| 2019 |
| 2019 |
Jews settled in Żyrardów in the 1870s. Although they had constituted most of the local population, residential buildings and a partially devastated cemetery are all that remains of their presence. Almost everyone from the town’s whole Jewish community was murdered by the Nazis, either in Treblinka or in the streets of Żyradów. Students from Stefan Żeromski High School took it upon themselves to rekindle the memory of Żyrardów Jews. On December 10, 2018, they organized a walking tour of Jewish Żyrardów for other high schoolers. The event was also attended by Elena, descendant of one of the few Holocaust survivors from Żyrardów who now lives abroad.
The tour took participants through streets and sites that had been relevant to the local Jewish community. These included the Jewish cemetery, the site of the former synagogue, which had been torn down in the 1960s, and the ghetto area. Guides peppered their presentations with quotes from testimonies of local Jews, showed photos as well as held quick games to keep their audience interested. Students organizing the tour also treated their guests to a sweet snack: cakes either in the shape of Mogen David or decorated with Israeli flags.
Wchodziłam na te zajęcia z pewną obawą i jakimś obrazem typowego Żyda. Na tych zajęciach przełamaliśmy wszystkie obawy oraz negatywne wyobrażenia. Okazało się, że wszystkie stereotypy o tej ludności nie istnieją!(…) Nie miałam pojęcia ile miejsc oraz rzeczy zachowało się w moim mieście związanych z Żydami.
Uczestniczka warsztatów
School: Henryk Sienkiewicz Primary School No. 7
Students: 7th year
Teacher: Barbara Pikuła-Marczak
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.
