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Monuments in Poland has allowed its repair and extensive restoration to return Jewish identity to the structure. Importantly, by rededicating the building as a synagogue but also establishing it as a regional Jewish information and tourist center, it returns easy access to Jewish history and identity to the town, and creates a larger venue for both commemoration of the past and introduction and consideration of contemproary Jewish religious and cultural identity.

This process begins this week with the conference that is co-organized by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland and the Polish-Jewish Literature Studies of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. The program of the conference which is in Polish and thus (appropriately) directed to a Polish audience can be seen here.

No doubt, in the future, there will be other meetings, symposia and conferences international in scope.

The synagogue has been restored by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland within the framework of the project “Revitalization of the Renaissance synagogue in Zamosc for the needs of the Chassidic Route and the local community”. The project received a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The restoration of the synagogue is part of the Foundation's broad program of care for otherwise orphaned Jewish historic sites, including its designation as a hub for the "Chassidic Route". Ironically, as is made clear in the text of the informative and lavishly illustrated brochure: “Revitalization of the Renaissance synagogue in Zamosc for the needs of the Chassidic Route and the local community” , Zamosc was never a ccenter of Hasidism. It is really an opportunity to make the point that there was a widespread Jewish presence before and during the Hasidic period that had its own roots and development, and is, i think, much more relevant for defining a Jewish role in the modern world.

I quote from the brochure:

In Poland in the second half of the 18th c. Unlike the smaller communities surrounding Zamość, where Chassidism found many supporters, the capital of the Entail became a significant anti-Chassidic center. Not coincidentally, it was the hometown of Rabbi Ezriel Halevi Horowitz, a major critic of Chassidism and opponent of Rabbi Jacob Isaac Horowitz, known as “The Seer of Lublin” – the famous leader of the Lublin Chassidim. In the first half of the 19th c., there were only two small Chassidic groups in Zamość, consisting of followers of the Tzadik of Góra Kalwaria and the Tzadik of Bełz.

The community’s rejection of Chassidism was likely due to the attitude of its traditional elite and well-educated rabbis, one of whom was Rabbi Israel Ben Moshe Halevi Zamość. A philosopher and mathematician, he became well-known throughout Europe, and was notably the teacher of Moses Mendelssohn, the famous thinker and precursor of the Haskalah. The Haskalah (Hebrew for “Enlightenment”) was a pan-European movement which evolved in the Jewish circles of Western Europe. Its proponents called for the renouncement of isolationism and the involvement of Jews in the social and political life of the countries they inhabited. At the end of the 18th century, Zamość became one of the most important centers of the Haskalah in the region.

Activities at the restored synagogue will also involve local partner the Artistic Exhibitions Agency, the Fine Arts High School, the Karol Namyslowski Symphonic Orchestra, the Zamość University of Management and Administration and the Catholic University of Lublin as well as the Jewish Community of Trondheim, Norway.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

The synagogue will also be available for religious services. Opening hours: beginning with April 8th, 2011 the "Synagogue" Center will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm.

The Holocaust in Zamosc

The fate of Zamosc's Jews in the Holocaust, which will be the main subject of one day of the conferecne on April 7, is briefly described by Stefan Krakowski in the Encyclopedia Judaica:

After a few days of heavy bombardment, which especially damaged the Jewish quarter, the German army entered Zamosc on Sept. 14, 1939. Immediately after capturing the city, the Germans organized a series of pogroms, motivated in part by the desire to loot Jewish property. On Sept. 26, 1939, the Germans left Zamosc and the Soviet army entered, but handed the city back to the Germans two weeks later, in accordance with the new Soviet-German demarcation line. About 5,000 Jews left the city at the time that the Soviet army withdrew. The remaining Jewish population suffered Nazi brutality and persecutions, like the rest of the Jews throughout Lublin province.

