Wacław Wierzbieniec

The celebrations were organized between January 26 and 29, 2015, together with local authorities of participating towns: mayors of Rzeszów, Krosno, Jarosław, Lubaczów and Kolbuszowa, County Offices of Jarosław and Lubaczów, Rzeszów’s Archdiocese Curia, Stanisław Pigoń State College of Krosno, Rzeszów chapter of the Institute of National Remembrance, Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, Podkarpackie Department of Education, Podkarpackie Center for Educating Teachers, as well as museums, libraries, associations and schools from the aforementioned towns. Five towns from the region contributed to the event’s organization, namely Rzeszów, Jarosław, Krosno, Lubaczów and Kolbuszowa. The celebrations accompanied events presenting Jewish history and culture; these included unveiling of a plaque commemorating Krosno Jews, prayers at Jewish ceremonies, meetings with Holocaust survivors and their families, public readings of survivor testimonies by local youth, film screenings, lectures, exhibitions and performances of Jewish music. On January 26 in Krosno, victims of the Holocaust were commemorated at the local Jewish cemetery, and a memorial plaque for local Jews was unveiled on the site of the town’s ghetto. In the course of meetings in Podkarpacie Museum and the Museum of Crafts, Jews with roots in Krosno shared their memories, dr Elżbieta Rącza delivered a lecture on Poles saving Jews in Krosno and the region, while local youth read testimonies of Holocaust survivors. On January 27th, the Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorative celebrations were held for Rzeszów’s Jews at the local Jewish cemetery, while testimonies of survivors and their families were presented at the University of Rzeszów. The university also hosted a book launch for dr hab. Elżbieta Rącza’s Holocaust in Krakow District Between 1939 and 1945 (“Zagłada Żydów w dystrykcie krakowskim w latach 1939-1945″) and a lecture of dr Grzegorz Berendt entitled “Institutional Plunder: Jews in the Operations of the Occupation Authorities in Polesie Region between 1939 and 1943”. As each year, the highlight of the program was a religious service in Rzeszów’s main church, referencing the Day of Judaism in Catholic Church. The service was coupled with public reading of names of Poles from Rzeszów area who had been murdered for rescuing Jews and the Jews that had been killed with them.

  On January 28, 2015, in the course of the service in Jarosław Abbey, a list of names was read publicly as well: it included Jews who had been murdered during extermination actions and Poles who had attempted to hide them. Participants lit candles for the victims and Kaddish prayer was said on the extermination site of the abbey walls. Many Jews had died in Jarosław during the occupation; in 1943, some of them were moved by Germans to a work camp next toa plane engine factory in Rzeszów. Those who had somehow managed to survive were thrown into prison in the building of the convent of Benedictine nuns. There, they were tortured and later executed under the abbey’s wall. In the course of the sessions in the abbey, testimonies of survivors and their families were read. This year, aside from Lucia Retman and Judith Elkin, guests from abroad included Ora Regev Heuman from Tel Aviv, her husband Pierre Heuman and Miki and Yoram Basch. Ora Regev Heuman is the author of And the River Still Flows (A rzeka nadal płynie) and has her roots Lubaczów. As Miki’s mother came from Jarosław, Miki decided to search for her family roots. The Center for Dialogue among Religions and Nations of the State Technical-Economic College in Jarosław hosted a student debate led by Elżbieta Rączy andJakub Izdebski entitled“Evaluation of Attitudes of Poles towards Jews during the German Occupation”. Guests also had an opportunity to see two exhibitions: of Dukla Judaica organized by Shtetl Dukla; and “Jews in Podkarpacie region”, an exhibition by Joanna Elżbieta Potaczek about the Jewish communities in five towns hosting the celebrations. The final day of the celebrations was held in Kolbuszowa and Lubaczów. In Kolbuszowa, School Complex no.2 hosted a presentation about the history of local Jews by Andrzej Wesołowski, local archivist and collector of items pertaining to history and culture of Kolbuszowa’s Jews. The celebrations ended with a commemorative service at Lubaczów’s Jewish cemetery and a meeting with Holocaust survivors and their families. Testimonies were given by Lucia Retman and Ora Regev Heuman, who has family roots in the town.