Narcyz Listkowski

For decades after the war, the numerous acts of negligence and ZANIECHAŃ led to a situation where most young residents of Rabka have no idea about the town’s Jewish community. Older residents, who still remember their Jewish neighbors often ask me to care for the memory of the tragic history of their neighbors. This gave me great incentive to act.
Since 2011, I have been working with Michał Rapta to clean up the forlorn site occupied by the synagogue up until 1942. We also initiated cleanup works of the stairs once leading the mikveh, which are 20 meters long and 3 meters wide. Through our efforts, a panel screen separating the site from latrines that had been built nearby after the war. It is our way of making local authorities aware of the dilapidated and sacrilege historic/cultural/religious heritage site connected with the Jewish community that co-shaped our town’s history for over 116 years.

We are proud to say that after a five-year-long legal battle, on September 22, 2016, the town mayor issued a ZARZĄDZENIE no. S.0050.152.2016 to enter the stairs and the site of the synagogue into the municipal register of historic sites.
The first stage of the struggle to guarantee legal protection to the site is complete. It is now time for research and conservation works and to commemorate it through a dedicated plaque. For the past 5 years I have been caring for this area – out of my own initiative and covering all costs out of my own pocket. I mow the grass, collect garbage and care for general esthetics of the site. I think that the work I do is very much needed. More and more often groups visiting our town, also from abroad, are interested in Jewish history and bring away a positive image of our town.