Bystrzyca Górna

Jews returned to Świdnica only after 300 years, when Prussia introduced the emancipation edict. The year 1812 marked the beginning of a good period for the Jewish community in Świdnica. A house of prayer was built in the Market Square, and a synagogue was erected in 1877. At that time the Jewish community already consisted of more than 400 members, and had its own rabbi, cantor, teacher and butcher. Most of the Jews from Świdnica were traders and craftsmen. They also owned industrial factories regarded as important for the town (such as, among others, H. Aron electronic equipment factory and textile factory of Kauffmann Meyer). They held public functions and fought in the Great War. 

After the Great War the good period came to an end. Anti-Semitic sentiments began to grow, Jewish shops were boycotted (many were located in the Świdnica Market Square), individual members of the community were attacked, Jewish companies, products, as well as the services of doctors and lawyers were avoided. By the 1933, the community had shrunk to 146 members, and only 12 children attended the religious school. After the Nuremberg Laws came into force, the rights and freedoms of citizens of Jewish origin were legally restricted, e.g. all officials and policemen of Jewish descent were forced to resign, whereas entrepreneurs were forced to sell their businesses.

From the Kristallnacht onward, the persecution of Jews became even more powerful: Jewish shops were demolished, all Jewish women had to take the name Sara, and men the name Israel. From 1941, as part of further dehumanization, the Jews were also marked with the Star of David worn on their clothes. By that time, most of the Jewish inhabitants of Świdnica had already managed to leave the town and the country on their own, but some of them were deported to camps in Terezin, Krzeszów and Rybna. Those who remained in the city were gathered and kept in a one-room ghetto at 27 Rynek, the house of Erich Kohn, the last president of the community.

photo: A.Ceglarek, H.Zielińska

The Jewish community of Świdnica rebuilt itself after WWII. Świdnica was chosen as one of the towns (next to Legnica, Wałbrzych, Kłodzko, Dzierżoniów, Bielawa and Wrocław) of the new Jewish settlement. In 1946, 2400 people of Jewish origin lived in the town, mainly from the Eastern Borderlands and central Poland. In 1949 the community consisted of 1,200 members, some moved to different towns or left abroad. A local Jewish Committee, the Congregation for the Jewish Religion and the Jewish Cultural and Art Society were established here, as well as a Jewish school (where Yiddish was taught), an orphanage and nursery school, a sports club and many social and political organizations (e.g. the shoemaking and forester’s cooperative “Jedność”, a local branch of the Polish Workers’ Party, the ICHUD party, HITACHDUT, POALEJ SYJON, left and right wing parties), and even the Jewish Women’s Union. In 1949 the authorities of the People’s Republic of Poland decided to liquidate Jewish autonomy, and anti-Semitic moods and pogroms (there were attempts at such riots in Kłodzko and Wałbrzych, but they were quickly suppressed) did not encourage Jews to stay in the country. In Lower Silesia, Bricha, i.e. illegal emigration began, first to the Czech Republic, and then to the newly established state of Israel and the USA. Eventually, Jewish life in Świdnica ended shortly after 1968 – at the beginning of the 1970s there were still around 130 Jews living in the town. At present, there are probably still a few people of Jewish origin in Świdnica, but they do not form a separate community. Those who want to observe the Jewish holidays, take part in prayers in the synagogue in Wrocław.

In June 2010, an incredible event took place: Jews connected to Świdnica, now scattered around the world, found themselves on the Internet and organized a meeting in their hometown. Around 30 people came to see their houses, schools, shops, and visit their former friends, who remained in Poland. 

Internet is full of information about Jewish life, individuals and historic buildings or addresses important for Jewish history in Świdnica. The names of people buried in the Jewish cemetery on Esperandystów Street, members of political parties, business owners in the Market Square, deportees during the WWII are known.

There were two Jewish cemeteries in Świdnica. The first one was open in the Middle Ages near the Strzegom route. Three matzevot from that cemetery have survived to this day and can be seen in the exposition room of the Town Hall in Świdnica. The second cemetery still exists today, it was used until the end of the ’60s of the 20th century, today it is very devastated and there are only a few matzevot left, as well as a memorial plaque dedicated to the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, erected in 1963. This cemetery is located on Esperandystów Street, and in 2005 it was cleaned up by young residents from Świdnica.

