Dariusz Walerjański
The fellow of the David and Anna Dlugie Kliger Scholarship in 2018
The fellow of the David and Anna Dlugie Kliger Scholarship in 2018
Dariusz Walerjański has been the caretaker of the Jewish cemetery in Zabrze since 1989, maintaining its proper condition and aesthetics. Throughout the year, he organizes regular maintenance and cleanup works, and its documentation. Young people from secondary school in Zabrze actively assist him in the works, as well as a small group of volunteers – people of good will who want to help in maintenance of the cemetery.
The scholarship for personal development, which he received, has enabled him to implement the idea he had been working on for several years, i.e. to prepare a guide exploring traces of the Jewish past in Zabrze. He used the scholarship funds to purchase the necessary equipment: a laptop with additional memory, a camera and lens, a memory card and software for the computer. Having the technical resources in place, he began work on the guide – writing down what he managed to discover about the history of the Jewish community in Zabrze. He developed the concept of the guide, and gave it a working title “Świat odtwarzany. Przewodnik po żydowskich śladach w Zabrzu” (The World Recreated. A guide exploring Jewish traces in Zabrze).
The scholarship allowed him to collect the materials and documentation needed to implement the project. The cleanup and documentation-related works at the Jewish cemetery, carried out with volunteers in the fall of 2018, were registered on film and photographed. He has also partnered with an artist who will design a cover for the guide. This paved the way to find a publisher.
His hard work on the guide has resulted in successful cooperation with other Leaders of Dialogue who shared with him good practices and ideas. It was also possible to establish new connections with descendants of Zabrze Jews living abroad. The scholarship and project implementation strengthened and sustained his conviction that his involvement is important in regard to both tangible and intangible aspect of memory.
Project co-financed by The David and Anna Dlugie Kliger Scholarship Fund.
