Ulanów
John Paul II Junior High School
John Paul II Junior High School
“To learn that a significant part of Ulanów was Jewish made a major, authentic impact on students” – say coaches of the Dialogue Forum. “Photos from before the war helped – students recognized shops and places and joined the present and the past”. The black-and-white photos feature Jewish girls, sporting the same haircuts, an elegant family of the Sprungs on a posed photo, a group of people in a muddy street in from of a small cottage.
Before the Second World War Jews made up around 40% of the town’s population, concentrating around the marketsquare and along main streets 3 Maja and Świerczewskiego.
Most dealt in trade and crafts, making hats, shoes, jewellery, or being barbers or lightermen. Ulanów was the capital of Polish lightermen, “small Gdańsk” as it was called due to amount of traffic in its port. Lightermen Lightering was used mainly for transporting timber to Gdańsk.
At the end of the war the Germans burned down the synagogue – today a school stands there. In 1940-42 Jews from Rudnik, Nisko and Rozwadowo were transported to Ulanów, to be carted away to concentration camps, most to the death camp in Treblinka. There are some material traces left, including the Jewish cemetery, with around 150 tombstones preserved. The mikvah also survived and there is currently a museum.
The students from Ulanów during the School of Dialogue workshops were very enthusiastic in unearthing traces of Jewish community – they browsed pre-war student lists from the town archive, looked through old photographs, looked for signs of mezuzah on buildings. During their meeting with coaches they walked around the cemetery, learning about the concepts from Jewish history and culture. “The classes broadened my knowledge. I learnt a lot of words I didn’t know before: yarmulke, mezuzah and mikvah. I enjoyed the trip the most”– says Dawid, one of the student. The meeting with Janusz Dąbek from the Municipal Office also made a huge impression on the students – he told them about his collection of Jewish memorabilia and showed Jewish original documents and letters written in Yiddish.
To prepare for the trip “In the footsteps of Ulanów Jews” the students used web pages, the school archives, and they also talked to their parents and grandparents. The trip took place in early June and the students invited representatives of local authorities, an employee of the archives, the director of the local museum and journalists. The trip went from Jewish cemetery to the place where the synagogue used to stand, then to the former mikvah and to streets, where Jews used to live. The students told everyone about symbols on the tombstones, the history of Ulanów Jews and their connection to lightering. The adults contributed with their personal memories. In the local museum there was also a display of Jewish memorabilia. The trip resulted in a short documentary, shot by the students.
School:
John Paul II Junior High School
Students:
2nd year students
Teacher:
Alina Mróz
Expert:
Janusz Dąbek
Eduactors:
Magda Maślak, Agata Jujeczka
School of Dialogue program in Ulanów was made possible by the support from CHERYL FISHBEIN.
In appreciation to Friends of the Forum for supporting the School of Dialogue educational program.
