Source: Alon Goldman

On Wednesday, 19th November 2025, around forty second and third generation descendants of Częstochowa Jews gathered for the Annual Memorial Ceremony, conducted by the Association of Częstochowa Jews in Israel, marking eighty-three years since the liquidation of the Częstochowa Ghetto and the deportation of approximately 40,000 Jews to their deaths in Treblinka.

The event opened with remarks by Alon Goldman, Chairman of the Association of Częstochowa Jews in Israel. This was followed by the recitation of Kaddish by Steven Glaser, in memory of our relatives from Częstochowa who perished in the Holocaust.

A recently released episode about Częstochowa’s forgotten Jewish history was then screened. It is from the new documentary series “The Road of Memory and Oblivion”, produced by the Polish public television channel TVP World. The global premiere of this episode aired in Poland just two days earlier. The series’ concept creator, producer, screenwriter, and director is Rafał Kotomski.

You can view the film using the following link (subtitles are available in Hebrew, Polish, and additional languages):
https://youtu.be/lynxysGjmTc?si=qlDevKPJr7SfnHJf

Following the screening, Alon Goldman presented an update on the current, deeply concerning condition of the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery. He outlined the factors that have contributed to this situation, the challenges we face – including the unresolved legal status of the cemetery – and the steps we are taking, even without a legally recognised owner, to prevent its total destruction.

An open discussion then followed amongst the attendees. Many shared short, personal accounts of their families’ roots in Częstochowa. Amazingly, this exchange led to the discovery of previously unknown family connections between several attendees.

The evening then concluded with the singing of “Hatikvah”.