In October 1939 the Germans selected a *Judenrat and forced it to pay a "contribution" of 100,000 zlotys ($20,000) and the daily delivery of 250 Jews for hard labor. In December 1939 several hundred Jews expelled from *Lodz, Kalo, and *Wloclawek in western Poland were settled in Zamosc. Early in the spring of 1941 an open ghetto was established around Hrubieszowska Street, and the first deportation from Zamosc took place on April 11, 1942 (on the eve of Passover). The entire Jewish population was ordered to gather in the city's market, whereupon gunfire was directed at the crowd killing hundreds on the spot. About 3,000 Jews were forced to board waiting trains which took them to *Belzec death camp. From May 1 to 3, 1942, about 2,100 Jews from *Dortmund, Germany, and from Czechoslovakia were taken to Zamosc. Almost all of them were deported to Belzec on May 27 and murdered. The third mass deportation started on Oct. 16, 1942. All Jews were again ordered to gather in the city's market, and afterward were driven to *Izbica, some 15½ mi. (25 km.) from Zamosc. Many were shot on the way, and the rest, after a short stay in Izbica, were deported to Belzec and murdered. In this deportation the Jews offered passive resistance and hundreds went into hiding in prepared shelters. The Germans brought in Polish firemen to open the shelters by destroying the walls and removing other obstacles. Several hundred Jews were discovered in hiding and imprisoned for eight days in the city's cinema hall without food or water; then all those who were still alive were brought to the Jewish cemetery and executed.

A few hundred Jews fled to the forests. Most of them crossed the Bug River, made contact with Soviet guerrillas in the Polesie forest, and joined various local partisan groups. After the war some 300 Jews settled in Zamosc (270 from the Soviet Union, and 30 survivors of the Holocaust in Zamosc), but after a short stay they all left Poland.

Poland: New Booklet About Lancut

Lancut,Poland. Above: Synagogue (restored), Below: Lubomirska/Patocki Palace near the synagogue. Photos: Samuel D. Gruber (1993)

In November 2010 the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland released the English language version of the booklet 'Chassidic Route. Lancut', part of the organization's ongoing series of publications documenting the properties under its care, and the histories associated with those places. Together these sites have been linked as the Chassidic Route project, though often the Jewish history of specific places predates the rise and success of Hasidism, and includes non-Hasidic 18th-20th century components. Many of these places still have imposing remains of central synagogues - usually used by the entire community. The smaller shtibls and shuls where often the daily activity of Hasidic religious communities took place are long gone.

So far the Foundation has published brochures about Chelm, Jaroslaw, Krasnik, Lesko, Lezajsk, Ropczyce, Rymanow, Sanok, Ustrzyki Dolne and Zamosc. They are all available in Polish and in English in online versions and hard print copies. Online versions can be downloaded from the "About Us" and "Heritage" sections, and can also be found at POLIN - Polish Jews Heritage web portal at www.polin.org.pl.

Lancut is one of the most impressive remaining Polish synagogues and it is also one of the best preserved, having successfully survived demolition attempts by both Nazis and Communists. The survival of the building is due to the foresight and courage of just a few individuals. The interior is remarkable for its fine central bimah (of the bimah-support" type), its womens' gallery above the entrance and opposite the Ark wall, and its exceptional and much discussed symbolic painted wall decoration.

After the fall of Communism restoration and care for the building became more popular. I first visited the synagogue in 1990, and I post some previously unpublished photos of the restoration of the building underway at that time.

Lancut, Poland. Synagogue under restoration. photos: Samuel D. Gruber (1990)

Like many important Jewish sites the synagogue was recognized as an architectural and artistic site of historic significance in the late 19th century, and was first restored in 1896 and again in 1909-10. During German occupation of Poland, the Germans attempted to set the synagogue on fire. The thick masonry wall survived, but the wooden women’s gallery, window frames and interior furnishings were destroyed. The fire was put out following the intercession of the local noble Alfred Antoni Potocki, who made an appeal to the German authorities. After the liquidation of the Łańcut ghetto, the Nazis turned the synagogue into a grain storehouse, and it was used as a warehouse until 1956 when the Communist-era the Town National Council moved to demolish the building.

This plan was courageously protested by Dr Władysław Balicki, who forced the council to withdraw its decision. Dr Balicki, along with the head of the Cultural Department of the National Council in Rzeszów, Jan Mincal, then allocated a fairly large sum of money for the renovation of the synagogue and organized an exhibition of Judaica inside it, a rare occurrence in Poland at that time. From 1973 on the synagogue was maintained by the Łańcut Castle Museum.

The building underwent major renovations in the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2009, it has been the property of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.

