Vale Irit Amiel z"l (1931-2021)
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Source: Alon Goldman
It was with great sadness that the World Society learned of the passing of writer and poet Irit Amiel Z”l, who has passed away at the age of ninety. Irit was born in Częstochowa, as Irena Librowicz, on May 5, 1931, to a modern Jewish family. Częstochowa is where she spent her childhood.
In 1941, she and her family were moved into the local ghetto. Just prior to its liquidation, in September 1942, her parents managed to extract her from the ghetto. Irit’s parents, Leon and Natalia Librowicz, died in the Treblinka extermination camp in 1942.
Under a false identity and using false documents. Irit hid in the village of Pocieszna Górka near Piotrków Trybunalski. At the end of World War II, she returned to her hometown where, for a short time, she studied attended high school. With the help of the “Ha’Bricha” organisation, she left for Israel in late 1945. Together with a group of young people, she managed to reach Israel in December 1947, having passed through displaced persons camps in Germany (Biberach an der Riss), Italy (Turin) and Cyprus.
At the beginning of her career in Israel, she lived in Kibbutz Beit Hashita and, from 1949, in Kibbutz Palmachim. It was there that she met Chozi Amiel, whom she married in 1953.
In the late 1970’s, Irit Amiel studied philology, history and literary history at the Open University of Israel. Between 1981 and 1985, she undertook translation studies at Beit Berl and began translating literary texts from Hebrew to Polish and from Polish to Hebrew.
She made her literary debut in 1994 with an anthologyn of Hebrew poems in a book about the Holocaust. A Polish-language edition of the same book was published in that same year. Other literary works followed, all of which were also published in Poland. These include poetry entitled “I Could Not” (1998), “Test in the Holocaust” (1994, 1998), “Here and There” (1999), “Breathe Deeply” (2002) and prose entitled “Burned” (1999), “Dual Display” (2008 ) And “Life – a Temporary Title” (2014). She has twice been nominated for a Nike Literary Award.
Her works have also been published in English, German, Italian and Hungarian.
In May 2014, as part of the “Aleja tu się dziejie” Festival, for the last time, Irit visited Częstochowa with her daughter and took this opportunity to walk with her through her childhood areass. This visit was filmed and a doumentary was made entitled “And Yet I Won – To jednak ja zwyciężyłam”. To view the video, click HERE.
On 29th August 2014, the City of Częstochowa conferred on Irit Amiel an Honorary Award for her cultural activities. The award was presented to her, at her home in Ramat Hen, by our World Society Vice-President Alon Goldman, on behalf of the Mayor of Częstochowa.
We wish her family long life – may her memory be a blessing to her family and to all who knew her.
Two New Books About Częstochowa Jewry
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Pictures: Alon Goldman and the Częstochowa Municipal Museum
Two new books about the history of Częstochowa Jewry, in Polish, have just been published by the Częstochowa Municipal Museum and are now available for purchase.
To purchase eithere or both books, contact Ms. Magdalena Motyl at the Museum’s publishing house:
Email: wydawnictwa@muzeumczestochowa.pl (Polish and English) or telephone: +48-34-360-5631 (Polish)
The Jews of Częstochowa – a Biographical Dictionary, edited by Dr. Juliusz Sętkowski
This book won the 2020 Wolf & Dora Rajcher Memorial Award as judged by an academic panel from the Jan Długosz University of Częstochowa. The Award is presented annually, the prize for which covers the cost of the book’s publication.
It contains almost 600 biographies of Jews who were associated with Czestochowa in the 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries. It includes those who were born and lived permanently in Częstochowa, as well as those who were associated with the city for a short period or even several years. What determined their inclusion in the publication was their professional and creative activity or social service within the community. Some of the distinguished individuals in the directory were born in Częstochowa, but left at a young age and their contributions became well-known elsewhere – in Israel and abroad.
Included are profiles of Jews who were significant in the history of the city and the state. They include the names of Jews active in the economic, political, local, social, religious and scientific frields, as well as in education, health, law, sports, culture and art.
This book is the result of research by many people over many years – in archives, published bibliographies and press reports – as well as efforts to obtain information directly from families. The work makes extensive use of necrology, documenting information about deceased people, as well as broader memories describing the activities of a given person. Much information was taken from inscriptions engraved on the cemetery tombstones. The book makes use of the extensive material contained in the first volume of the cemetery book by Wiesław Paszkowski, “The Jewish Cemetery in Czestochowa”, which was published in Czestochowa in 2012.