There is still a historic building of the post-war house of prayer at 22 Bohaterów Getta Street (formerly Piotrowskiego Street), which functioned in the years 1945-1970. The former house of prayer from 1947 was located in the tenement house “Pod złotym chłopkiem” at Rynek 8. The beautiful Świdnica synagogue from 1877, designed by the architect Edwin Oppler, burned down completely during the Kristallnacht in 1938. It was located at Niepodległości Avenue (then Emperor Wilhelm). There were also two medieval synagogues: one of them existed in the years 1370-1380, probably on Żydowska Street, the other – completed in 1380, was located on Kotlarska Street, and after the first expulsion of Jews from the town, it was taken over by the clergy and converted into a church of Corpus Christi, later on the building served as a Prussian armory, and finally it was dismantled. Tthe building of the Hermann Aron’s factory of electrical equipment at 26 Łukasińskiego Street exists until today.

The School of Dialogue project in Bystrzyca Górna has definitely had a positive impact on the participants; boys aged 14-17, who are struggling with different educational requirements. From the very beginning of the workshop, boys proved to be very open to new experiences as workshops organized after school. The project met with curiosity from the students, stimulated discussion at each stage and initiated their cooperation. The second workshop proved to them why it was a good idea to take up this topic. The participants were very eager to share their own thoughts and opinions. They were also very curious to learn about Jewish traditions and how they intertwine with those of Christians. They were also amazed by the number of famous people of Jewish origin and how much mental strength one needs to survive. Within the project the students and their teacher came up with different ideas they wanted to implement. Thanks to the experience from other projects related to rap music and model-making workshops, the boys had an idea to make a 3D model of the synagogue in Świdnica, as there is no trace of it left in Świdnica. The goal was to present the model to the inhabitants of Świdnica, who probably never had the chance to see the synagogue that once stood in their town. In addition, the students had an idea to take part in a competition for the best rap song tackling the subject of openness, tolerance, multiculturalism and Jewish history of the town. Another idea was to take care of the neglected Jewish cemetery and clean up its area together with its caretaker, as well as to commemorate it by placing a plaque. The next step was to contact the Jewish inhabitants of Świdnica and undertake joint action to mark and commemorate the sites related to Jewish history, culture and religion in Świdnica. The project was to be crowned with a photography workshop devoted to the Jewish monuments of the town, and end with a presentation of the photographs or an exhibition.

Due to organizational reasons, it was not possible to organize a walking tour on the planned date, yet the route included such stops as the square where the synagogue once stood, house of prayers, the Museum of Merchandise in Świdnica and the Jewish cemetery. Before drawing up the plan of the walking tour, students met with the local conservator and a local historian to learn about the participation of the Jewish community in the life of Świdnica. They also visited a stonecutter workshop in order to choose information boards to be placed on the neglected Jewish cemetery. The idea is to make boards in three languages: Polish, Hebrew and English. At the same time, there were workshops organized at school about songwriting, and treating the suggested topics of tolerance and dialogue as well as the role of Jews in the life of the local community. Students worked on the recording of a song dealing with these topics, and making a music video to it. The school is to take care of the neglected Jewish cemetery on Esperantystów Street and include it in its regular activities. The students planned to put the information boards at the cemetery during the walking tour planned for May 2018. Representatives of the authorities, representatives of the Jewish community and parents of the children were invited to take part in the tour.

The implementation of the project in a sociotherapeutic institution certainly met with many challenges and although the project was not fully implemented, its effects had a very positive impact on the participants. Before taking part in the workshops, the boys did not know about the Jewish minority in their region, and lacked information about Jewish culture and religion. They were surprised to learn that Jewish community was large and important to the history of the country. They were unaware of the existence of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in their localities. The workshops addressed these gaps and enriched them with new knowledge. Despite many challenges, the students worked together well, were active and full of energy. During the workshops, they proved to be open to new challenges and curious to learn new things, especially in connection to their hometowns. They really wanted to do something outside the school premises and show that they are able to achieve a lot. During the meetings, the students showed a lot of involvement, which resulted in development of interests, independent thinking, broadening the worldview, which fully meets their needs.

In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this educational program. Through recovering the assets of the victims of the Holocaust, the Claims Conference enables organizations around the world to provide education about the Shoah and to preserve the memory of those who perished.

In appreciation to Friends of the Forum for supporting the School of Dialogue educational program.