There are also two Jewish cemeteries in Łańcut: the old and the new. The first reference to the old cemetery, located in today’s Moniuszki St, dates back to 1671, but early all matzevot were removed and destroyed by the Germans during World War II. The cemetery is still however visited by Jews from all over the world, who pay tribute at the ohelot of Tzadik Naft ali Tzvi Horowitz of Ropczyce and Tzadik Eleazar Shapiro.

The new cemetery was founded around 1860 in today’s Traugutta St. During the war, all gravestones were removed from it by the Germans. A memorial plaque commemorating the site of the execution of Łańcut Jews in 1941-44 is installed on the site. There is also a surviving mikvah at Ottona z Pilczy St, built in 1908-10.

Additional information about the Jewish history of Lancut can be found in the booklet.

Poland: New Memorial with Old Gravestones Erected at Radom Jewish Cemetery

Radom, Poland. New Memorial at Jewish Cemetery. Photos courtesy of FODZ.

Poland: New Memorial with Old Gravestones Erected at Radom Jewish Cemetery

(ISJM) The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland has announced the upcoming dedication of a new memorial monument at the Jewish cemetery at the central Polish town of Radom. The monument, erected on the cemetery is a raised lapidarium incorporating many of the gravestones scattered on the site and found in other locations. The ceremonial unveiling is planned for November 8, 2010.

The memorial is being built within the framework of the "Tikkun - Repair" project, created by the Polish and Israeli Prison Service with the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland as a partner.

The monument continues a tradition of "gathering of stones" begun with the erection of cemetery memorials by survivors immediately after the Shoah, and then continued in the 1980s and 1990s at places such as Kazimierz Dolny and Wyszków.

Poland: Two Jewish Cemeteries and One Monument Vandalized

Poland: Two Jewish Cemeteries and One Monument Vandalized

(ISJM) The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland reports several recently discovered acts of destructive vandalism against Jewish sites. These are the only details we have atthe moment:

The a section of the fence around the Jewish cemetery in Gdansk (a site previously attacked several times)was seriously damaged.

Jewish gravestones at the Jewish cemetery in Debrzno have been overturned and partially destroyed by unknown attackers. The cemetery was recently cleaned up by the pupils of the Youth Correctional Facility in Debrzno.

Lastly (we hope), The monument at the Jewish cemetery in Suwalki was also vandalized. This same monument was also attacked in 2007.

Poland: Abandoned Jewish Cemetery of Przemysl Returned to Jewish Ownership

Poland: Abandoned Jewish Cemetery of Przemysl Returned to Jewish Ownership

(ISJM) Last month (Feb 23) Michael Freund reported in the Jerusalem Post that the long abandoned and neglected "Old" Jewish cemetery of Przemsyl,has been restituted to the ownership of the foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ). The site on is still marked by an impressive stone entrance gate. Only a few gravestones from the cemetery have survived (photos) gravestones on the site which dates to the 16th century, it is believed that the burials remain intact, and the Foundation (FODZ) plans to clean the site and protect it. The carved gravestones were removed by the German occupiers of the town during the Second World War. To date, none have been located, but ti is possible that many were reused nearby for pavements and building material and some may be still be found. A second of "New" cemetery still survives in the town. This has hundreds of surviving stones, including post-1945 burials.

In June 2009, Freund participated in the dedication of a memorial plaque on the former Przemysl New Synagogue (1910), known as the Scheinbach synagogue and now used as a public library. At that time he challenged city officials to return the former cemetery.

Przemsyl, which was once a central Polish town, but is now located near the border of Ukraine, was once at town with a thriving pre-Holocaust Jewish population (estimated at 30% of the total). As the cemetery of a major town it also served, according the FODZ researchers nearby communities of Jaroslav, Pruchnik, Kanczuga and Dynow.

the following information comes from the websites of the Cemetery project of the International Jewish Genealogical Society.

