School of Dialogue at Janusz Korczak Community Elementary School

| 2018 |

Little remains of what had once been a Jewish community in Wejherowo: the synagogue and mikveh buildings have been demolished and the cemetery is gone as well. However, this does not mean that the Holocaust obliterated the memory of local Jewish presence completely. Students from Janusz Korczak Community Elementary School organized a walking tour that aimed to reclaim the memory of Wejherowo’s Jews. The event took place on December 12, 2018 and – despite unfavorable weather conditions – was attended by 55 people. Tour participants were taken around sites that had once been relevant to the town’s Jewish residents.

At each stop of the route, participants completed tasks related to the information they had just received about Judaism and Jewish history and culture. The tour ended with a screening of a film from Shoah Foundation’s collection – a translated eyewitness testimony of the town’s former female Jewish resident. Additionally, students authored a petition to the municipal office to commemorate the synagogue site with an information plaque.

Photos: K. Niewczas, A. Wołowski

The very purpose of the project is great in my opinion. Talking about the problem of the Jews, which is difficult nowadays, helps us understand their religion as well as ourselves.

Workshops participant

I learned a lot about the past of my hometown and the fate of its Jewish inhabitants. I learned to work in a group, to listen to information effectively, also I improved my knowledge about World War II.

Workshops participant

Wejherowo

School: Janusz Korczak Community Elementary School
Students: 7th and 8th year Elementary School and 3rd year Junior High School students
Teacher: Monika Kurpiewska
Educators: Kasia Niewczas, Antek Wołowskie

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.