Kikół
School Complex
in Kikół
School Complex
in Kikół
Today, there are only few traces of the Jewish presence in Kikół. There are houses of former Jewish residents and much neglected cemetery, officially closed. Neither the synagogue nor other sites of religious worship survived. However, this did not discourage the students of the School Complex in Kikół and perhaps even motivated them to get involved in the School of Dialogue project, during which young people could discover the Jewish past of their town.
Currently, Kikół is a village located in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, in the Lipno District, the administrative seat of the Kikół community. Before Kikół enjoyed Municipal rights, and was deprived of it in 1870 for taking part in the January Uprising.
The Jewish settlement in Kikół dates back to the eighteenth century. When Kikół was declared a town in 1745, shortly after the number of Jews grew. In 1765 there was already a kehila in Kikół. At the beginning of the 19th century Jews constituted 95% of the town’s population, but over time the number decreased. This was mainly because the seat of the Jewish community was moved to Lubicz Górny. Nevertheless, in 1921 Jews constituted a significant minority, nearly 35% of the residents. Jews were mainly traders, some were engaged in crafts activity. There were also representatives of free professions (Dr. Birsztein) and landowners (the Szerszowski family).
Even though the seat of the kehilla was moved to Lubicz Górny, there was a synagogue, a ritual bathhouse and a cemetery in Kikół, which was probably established as early as in the 18th century. (Before that the dead were buried in Lipno).
In 1935, 20% of the inhabitants of Kikół were Jews. Shortly after the beginning of the Nazi occupation, in October 1939, the sick and handicapped Jews were shot in the forest. In December 1939 some Jews were transported to the ghetto in Włocławek. Destined for total extermination, those who survived until 1940 were moved to the Warsaw ghetto. All traces of their presence in the town were erased. The synagogue and cemetery were destroyed. Most of the Jews were engaged in small trade. In the interwar period, merchants, B. Lewkowicz and I. Szpichler, traded in wood on a larger scale. In 1938 the kehila’s assets located in Kikół were valued: the cemetery – 200 zlotys, the synagogue – 4 000 zlotys, the ritual bath – 600 zlotys, the night shelter house for poor Jewish travelers – 800 zlotys.
Over the years, traces of the Jewish community and its history had been forgotten until it was rediscovered by students of the School Complex in Kikół. As part of the project, the students organized a series of activities and events to bring back the memory of the former inhabitants of their town. The work done by the students, the number of actions undertaken, their creativity and diversity, cannot be praised enough. The student not only organized a walking tour around their town, but also conducted a survey among the residents of Kikół to see how much they know about the Jewish past of the town. This helped them to find witnesses of history. In addition, the students cleaned up the area of the former Jewish cemetery, which unfortunately was used for a long time as a rubbish dump.
While doing research for the project, the students found out that the cemetery was established at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries and that it was destroyed in 1940 by the Germans. The tombstones were probably used as a building material. The students want to restore the site and place there all preserved tombstones they managed to find. They also plan to place a commemorative plaque there. The town mayor promised to help them to implement their plans.
In addition, the students led educational activities for other students from their school and plan to carry out similar activities for other schools in their municipality. During the meetings, they presented findings concerning Kikół Jews and talked about Jewish culture, customs and traditions. In addition, two competitions for art and literary students were organized: an art competition for younger classes on Jewish culture and a literary competition for older students on religious tolerance.
The highlight of their efforts was the walking tour organized on December 11, 2017. Students worked hard to prepare it really well. They made a poster promoting the tour, which showed the only photo showing Jews from Kikół that they managed to find. They hung the posters, distributed 500 leaflets, and invited local press, the “Children of the Holocaust” association and a deputy to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland to the trip.
The young people managed to establish many details about the Jewish traces in their town.The walking tour started by the monument commemorating Defenders of the Homeland on Kościuszko Square. After welcoming the guests, the hosts explained the goals of the “School of Dialogue” project. Next, the students introduced the tour participants to the history of the Jewish community in Kikół. They presented different stages of the creation of the community, gave statistical data concerning the number of Jewish communities in particular years. This part of the walking tour ended with description of the fate of Jews after the German occupier entered Kikół. Then the tour focused on buildings located on Kosciuszko Square. One of the most admirable achievements is the fact that the students identified many Jewish residents of Kikół. They managed to establish their names, surnames, professions and addresses. Most of the Jewish inhabitants were involved in trade, but a local hairdresser, butcher or leather tanner was also identified. Next, the walking tour followed Torunska Street, where at number 14 there was a mikvah. The building was built of red brick, and after the synagogue was destroyed, Jews would organize prayers in the mikvah building. Here again, Germans ordered to dismantle the building and sold the brick. This was probably in 1940. Another important stop of the tour was Stary Rynek 10, where the synagogue once stood. The tour guides talked abou Hanukkah, which was to start in a few days, introducing the participants to this Jewish holiday. During the walking tour the students also presented testimonies from the witnesses of history – recalling their memories on a long walk to the Jewish cemetery. The tour ended at the former Jewish cemetery, where the students talked about their plans to renovate it. After returning to school, the participants were treated to hot tea and delicacies of Jewish cuisine made by the students: cookies with honey, salad and cucumbers. After the trip, an audio and video guide was made available.
The participants were given a folder containing all the information and photographs. The walking tour was attended by about 40 people, including the head of the commune, the principal and deputy principal, representatives of the local press, a group of residents of Kikół, students.
The lasting effects of the project deserve great applause as well: a brochure showing the history and places connected with the Jewish community, printed and digital guide, an audio and video guide, quizzes (26 quizzes) in digital form about Jewish history, tradition and culture and concerning the Kikół Jews and the School of Dialogue. In addition, the students designed and created a logo for the project concerning Kikół Jews. They created a fanpage and a website, a YouTube channel, and recorded interviews with the witness of history. In addition, they created scrip for the walking tour, with cards containing logo, stops and their description. It is most encouraging to see that the project inspired the students to continue their work. They want to organize regular competitions and walking tours on Holocaust Remembrance Day. They designed and made posters that can be used for cyclical events. They managed to find two matzevot which were miraculously preserved and the only available photo of two Jews from Kikół. They managed to find the owner of the cemetery. The effects of the project are probably best illustrated by the words of one of the participants:
“I will say briefly, it was a very interesting walking tour. I did not know that there were Jews living in Kikół. I asked a lot of questions, the students know a lot, it was obvious that they had prepared themselves very well. It was a great journey to the past.”
School:
Kikół School Complex
Students:
Group of students from various classes
Teacher:
Ireneusz Bednorz
Educators:
Karolina Jastrzębska-Mitzner, Szymon Cymer
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.