OLD CEMETERY: The Jewish homes were founded outside the walls of the city on the road to Nehrybki between the current ul Wandy and ul Rakoczy. This old cemetery was documented first in 1568 in the privilege issued by King Sigismund Augustus and again in 1571 regarding damage. Since in 1638 King Władysław IV gave the Jews the privilege allowing them to use "the synagogue cemetery: and indicating that the cemetery also served the surrounding cities including Jarosławia, Pruchnik, Kańczugi, and Dynów. Five years later the cemetery area was enlarged. Land also was purchased in 1765. An 18th century fence shows in archival records. During WWII, this cemetery was destroyed, its stone gravestones used for making roads and streets including the barracks on ul Mickiewicz. Without care cemetery slipped into oblivion. Before WWII, archival photographs in the Muzeum Narodowego Ziemi Przemyskiej show that the cemetery had a large group of graves from the 16th century, the oldest being that of a woman named Gitel bat Gershon, who died on September 23, 1574 (8 tiszri 5335). In the mid-19th century, the cemetery occupied two hectares and was almost completely filled. The Jewish Community in Przemysl needed a new cemetery.

Poland: Still Urgency in Preservation of Jewish Sites

Poland: Still Urgency in Preservation of Jewish Sites

by Samuel D. Gruber

A recent article in the Jerusalem Post emphasizes the continuing need for resources (money!) and action to protect and preserve the Jewish heritage sites of Poland. Much has been done in the past 20 years...but the task has always been enormous and the support slow and small.

I've written frequently about the work of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) and its important role of stewardship of abandoned and neglected Jewish historic properties- especially cemeteries and former synagogues - throughout Poland. These are the place the no active Jewish communities - or anyone else - choose to use or care for. The costs in money, labor, materials and education to protect, maintain, preserve and properly present this sites is tremendous, and the real cash resources of the Foundation are extremely limited. General funds are needed for the upkeep of hundreds of cemeteries, and targeted donations can also be used for specific repair, restoration and education projects underway or in the planning stage.

The need for this work is not new. I recently came across this passage from 1947 from artist Louis Lozowick:

"A short time ago I heard a traveller, recently returned from Poland, tell the now familiar tale of Nazi depredation, violence and inhumanity. One thing caught my ear especially. 'From time to time,' he said, 'climbing over the rubble piled high where a house of worship used to be, you discover a piece of wood carving, from the Aron perhaps, a twisted metal candlestick, a painted slab. I read of so many millions and tens of millions of dollars spent on charity here and abroad - couldn't some pennies be spared to salvage the few remaining relics of a rich cultural heritage , while there is still time?"

[Louis Lozowick, "Synagogue Art: Review of Jewish Art in European Synagogues by George Loukomski' Menorah Journal (Autumn 1948), pp. 380-384. cited in Mark Godfrey, Abstraction and the Holocaust (New Haven, Yale Univ. Press, 2007), p 94].

Many of appeals I wrote in the early 1990s while Director of the Jewish Heritage Council of the World Monuments Fund have similar urgency.

Even before the Holocaust many historic Jewish sites were rundown. Forgotten by many is the fact that some Jewish sites received government support for repairs since they were recognized as national historic monuments. But after the general destruction of war and the targeted destruction as part of the genocide of the Holocaust, came decades of neglect under Communism. As I have written elsewhere, only in the 1980s did this begin to change - for a very few sites (such as the former synagogue in Tykocin, Staary Synagogue in Krakow, and the Nosyk Synagogue in Warsaw). Gradually through the 1990s the pace of care for Jewish sites accelerated due to private and public initiatives. Still, the amount of work to do is immense, and the total resources applied are minuscule compared to other national and international initiatives for cultural projects (and I won't even try to compare the costs against the price of single tomahawk or cruise missile, or a fighter plane or an unmanned drone).

In recent years with the slow, often erratic but continuing process of communal property restitution - responsibility for a great many sites has shifted to the Jewish Communities in Poland and to the FODZ, but financial support remains elusive. Some have pointed out restitution of many properties has allowed Polish authorities to unburden themselves of near-useless properties - and the responsibility (mostly avoided) - for their care. Some Jewish administrators while recognizing a moral need to protect these sites have hesitated to receive them, knowing the resources for their care are lacking- which can (and has) allowed in some cases a shift of blame for neglect from Poles to Jews. In truth, care for these properties is a collective problem and a collective responsibility of Poles and Jews, and of the international community.