Beginning from the late 1990’s, the author of these words documented the information in a biographical file of the Jews of Czestochowa. In 2006, after the establishment of the Czestochowa History Documentation Center (ODDC) at the Czestochowa Museum, the above file found its place there. As a result of numerous inquiries, the file was constantly expanded (it now has over 2,000 biographical cards). A separate file was created to accommodate Wiesław Paszkowski’s research on the Czestochowa Jewish community. This collected material, now in digital form, is also in the ODDC.
Most of the personalities in the directory are introduced for the first time. The authors in their work have attempted to supplement or amend the arrangements hitherto employed in biographical studies. In order to facilitate the use of the directory resources, along with a number of surnames that appear in the biographies, the sign → referring to the biographies of other people (relatives, business partners, friends) is displayed. At the end of each resume there is a bibliography that refers to relevant literature on the subject.
Droga i dom. Dom i Droga (The Road and Home. Home and the Road.) by Cezarek Kazimierz Szymanski and Jakub Szymanski
An excerpt from the introduction to the book, by Professor Jerzy Mizgalski of Jan Dlugosz University of Czestochowa, reads:
Pictures from the lives of Jews of Czestochowa, in the years 1945-2020, is the first comprehensive work which presents important and, at the same time, difficult research concerning the Jewish community in Czestochowa after World War II. The difficulty in this case is to reach widespread sources, to collect reports of generations of “survivors”, both those who remained in Częstochowa and those who are scattered all over the world. The authors achieved this.
The important value of the narrative, as presented by the authors, is in conveying to the contemporary reader facts in accordance with their objective interpretation, which expresses the interest of the entire Czestochowa community. Attempting to present, comprehensively and objectively, the history of the city after World War II is not easy. The variety of life experiences or political possibilities doubles the expectations for a narrative that is consistent with different areas of interest – political, national, social or individual. The authors’ indication of the fate of both Christians and Jews, during the difficult period of Nazi occupation and the process of rebuilding political and communal life after the War presents a picture of the socio-political diversity of Częstochowa and its inhabitants.
The value of this research assumes greater importance as a result of recording memories from those generations which, due to their age, have been taken from us and, along with them, much information from this tragic period in their lives.
No Częstochowa TSKŻ Channukah Celebration Due to COVID
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Pictures: Błazej Tatarek and Alon Goldman
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Channukah celebrations in Poland will either be held online or not at all. This affects all Jewish Community Centres and branches of the TSKŻ throughout the country.
This, of course, also includes the Częstochowa Branch of the TSKŻ (the Social-Cultural Association of Jews) which, traditionally, holds a joyous Channukah function each year.
So, in wishing everyone a happy and, most importantly, a healthy Channukah, below are some pictures from the Częstochowa TSKŻ Channukah festivities from 2018 and 2019.
Częstochowa Landsleit in Israel Hold "Virtual Memorial Service"
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Words and pictures: Alon Goldman
The Association of Częstochowa Jews in Israel held its Annual Memorial Service on Thursday 3rd December 2020, marking the 78th anniversary of the liquidation of the Częstochowa Ghetto.
Unlike in previous years, the Memorial Service was held unconventionally, via Zoom. The Association had endeavoured to postpone the event in the hope that the COVID pandemic situation would improve, thus allowing the Association to held the event as in previous year – but to no avail. This year, the Service had to be “virtual”.
The event was opened by Association Chairman Alon Goldman.
Following Alon Goldman’s opening remarks,
Kaddish was recited by Holocaust Survivor Eliezer Kirschenbaum (pic left)
and
memorial prayer El Male Rachamim was recited by Rabbi Ari Enkin (pic right).
The event was honoured with the presence of the Polish Ambassador to Israel, His Excellency Mr. Marek Magierowski. In his remarks, he noted that the organization’s activity serves as an example of building a bridge between peoples.
In the second part of the Memorial Service, Alon Goldman delivered a lecture entitled “Preserving the Częstochowa Jewish Heritage in the Mirror of Generations”. In the lecture, he reviewed the various activities carried out over the years, from the date of the liberation of Częstochowa by the Russians to the present day, for the preservation of the city’s Jewish heritage. He described the challenges faced and talked about the people whose contribution was significant in these activities in the various areas (click on images to enlarge):
Vale Ryszard Welgryn z"l (1948-2020)
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Source: Alon Goldman & Błażej Tatarek
It was with great sadness that the World Society learned of the passing of Ryszard Welgryn, Deputy Chairman of the Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ –Towarzystwo Społeczno-Kulturalne Żydów w Polsce (Social-Cultural Association of Jews in Poland). Ryszard passed away on Saturday 7th November 2020, aged seventy-two.
“Ryszard was a true friend”, said World Society Vice-President Alon Goldman. “Since becoming Deputy Chairman of the Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ a few years ago, Ryszard has quietly, modestly and effectively been of great assistance assisted in all activities relating to the preservation of the Częstochowa’s Jewish heritage”.
