Poland - art and memory. Page of History Foundation

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I have to admit that I had never heard of the Page of History Foundation and its interesting project linking art and commemoration  until I read a recent  article in the Jewish Chronicle about an art work it just unveiled in the town of Gora Kalwaria (Yiddish Ger) south of Warsaw -- a sculpture depicting Adam and Eve by the Polish artist Bronislaw Krzysztof.

The year was 1990, Communism had just collapsed in Poland and John Pomian, a Pole living in the UK, was on a return visit to his country of origin with a Jewish friend, Casimir Stamirski.

As the pair passed through the town of Mogielnica, Mr Pomian, who served in the RAF during the war, was invited by Mr Stamirski to stop off in the town to see they could find any traces of the Jewish community that once thrived there.

There was nothing to be found. As they returned to their car, they spotted a large boulder bearing the names of locals who died during the Second World War. There were no Jewish names among them.

On his return to London, Mr Pomian decided something had to be done to commemorate the presence of Jews in Poland, who, he says, "have shared our history for centuries". In 1991, Mr Pomian set up the Page of History Foundation, which aimed to install works of art in towns where Jews once lived as gestures of remembrance "from Poles towards Polish Jews".

 Read full article HERE

The foundation's web site describes its purpose as commemorating the Jewish presence in Poland "through funding works of art authored by recognized artists and making these available to a wider public."

It states that the Foundation's four basic principles are:

--  this is to be a Polish gesture towards the Jews, who shared our history for centuries and made their contribution to the development of Polish culture and commercial life.

--  this is to be a completely private undertaking and we will not be seeking any money from public funds.

--  we will commemorate Polish Jews through works of art of the highest and lasting aesthetic merit.

-- the inspiration for these works will be the Old Testament, which is the sacred scripture of both Christians and Jews.

Besides in Gora Kalwaria, works of art have been put up since 1995 in Warsaw, Szydlow, Lodz and Zamosc.

Poland -- another synagogue restoration wins award

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The restoration of the synagogue in Ostrow Wielkopolski has won the "Facade of the Year" award for historic building preservation.

This is the second announcement this month of a synagogue restoration in Poland garnering an award, joining the synagogue in Zamosc, for whose restoration the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland won the 2011 Conservation Laurel, an annual award granted by the regional authorities and monuments conservator in eastern Poland's Lubelskie Region, where Zamosc is located

I posted about the Ostrow restoration project last fall, providing links to the town web site with a lot of photographs illustrating the transformation.

Poland -- Zamosc synagogue restoration wins prize

By Ruth Ellen Gruber


The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ), has won an award for the outstanding conservation of historic buildings. The award specifically cited the recently completed restoration of the Renaissance synagogue in the town of Zamosc, in southeastern Poland. FODZ, which initiated and oversaw the restoration, announced on Thursday that it had received the award, the 2011 "Conservation Laurel." The award is granted each year by the regional authorities and monuments conservator in eastern Poland's Lubelskie Region, where Zamosc is located. The award ceremony will take place May 13. Granted annually since 2000, the Conservation Laurel singles out restoration projects characterized by appropriate and high quality execution as well as by particular care on restoring and preserving the historic value and significance of a monument. The Zamosc synagogue was rededicated this month after a three-year restorations project.

Poland -- Restored Renaissance Zamosc Synagogue to be Inaugurated

 Photo from FODZ web site: fodz.pl

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

As I've reported earlier, restoration of the beautiful and important renaissance synagogue in Zamosc, in southeastern Poland, has been completed -- and the dedication of the building, which will be used for cultural purposes, will take place Tuesday. I wish I could attend the ceremony!

According to the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, FODZ, which oversaw the restoration project, the synagogue will house a tourist and cultural information center for the FODZ-sponsored Chassidic Route. A Multimedia Museum of the History of the Jews of Zamosc and the Surrounding Area will also be established there,  in cooperation with the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow -- www.galiciajewishmuseum.org . A part of the area will also be adapted for the needs of local NGOs.

Events at the dedication will include a two-day conference, “History and Culture of the Jews in Zamosc and the Zamosc Region," which will be held in the synagogue and kick off a project documenting Jewish history in the town.


AP runs a lengthy story, highlighting the synagogue's history and the complex restorations process.

The near-absence of Jews today "brings to light what war and genocide and the Holocaust really mean," said Monika Krawczyk, CEO of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, the Warsaw-based group that oversaw the preservation work. "Although the Jews in Poland today are small in number, the heritage is absolutely huge."

The renovation took about a year and cost euro1.7 million ($2.4 million), funded mostly by grants from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The restored synagogue will be presented to the public Tuesday in a ceremony attended by Jewish leaders, U.S. and Israeli diplomats and city officials. After that, it will serve occasionally as a house of worship for Jewish tourists who visit death camps in the area, including Auschwitz, Belzec and Majdanek. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are also drawn to the region because many founders of the Hassidic movement were from Polish and Ukrainian towns.

Mainly it will serve as a local community center, offering art students a place to show their work, schools a place for seminars, musicians a site for small concerts.

Poland -- Synagogue in Zamosc renovation is complete

Zamosc synagogue after restoration. Photo: FODZ web site

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The renovation of the renaissance synagogue in Zamosc, the gorgeous "ideal town" in the southeast of Poland, is complete -- and the building will be dedicated next month.

The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland posts a gallery of before and after pictures -- click HERE.

Interior, Zamosc synagogue, after restoration. Photo: FODZ web site

Poland -- Conference announcement and upcoming Zamosc synagogue dedication

 Zamosc synagogue. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland announces a conference in April that will coincide with the formal rededication of the synagogue in Zamosc after its restoration.

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 invite for an INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC CONFERENCE “HISTORY AND CULTURE OF THE JEWS IN ZAMOSC AND THE ZAMOSC REGION” WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE ON APRIL 5-7, 2011.
The conference will be held in the Renaissance synagogue in Zamosc. It will be combined with the official opening of the synagogue which is being 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 conference will inaugurate a multi-year research project devoted to Zamosc Jews, gathering researchers representing different academic disciplines interested in the subject.