Gliwice
Reconnecting Ties
Reconnecting Ties
On December 10, 2016, the participants of a Forum for Dialogue study visit to Poland from Israel and the U.S. met with Karolina Jakoweńko, a Leader of Dialogue in Będzin and Gliwice, to discover the history of Jews of Gliwice and to learn about commemorating projects conducted in the town. Karolina took her guests on a tour around Gliwice, retracing the town of the 19th and the beginnings of the 20th century, when it was located within the boundaries of Germany. While walking around Gliwice, the study trip participants could admire the town’s architecture. They went to the market square, visited the place where the synagogue once stood and where a commemorative plaque was erected. Next, they went to the newly established Upper Silesian Jews House of Remembrance – a branch of the Museum of Gliwice. Since January 2016, Karolina Jakoweńko has been working as its head. The institution is located next to a Jewish cemetery in Gliwice in a restored Jewish funeral home designed by Max Fleischer, a famous architect from Vienna. The participants were impressed by the renovation of this historical building and the activities the museum’s employees undertake to research and commemorate Jewish history in Upper Silesia, as well as by meetings and workshops for children that Karolina co-organizes.