Last month it was announced that Germany has contributed €60 million to the Perpetual Fund of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation - about half the amount said to be needed to implement the entire master conservation plan for the extensive concentration and death camp site. No total of funds spent to conserve and restore other Jewish sites in Poland exists, but I would estimate that the total spent in 20 years on care for some 1500 cemeteries and former synagogues probably does not exceed half the amount of the recent Auschwitz contribution, and perhaps much less. This includes the major restoration projects of the synagogues of Wroclaw, Warsaw, Lodz and Krakow, as well as ongoing work at Zamosc, Lancut and elsewhere. Most modest Polish cemetery interventions still run between 10,000 and 50,000 euro. Building complete walls around cemeteries can cost much more - and therefore is rarely done. No similar fund for Jewish cemeteries has even been created - despite many efforts over the years. The current work of FODZ is the closest that has been achieved.

I do support continued international support for the preservation of Auschwitz and other death camp and Holocaust-related sites – and I praise the conservation initiative – one begun twenty years ago. I continue to believe, however, that similar efforts must be made to protect and find new and appropriate use for the remaining physical traces of the Jewish cultural and religious life and achievement that was destroyed. Auschwitz, Majdanek, Treblinka, Belzec and other camps are cemeteries and memorials. Their protection honors the dead, and continues to remind us of their suffering as victims of Nazi culture of intolerance, cruelty, destruction and death. But the care and preservation of older cemeteries, synagogues and other Jewish sites remembers the culture of Jews – not Nazism. Preservation (and explanation) honors the dead, but also recognizes generations of Jewish culture and community of faith, leaning, creativity and community.

For more information about how to help fund Jewish heritage projects in Poland, please contact me directly at samuelgruber@gmail.com

Poland: Israeli and Polish Students Work to Clean and Document Knyszyn Cemetery

Knyszyn, Poland. Students working at Jewish cemetery. Photos courtesy of FODZ

Poland: Israeli and Polish Students Work to Clean and Document Knyszyn Cemetery

(ISJM) On October 21, 2009, a group of Israeli students visited the Polsih town of Knyszyn where they worked at the local Jewish cemetery together with Polish students from the School Complex. The group also toured the town and took part in joint workshops. This program was the latest implementation of the program ‘To Bring Memory Back’ developed in 2005 by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland to recover memories of neglected Jewish sites, and to connect the younger generation with the threatened legacy of the Jewish past. The meeting in Knyszyn was organized by the Foundation within the new project called ‘Haverim – Friends. Polish-Jewish youth meetings’.

According to the Foundation:

‘Haverim – Friends. Polish-Jewish youth meetings’ derives directly from the ‘To Bring Memory Back’ educational program realized by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland’ since 2005.

The paths of Polish students participating in the ‘To Bring Memory Back’ program and young Jews from Israel and the United States of America crossed in 2006, when Foundation, acting on request of one or our Israeli partners, arranged a visit of youngIsraelis to Zambrow. In 2007 three youth meetings were organized in August. Students from Debica, Kielce and Knyszyn along with their Jewish counterparts were visiting Jewish cemeteries, shared experience, exchanged addresses and made friends. In 2008 three more meetings were organized in Brody, Przemysl and Warsaw. In 2009 the meetings took place in Krasnik, Lublin, Otwock and Siedlce and a meeting in Knyszyn is scheduled for October. This visible growth of popularity resulted in the creation of the ‘Haverim’ program. The idea of the program is to break the clichés existing in both Poland and Israel. The students from Israel, who visit mostly Holocaust-related places and see Poles only through the windows of their buses have the opportunity to meet people their own age involved in the matter of preserving the historical heritage of Polish Jews. Young Poles can confront their expectations and knowledge gathered during the realization of the program with reality. Both sides involved may develop their sensitivity and openness to other cultures and religions, finally to discover that young people throughout the world have more in common than they realize. It is a perfect opportunity for them to get new pen pals and even friends for years, over the existing political, cultural and language barriers. The ‘Haverim – Friends. Polish – Jewish youth meetings’ is supported by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.

Poland: Klodzko Cemetery Holocaust Monument Vandalized

Poland: Klodzko Cemetery Holocaust Monument Vandalized

(ISJM) The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports the vandalism of a Holocaust monument in the Jewish cemetery at Klodzko in southwestern Poland last week.

