Urszula Mróz

Leaders

Initially I wanted to learn more about multicultural Konin, as I was constantly being reminded about this period by the existing material heritage in the town: the Lutheran tombstones at the cemetery on Kolska street or the impressive synagogue. My quest for knowledge led me to books by Józef Lewandowski (Cztery dni w Atlantydzie / Four Days in Atlantis) and Theo Richmond (Konin. A Quest). Both were revolutionary for me. With their descriptions of prewar Konin, the authors stirred my imagination to the point where I knew there was no going back. I realized that few other towns have such unique memoir resources and it would be a shame to not do anything about all this. I teach history in Jan Kochanowski Middle School no.5 in Konin, so the main field of my activism is within the school community. By teaching about the town’s Jewish past, I try to build up local site memory. I implement projects that allow young people to explore and commemorate Konin’s Jewish history – “Frames of Memory”, the play “Maria’s Dream” or “Reading Stones” for School of Dialogue.

There are very few Konin residents who are originally from here; the vast majority migrated to the town after World War II. These residents as well as their children often have no idea about the local multiculturalism of the area they live in. I help my students gain this knowledge. I want to believe that the curiosity awakened in the students and the emotional experiences of these initiatives will pay off and lead to their own individual quests and initiatives. My school experience did little to uncover for me the wealth of multiculturalism, although my high school building stood at the same street as the synagogue. I would like this encounter with Jewish heritage to help young people understand just how important of a component this is for our history and culture, but also to make them more open and sensitive to prejudice, to awaken their social consciousness and responsibility for other people.

Activism

Konin

contact information:
urszula.mroz@liderzydialogu.pl