Płock
Services and Entrepreneurship School Complex
in Płock
Services and Entrepreneurship School Complex
in Płock
Płock is a city located in the north of Mazovia with a population of 120 thousand people. It was once the capital of the Duchy of Mazovia, one of the first centers of Jewish life in Poland already in the Middle Ages, and the largest Jewish settlement in the region. The first records of Jewish settlement are from 1237. This community had its own school and synagogue. The Jews also established two cemeteries – one by the Vistula river and another outside the city walls near the Dominican monastery.
The Płock Jews were mainly engaged in trade, mainly in leather, feathers, velvet, grain and wood, as well as craftsmen – they were shoemakers, tailors, weavers, butchers and bakers. However, there were frictions between Jewish and Christian inhabitants of the city on both economic and religious grounds. In 1566, several Jews were accused of desecration of Host and executed.
In the 19th century Jews constituted almost half of the city’s population. They were also active in industry. In 1870 the Moses Sarna Agricultural Machinery Factory was established, in 1884 an iron foundry and another agricultural machinery and tools factory owned by Marian Margules. The Płock Jews also established their own Isaac Fogel hospital in 1872.
The city had many prayer houses and two synagogues, as well as three cheders and a yeshiva. The Jewish community was very diverse. This was especially noticeable in the interwar years. There were many organizations in the city, including social, cultural, sports and political ones, such as Poale Zion Right and Left, Mizrachi or Bund. Hasidic Jews also lived in Płock..
The Płock Jews published their own newspapers – Płocker Cajtung, Dos Płocker Leben and Dos Płocker Wort. They appeared in Yiddish and were printed in Jewish printing houses.
At the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish community of Płock constituted 26% of the total population. The persecutions of Jews started from the beginning of the occupation – looting property, beatings, humiliation, numerous bans and an order to wear a yellow triangle on their chest and back. The Germans also devastated Jewish buildings and cemeteries, and used matzevot for construction and paving works. In 1940 a ghetto was established in which 10 thousand Jews from Płock and its surroundings lived. The Judenrat was headed by Dr. Salomon Bromberger and his deputy was Semek Satan. In 1941 the ghetto was liquidated, the Jews were transported to the camp in Działdów, and from there to many towns in the Radom district.
Even before the end of the war, some Jews returned to Płock. At the beginning of 1945, they established the Jewish Committee, which carried out administrative, assistance and cultural activities. It was later transformed into the Social and Cultural Society of Polish Jews run by Abram Papierczyk. In 1949, the Gerson Dua-Bogen sewing, knitting and sheet metal cooperatives were established in the building of the small synagogue. After 1959, however, only 3 Jews remained in Płock. The absence of the Jewish community is however very noticeable. Not only by the places they left behind, but also by the names of streets, such as Jewish, Jerusalem or Synagogue.
The “School of Dialogue” project organized in Płock was attended by students of the School Complex of Business and Services, learning to become chefs. It was a big challenge for them, because most of them do not live in Płock and do not know the city. Therefore, the workshops were an opportunity to discover the city where they go to school. The participants of the workshops did not know much about Jewish culture either. However, they were interested in culinary issues – as befits future chefs – and in music and dance. They were also eager to learn about contemporary Israel, especially in terms of multiculturalism. They also liked a trip to the Museum of Mazovian Jews located in the former synagogue. The narrative form of the exhibition and multimedia helped them acquire new information.
The young people invited their friends from the lower grade to the walking tour. They showed them where the old Jewish cemetery was located, and now a school building stands, only a part of the cemetery wall remains. They also took the group to the new Jewish cemetery. They talked about the mikveh, which after the war was used as a municipal bathhouse, and now houses the Płock Art Gallery. The walking tour participants also visited the former small synagogue, which today is the Museum of Mazovian Jews. They also found out where the Rabbi’s House was located, the great synagogue and they saw little huts used during the Sukkot holiday. The walking tour ended with a feast of old Jewish dishes prepared by students of culinary major. The recipes were taken from Piotr Bikont’s book “Kuchnia Balbiny Przepiórko”. They also talked about Jewish holidays, and showed to their guests the final presentation summarizing the project. Information boards about places visited during the walking tour and old photographs were hanged at school, an article about the project was published in the school newspaper. The students documented the walking tour in a film. A post about their actions was published on the school’s Facebook profile. The young people plan to create a mural commemorating the inexisting cemetery later in spring.
School:
Services and Entrepreneurship School Complex in Płock
Students:
class II
Educators:
Dorota Cieślik, Beata Godlewska
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.
