| 2019 |
Warta
Captain Pilot Stanisław Skarżyński Primary School
Captain Pilot Stanisław Skarżyński Primary School
| 2019 |
The first mentions of a Jewish community in Warta were recorded at the beginning of the 16th century. World War II put an end to the town’s Jewish history, and only a few material traces of the town’s Jewish presence remain, including a cemetery.
The primary school students from Warta who participated in the School of Dialogue established a close and valuable cooperation with the Ireneusz Ślipek Society for Polish-Jewish dialogue in Warta as they were preparing an educational tour of their town. The Society aims to continue the efforts of its patron, a local activist and expert on local history, to preserve the memory of the historical residents of Warta and to maintain the Jewish cemetery. The students learned a lot from the members of the Society and got involved in clean-up works at the cemetery. They also took part in the project entitled ‘Ireneusz Ślipek – a bridge between two cultures’, in workshops held at the cemetery and in a competition entitled “Polish literature written with Jewish quills”.
The students also interviewed eyewitnesses as part of their preparation for the walking tour.
After the tour, the students decided to archive all the information gathered in one file, entitled In the Footsteps of the Jews of Warta, and invited all the tour participants to co-create the document. When it was ready, the students asked the mayor of Warta for support in publishing the materials. They were sent to print in three languages: Polish, English and German.
In the future, the project participants intend to renovate the gate of the Jewish cemetery in Warta and to refresh and preserve a writing on the wall made by Ireneusz Ślipek.
School: Captain Pilot Stanisław Skarżyński Primary School
Honorable mention: Honorable mention at 2019 School of Dialogue Gala in the “Impact on local community” category
Students: 7th year
Teacher: Beata Łuczak
Educators: Katarzyna Andrzejewska, Paulina Kowalczyk
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.