Polish Holocaust memorial vandalized

October 18, 2009 (JTA) -- Vandals defaced a Holocaust memorial at the Jewish cemetery in a town in southwestern Poland.

According to The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, unknown vandals threw white paint over the commemorative plaque affixed to the monument at the cemetery in Klodzko sometime last week. "Incidents like this undermine all good things happening in Polish-Jewish relations," said Monika Krawczyk, the foundation's CEO.

Read the full story here.

Cemeteries: Non-Jews Often Essential for Cemetery Upkeep

Cemeteries: Non-Jews Often Essential for Cemetery Upkeep
by Samuel D. Gruber

It has long been the custom for Jewish communities to hire non-Jews as custodians and maintenance workers at Jewish cemeteries. Under Communism, it was not uncommon for Jewish survivors and descendants to hire (often clandestinely) local people - often farmers- to look after Jewish cemeteries in communities where no Jew survived. The cemeteries were kept clean and secure and the custodian earned much needed cash. Over the past decades this type of arrangement has become more regularized, and many Jewish communities hire local people to regularly clean cemeteries - especially to cut weeds and other excess vegetation.

It is well known that when local (non-Jews) are involved in the care of the Jewish cemeteries the risk of vandalism decreases because the caretakers take a proprietary interest in the property, and in small towns they are likely to know anyone who trespasses. In the Czech Republic, in a small number of cases, the Federation of Jewish Communities has refurbished former caretakers' apartments situated at the edge of cemeteries, and these have been rented at reduced rates to part-time caretakers, as part of their compensation.

Another way that non-Jews have been increasingly involved in caring for Jewish cemeteries has been through the organization of occasional excursions to cemeteries by local school groups, civic groups, church groups and others. In the 1990s these cleaning projects were usually ad hoc and nearly spontaneous. More and more, however, they have been organized and the group not only do good work, but they receive instruction in the history of the Jewish community and the significance of the cemetery, and they are also taught best practices for cemetery care. There are now so many such programs - especially in Germany and Poland - that it is hard to keep track of them.

A few recent examples include secondary school students carrying out in May a second annual clean-up of the local Jewish cemetery in the German city of Lüdinghausen. As part of the project, the children received lessons about the fate of the city’s Jews during the Holocaust. Read the original article (in German).

In Poland, as I have previously reported, students of The Public Middle School No.2 in Dabrowa Tarnowska took the local Jewish cemetery under their care. Within the framework of 'To Bring Memory Back' program they regularly visit the cemetery, gather litter and clean up the matzevot.

Also in Poland, i June, cleaning of the Jewish cemetery in Leczna, was led by the 'Rainbow' Association of Homeless and Unemployed People in Leczna" in cooperation with Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.

On June19, 2009, the Foundation also signed an agreement with the Central Board of Prison Service which will allow inmates of 85 correctional facilities to help clean up Jewish cemeteries in Poland. Prison inmates are already used to help clean highways and other locations, as is the case in many countries.

While some might find it uncomfortably ironic that prisoners will be used to clean cemeteries - many of which were originally pillaged by forced laborers during the Nazi occupation, the situations are not analogous. Instead, the agreement demonstrates that Jewish hertiage in Poland is increasingly included in a broad range of planning efforts for the protection and care of all national resources. It also demonstrates that those in the Jewish community in charged with the difficult task of maintaining an enormous portfolio of properties - especially of cemeteries - have to be even more creative in order to get the work done.

Poland: Commemorative Plaque to be Unveiled on Former Przemysl Synagogue

Poland: Commemorative Plaque to be Unveiled on Former Przemysl Synagogue

(ISJM) On June 22, 2009 a commemorative plaque will be unveiled at the former Scheinbach Synagogue building (today the town library) in Przemyśl, Poland. The building was designed by Stanislaw Majersji (1872-1926) a graduate of the Lwów Politechnical School, and built between 1910 and 1918. Majerski had also designed the Rundbogenstil Reform Synagogue built in 1890.

