Łukasz Połomski

In 2006, I began studying history in Krakow. When I was researching a topic for my master’s thesis, I discovered, to my surprise, that before the war my town, Nowy Sącz, was inhabited by different cultures and nations, and among them were Jews. I met Jakub Muller, the last Jew from Nowy Sącz, who for years was the guardian of memory and the heritage of his ancestors. I spent a lot of time with him until his death in 2010. A year later, I created the Shtetl of Tsanz because I decided to continue his work. I did not want to let the memory pass away with his death. I am a history teacher, I wrote my PhD thesis on the history of Nowy Sącz. I publish a lot about the history of my beloved town. There is a lot going on in Nowy Sącz. Together with Shtetl of Tsanz I organize the commemoration of the liquidation of the ghettos in Nowy Sącz, Limanowa, Grybów, Gorlice and Stary Sącz and the commemoration of the murder of April 29, 1942 in the Nowy Sącz ghetto.

I also organize educational events and conferences (Autumn Yeshiva and Holocaust Remembrance Day); I guide around the former ghetto and cemetery; do genealogical research; organize the Day of Judaism in the Church; run the Nowy Sącz Shtetl Club for young people. There is a growing awareness of the past around the town inhabitants, of the history of Jews, as they are often seen in the streets (Nowy Sącz is an important place for Chassidic pilgrimages). My educational activities are directed not only to my students and young people, but also to the elderly, who for more than 70 years were unaware of the multi-ethnic past of the town. My activism meets with positive reaction from the descendants of the Sącz Jews. I created a dedicated Facebook group where they can exchange information and memorabilia. It is extremely important for them, just as when I show them places where their fathers, grandparents and family members were born.

Activism

Shtetl of Tsanz website 

Łukasz Połomski

Nowy Sącz, Stary Sącz, Grybów, Limanowa, Gorlice

contact: lukasz.polomski@liderzydialogu.pl