In August, Forum helped organize a meeting between Heidi Urich, and Douglas and Janine Cohen, and the School of Dialogue students from Sierpc. The visit begun with a heart-warming reception by the students accompanied by teachers and representatives of local authorities, including the Mayor. All three visitors received a set of materials containing a detailed map of pre-war Sierpc and documents concerning their families’ history. After a brief meet and greet, the students took the visitors on a tour of Sierpc Jewish sites they have developed as part of the School of Dialogue program. The tour included a stop at the Abraham Neumann’s house. He was a painter, who studied under the tutelage of Jacek Malczewski, one of the most revered painters of Poland. Then they stopped at the Sierpc rabbi’s house, the place where the synagogue used to be, walked around the former ghetto area, and finally paid their respects at the Jewish cemetery. Given that this was not the visitors’ first visit to the town, the route was not a surprise to them. What they truly appreciated, however, was to witness the expertise and knowledge the students had about the Jews of Sierpc. The students surprised the guests with new information, while the guests shared personal family stories that complimented the students’ tale. The visit and the warm welcome have created an atmosphere of dialogue that enabled a deeper mutual understanding of the history of Jews in Sierpc and ensured that the memory of this community will not be lost.

photo M.Piekarska