The Scheinbach Synagogue survives, although much of it exterior decoration was stripped off in the post-War period, and its vivid interior painting of biblical scenes are view of the Holy Land (especially on the vaulted ceiling) is no longer visible (unknown whether was destroyed or is merely covered over). According to Diana Muir Appelbaum writing about the synagogues on the Jewish Przemyśl Blog, the building also had notable stained glass windows; both windows and paintings were by a Jewish Przemyśl artist named Adolf Bienenstock (1888-1937), a graduate of the Krakow Fine Art Academy who taught art at the Przemysl Gymnasium. I will try to post more information about this artist, until now unknown to me.

The ceremony begins at 12:30 PM at 15 Slowackiego St.

The plaque is a joint project of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland and Mr. Michael Freund of Raanana in Israel.

Poland: Good and Bad Teens. Chrzanow Cemetery Vandals Apprehended, Other Teens Care for Cemetery in Dabrowa Tarnowska

Poland: Good and Bad Teens. Chrzanow Cemetery Vandals Apprehended, Other Teens Care for Cemetery in Dabrowa Tarnowska
by Samuel D. Gruber

(ISJM) According to the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, police have identified three teenagers as those who vandalized the Jewish cemetery in Chrzanow in March 2009. Three local Middle School students damaged about 60 matzevot (gravestones). The cost of repairs cost is estimated in dozens of thousands of zlotys. The vandals are now facing charges in family court.

Meanwhile, other Middle School students in Dabrowa Tarnowska have taken the local Jewish cemetery under their care. Within the framework of the Foundation sponsored 'To Bring Memory Back' program, they regularly visit the cemetery, gather litter and clean up the matzevot.

Getting residents of all ages in small towns throughout Poland (and other countries) is a key element in ensuring the long term protection and care of Jewish cemeteries and Holocaust sites. Only when people understand the history and appreciate the values - form a moral, social, political and economic view - will sites be relatively safe. Them ore people of different ages and walks of life who participate in this process, the better. When local residents - Jewish and especially non-Jewish - take a proprietary interest in a site (perhaps through have spent time cleaning it), they are more likely to look out after its safety. School groups, youth groups, Churches groups, and civic organizations can all play a part in this process. International organizations can encourage this work by partnering, sponsoring or providing "sister/brother" links for encourage international cultural exchange.

Readers interest in supporting such endeavors can contact me directly at samuelgruber@gmail.com, and I will direct them to active efforts.

Poland: Commemorative Marker Installed on former Krasnik Synagogue

Krasnik, Poland. Former Synagogue Complex and new Commemorative Plaque.
Photos: Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland

Poland: Commemorative Marker Installed on former Krasnik Synagogue

(ISJM) On May 4, 2009, an inscribed memorial marker was dedicated in Krasnik, Poland (located south of Lublin). The tablet is attached to the outer wall of the former synagogue in Krasnik and commemorates the Jews of Krasnik who were victims of the Holocaust. The memorial was financed by the Friends of Krasnik Society of France. On the day of the dedication ceremony students of the local Middle School No.1 met with young Jews from England. Together, they toured former Jewish sites in Krasnik and helped to clean the local Jewish cemetery. Both events were organized by the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.

For photos of the dedication ceremony click here

Since 2007, the Foundation has been developing a project of revitalization of the historic synagogue complex [click here for more photos]. The municipal government and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage are lead partners in this effort. The Foundation is the owner of both Krasnik synagogues in the complex: the larger, 17th century Baroque style building that still contains fragments of polychrome decoration inside, and a smaller synagogue, called “the Talmudic house”, probably built in the 19th century.

To read more about he Jewish history and sites of Krasnik download the brochure Krasnik: The Chassidic Route.

According to the Foundation, plans call for the smaller synagogue building to host a modern multimedia library (a library and a lecture room), joined with the multimedia Museum of Jews of Krasnik and the Krasnik Area. The larger building will perform multiple functions: it will host a center for the local culture-oriented non-governmental organizations, and a grand hall for concerts, conferences and exhibitions. One of the women’s courtyards (second floor of the larger synagogue), will serve as a workshop room for art courses.

Other partners in the project are the local authorities of Krasnik, the Town Library, the Culture and PromotionCenter and the non-governmental organizations: the Krasnik Society of Knowledge Lovers and the Center of Volunteers. These partners participated in the preparation of the functional concept of “Our Multicultural Center” and will be its co-hosts, developing its cultural offer along with the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.