Ryszard owned a factory in which he minted commemorative medals. The relief of the New Synagogue, at the entrance to the Częstochowa Philharmonic hall, was created by him, as were medallions, created for our World Society Reunions, which were given to all Reunion participants (see below).
Ryszard Welgryn was born and raised in Częstochowa as a Christian. It was only twenty years ago that he discovered that his father was a Jew who had been liberated from Buchenwald and who had hidden his Jewish identity since then.
Ryszard’s daughter, Paulina, wrote the following about her father:
For some of you, he was a person known within the Jewish community. Dad felt the need to belong to it since, around 2000, our family discovered a deeply, hidden secret. We learned that my grandfather, Feliks Welgryn, was born “Efroim Boruch Welgryn”. Like most Jews, he was hard hit by the cruelty of War and the loss of his entire, immediate family. After being liberated from the forced-labor camp in Buchenwald, he returned to Częstochowa after the War, where he started a family under his changed name and hid his Jewish identity.
Dad was a teacher and his youth was linked with scouting and the PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society). Later years, together with his wife Marzena, he devoted himself to building a family medal-making company.
Częstochowa was an important city for him, a community which he supported through, for example, local charitable foundations, for which he always had an open heart. He supported the Częstochowa branch of WOSP (Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity) and the Catholic Adullam Foundation.
Desiring to get to know the community focused on Jewish culture, he actively participated in its life, taking the position of Vice-Chairman of the Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ. He was involved in commemorating places related to the life and martyrdom of the Jewish population in Częstochowa.
Paulina Welgryn with, her mother in sorrow, Marzena Swatek-Welgryn.
During the World Society’s 5th Reunion in 2016, Ryszard met Zvi Welgryn – their grandfathers were brothers. Together, they recited Kaddish at the graves in the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery.
The World Society extends its deepest sympathies to Ryszard Welgryn’s family and, in accordance with Jewish tradition, we wish them long life.
Częstochowa Umschlagplatz to be Named in Honour of Samuel Willenberg z"l
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Source: Alon Goldman
By unanimous vote, the Częstochowa City Council has decided to name the area around the Częstochowa Umschlagplatz, “Plac Samuela Willenberga” (“Samuel WIllenberg Square”), in honour of our late, great landsmann Samuel Willenberg z”l.
The initiative for this came from World Society Vice-President Alon Goldman and was submitted to the CIty Council by Chair of the Częstochowa TSKŻ Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska as, according to municipal regulations, only a local institution is able to make such a submission.
The site chosen is from where, during the liquidation of the “Big Ghetto”, the six rail transports departed from Częstochowa heading for the Treblinka extermination camp.
The monument, in memory of the Częstochowa’s Holocaust victims, was constructed at the initiative and with the funding of World Society President Sigmund Rolat
It was Samuel WIllenberg z”l himself who designed it and who supervised its construction.
The memorial monument was unveiled during the World Society’s Third Reunion in October 2009.
Samuel Willenberg z”l was born in Częstochowa. He participated in the Treblinka revolt and was its last living survivor. Sadly, “Samek” passed away in February 2016. After escaping Treblinka, he fled to Warsaw where he joined the Polish Home Army (AK). Among other honours bestowed upon him, Samuel WIllenberg was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland’s highest military honour.
The World Society sincerely thanks the Mayor of Częstochowa, Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk and the City Council for their decision. We also thank Deputy Chair of the City Council Jolanta Urbańska, who supported the initiative and assisted in its implementation, and Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska, Chair of the Częstochowa TSKŻ, who submitted the application.
This is how local Częstochowa TV station, Telewizja Orion, covered the announcement:
Collecting the Memories - a New Project
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Source: Alon Goldman & Andrew Rajcher
Over many years, some Holocaust survivors have documented their memories in different languages and in different methods – through printed, limited-edition memoirs, in video documentaries, in written/photographic testimonies at Yad Vashem, the USC Shoah Foundations, in local Holocaust museums and more.
For us and for future generations, these memories and testimonies are of great historical importance as they represent survivors and witnesses telling us their own stories of what occurred in Częstochowa before, during and after the Holocaust. As these survivors and witnesses sadly leave us, by preserving their stories, we will enable them to continue to speak to us “from beyond the grave”.
Together with Andrew Rajcher, the webmaster of our Częstochowa Jews website, we are launching a project – “Collecting the Memories“, in which, under the “one roof” of our website, we will endeavour to centralise all those personal stories published, through whatever media and in whatever language.
