From the very beginning, Forum for Dialogue aimed to save from oblivion and reconstruct the continuum of Gliwice’s history in the minds of the people connected to this town; as well as to build a foundation for the benefit of future generations. Meanwhile, almost in the heart of the city stood an empty plot of land after the local synagogue; a token of what had happened to the local Jewish community. At the time when Forum for Dialogue operated out of Gliwice, the local memory and knowledge about Jewish residents, culture and religion, all of which had so significantly contributed to the town’s development, was still meager.

The foundation endeavored to change this state of affairs and to commemorate Gliwice’s Jewish community by inscribing it into the town’s collective biography.

We did not limit our interests to wartime history, but included the more distant past as well, where the different cultures merged to create the unique character of Gliwice.

In an attempt to commemorate Gliwice’s Jewish community and inscribe it into the town’s collective biography, Forum for Dialogue created a website that presented the local Jewish history. This project was implemented with the help of the State Archive and Gliwice Museum that not only made their collections accessible, but also helped to prepare the sources. With the help and support of Hilde and Max Kochman, whom we reached in the course of our work on the project, our idea to commemorate Gliwice Jews could become a reality.

Aside from archival materials, biographies of famous Jewish residents and studies on Jewish-related issues and Jewish heritage sites, the website was enriched by private, intimate life stories of Holocaust survivors and their families, who often had lived in Gliwice for many generations. Through these personal recollections it was possible to re-construct the history of the town in its full scope and to commemorate its prewar residents. Thus, the project became a bridge linking contemporary residents of Gliwice with those from the past. We also became interested in the dilapidated pre-funeral home at Gliwice’s Jewish cemetery and took first steps toward restoring it to the memory of contemporary town residents.

Many years later, through joint efforts of Gliwice municipality and local activists, the building became home to a museum and an education center: House of Memory of the Jews of Upper Silesia.

The grand finale of local activism in Gliwice for Forum for Dialogue came in 2003, when the unveiling ceremony of the plaque commemorating the town’s Jewish residents and a meeting between descendants of local Jews with contemporary Gliwice residents were organized. We managed to locate and invite thirty Gliwice Holocaust survivors and their descendants to this event.