Poland: New Monuments erected in Gdansk on Anniversary of Kinderstransport

Poland: New Monuments Erected in Gdansk on Anniversary of Kinderstransport

(ISJM) Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland reports that on May 6-7, 2009, the 70th anniversary of the Kinderstransport (evacuation of Jewish children from Germany, Austria, the Free City of Danzig (Gdansk), Czechoslovakia, Latvia, Estonia and Poland to England between 1938-1939) took place in Gdansk. The Kinderstransport saved the lives of about 11 thousand Jewish children just in the months before hte outbreak of the Second World War and the onslaught of the Holocaust. About 130 children came from Gdansk (formerly Danzig) in four transports.

A monument to the Kindertransports was unveiled in Gdansk as well as new matzevot (gravestones) in the cemetery marking the graves of Rabbis Elchanan Ashkenasi and Meir Posner.

Retrieving Stolen Matzevot: Plan Announced to Retrieve Scattered Gravestone Fragments from Inowroclaw (Poland) Jewish Cemetery

Retrieving Stolen Matzevot: Plan Announced to Retrieve Scattered Gravestone Fragments from Inowroclaw (Poland) Jewish Cemetery

(ISJM) In recent years there has been an apparent increase in the number of efforts to identify and recover Jewish gravestones (matzevot) that were previously removed from cemeteries for use as building materials. In the former Soviet Union, stones were removed as early as the 1920s and sometimes used to construct the base of monuments to Lenin, or for other commemorative structures. More stones were removed during the Holocaust and used by Germans for paving roads (Radom, Poland) and courtyards (Kazimierz Dolny, Poland; Kremenets, Ukraine). Others were apparently taken by private individuals and used for farm buildings and others types of construction.

Toppled Communist monument built using Jewish gravestone fragment, recovered from the town dump in Samorin, Slovakia (photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2009)

The reasons for recent recoveries are mixed. From the Jewish perspective, there is more awareness and interest in the fate of these stones, and better local and national Jewish organization to respond when they are discovered, and to demand their return. On the public side, there is now a greater awareness among local governments and national monument authorities about the significance of these stones, and also a greater willingness to cooperate with Jewish groups when stones are uncovered. Most important, greater investment and activity in renewing infrastructure - particularly the repair and replacement of old roads - has led to a increase in the discovery of these stolen gravestones. Fro the most part, local authorities have been willing to contribute to the cost of the removal, repair and replacement of these stones when they are found in the course of municipal work or other government sponsored works. Unfortunately, private property owners have been less cooperative when gravestones have been identified in their buildings or on their properties. Though the situations vary, private owners are very likely to negotiate - essentially hold stones for ransom - demanding outright payment for the stones, or requesting payment for "removal and replacement" costs (such as the repaving of a courtyard or the rebuilding of a stairway). When these costs have been modest, many Jewish groups have paid these costs - finding payment cheaper and easier than a protracted and possibly litigated dispute.

It is time, however, for more consistent and transparent policies to be put in force to assist in the identification, recovery and care of these stolen stones. ISJM will soon put forth proposals and guidelines addressing this topic. As a sign of progress in this area, the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland announced that on April 7, 2009:

a meeting took place in Inowroclaw (kujawsko-pomorskie province) between the representatives of the Foundation… local authorities and the regional Monument Conservator. The parties discussed the matter of the matzevot used in the past to reinforce the pavements in Inowroclaw. A commission was created to inventarize the locations of the tombstones, then to remove and secure them. In near future they will be transported back to the 'new' Jewish cemetery in the town (located between the communal and Catholic cemeteries). They probably will become part of the lapidarium.

Poland: Jewish cemetery in Jozefow (lubelskie province) cleaned

Poland: Jewish cemetery in Jozefow (lubelskie province) cleaned

(ISJM) The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage announced on December 19th that it had finished clearing the Jewish cemetery in Jozefow (lubelskie province) and overgrowth of shrubs and grass. During the cleaning of the site previously unknown matzevot were uncovered. The project was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage within the framework of the 'Cultural Heritage' operational program, priority 6 'Protection of Historical Cemeteries'.

See the pictures from Jozefow here:

JOZEFOW. JEWISH CEMETERY AFTER THE CLEANUP