Should you have any questions or would like to subbmit material for this project, please can contact:
Alon Goldman (in the first instance) – czestochowajewsinisrael@gmail.com
Andrew Rajcher – aragorn@axiomcs.com.au
Częstochowa Commemorates 78th Anniversary of Ghetto Liquidation
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Sources: Alon Goldman, Jolanta Urbańska and Gazeta Wyborcza
Organised by Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska, Chair of the Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ (Social-Cultural Association of Jews in Poland), a ceremony was held at the memorial to Częstochowa Jewish Holocaust victims commemorating the 78th anniversary of the liquidation of the Czestochowa ghetto.
The liquidation of the ghetto lasted two weeks, between 22nd September and 7th October 1942, during which six train transports of cattle cars departed from the train station on ul. Strażacka headed for Treblinka.
Held in the presence of Częstochowa Deputy Mayor Dr. Ryszard Stefaniak, Deputy Chair of the City Council Jolanta Urbanska , members of the small Jewish community and guests, the ceremony was also attended by high school students, friends and youth from the Adulam Foundation (Fundacja Chrześcijańska Adullam), who assist in the cleaning up of the Częstochowa Jewish cemetery.
On the same day, Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska, Chair of the Częstochowa TSKŻ, Jolanta Urbanska, Deputy Chair of the Częstochowa City Council and Estera Sytniewska also laid wreaths at the two plots of the Mass Graves on ul. Kawia and at the Memorial and Mass Grave in the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery.
Willenberg's Treblinka Exhibition Opens in Częstochowa
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Source: Alon Goldman
An exhibition of bronze Treblinka sculptures, by our late landsmann Samuel Willenberg z”l, opened in Częstochowa on Thurday 17th September 2020. The Official Opening of the exhibition, entitled “The Image of Treblinka in the Eyes of Samuel Willenberg”, took place at the Częstochowa Municipal Museum, in the presence of the Mayor of Częstochowa, Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk.
In collaboration with the Institute of National Remembrance, which brought the exhibition from Israel to Poland, and at the request of Alon Goldman, the exhibition was intended to be part of the World Society’s Sixth Reunion, which was scheduled to be held in early October, in conjunction with the Huberman Festival in the Częstochowa Philharmonic. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans for our next Reunion have been deferred until 2021.
The date of the exhibition going on display in Czestochowa is not random, as between 22nd September and 7th October 1942, about 40,000 Czestochowa Jews were deported to their deaths in the German death camp in Treblinka – in six transports of cattle trains.
Samuel Willenberg was lucky. When he arrived in Treblinka from the Opatów ghetto where he was staying, as he got off the train in Treblinka, he met his teacher from Czestochowa who told him, “If they ask, say you are a builder”. And so it was – of all the 6,000 Jews who had arrived on this transport, he was the only one to remain alive and was sent to a work group.
The exhibition presents figures and events that were etched into Samuel Willenberg’s memory during the ten months which he spent in the death camp until his escape on 2nd August 1943, during the rebellion which took place in the camp.
Ada Willenberg, widow of Samuel, speaking at the Official Opening, from Israel.
Mayor of Czestochowa, Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk, welcomes to exhibition to the city.
Official Opening attendees, socially distanced and masked.
“The Image of Treblinka in the Eyes of Samuel Willenberg” exhibition will remain on display on the city’s main boulevard
at the Galeria Dobrej Sztuki al. NMP 47 until mid-October.
A replica of the sculpture exhibition can be viewed in Israel at the “House of Remembrance for the Holocaust and Heroism of Ariel”, a house built by Holocaust survivors Yaakov (Kuba) Wodislawski z”l from Czestochowa and his wife Irina.
The website is http://memorial.ariel.muni.il/. The Museum address is: Derech Hanachshonim 14 Ariel, tel: 03-9060105.
Admission to the museum and tour is free, but please arrange your visit in advance.
Żarki Yizkor Book to be Translated into English for the First Time!
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Żarki is a town lying about 35 kms from Częstochowa. The history of the town goes back to the 12th century, with Jews first settling there in the 16th century. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the town’s population reached around 5,000, of whom 60% were Jews. When the War ended, the Jewish community of Żarki was no more.
In 1959, in Israel, Holocaust Survivors from Żarki published a Yizkor Book entitled “The Community of Żarki – a Town in its Life and its Destruction”.
As far as we are aware, this is the only Yizkor Book ever published about the Jews of Żarki. Written predominantly in Hebrew, apart from its “Table of Contents” and its “Necrology” section, it has never been translated into English – UNTIL NOW!
It has therefore been decided that this will be the next Yizkor Book to be professionally and entirely translated into English, as part of our YIZKOR BOOK PROJECT. Translations will begin to appear on our website soon!