Puławy

Stefania Sempołowska High School Complex No. 1

Only a few material traces of the former Jewish community of Puławy remain, even though at one point in the town’s history Jews accounted for two-thirds of its residents. There used to be a synagogue, two cemeteries and many Jewish stores and houses.

A group of female students from a technical high school in Puławy, participants of the School of Dialogue, prepared a walking tour in the footsteps of the former Jewish community of Puławy. Since there was scarce publicly available information on the town’s Jewish history, the students had to begin with seeking information in books and articles and talking with representatives of the older generation and members of their families. The participants found their meeting with Sławomir Pać, an expert on the region, particularly valuable for their project. He provided them with a lot of interesting information, partly from his own memories.

The students were also aided by Robert Olch – the school headmaster, who is also a local historian and scholar of the region.

The target participants of the tour were local tour guides and members of the Puławskie Society of National Traditions.

The students decided to invite them to the walking tour precisely to make sure that the information they found and presented in the project reaches as wide an audience as possible.

An additional element of the project was planting in the schoolyard a tree in memory of the Jewish community of Puławy with an informative plaque, making sure that future generations of students will remember the Jews of Puławy.

Photos: Z. Waślicka-Żmijewska, K. Winiarska

Puławy


School: Stefania Sempołowska High School Complex No. 1
Honorable mention: Honorable mention at 2019 School of Dialogue Gala in the “Impact on local community” category
Students: 2nd and 3rd year of technical school
Teacher: Monika Rauner
Educators: Zofia Waślicka-Żmijewska, Katarzyna Winiarska

Contributors

Project cofinanced thanks to the generosity of Friends of the Forum, Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and individual donors and institutions from Poland and abroad supporting Forum for Dialogue.

In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting the School of Dialogue 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.

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