Words: Andrew Rajcher Photographs: Częstochowa City Council

Words and photographs: Andrew Rajcher

Words and photographs: Andrew Rajcher

Words and photographs: Alon Goldman

Around seventy first, second and third generations attended the Annual Memorial Meeting of the Association of Częstochowa Jews in Israel, held on 10th November 2022 in Tel Aviv. The emotional meeting marked the 80th anniversary of the Częstochowa ghetto.

The Kaddish memorial prayer was recited by Stephen Glazer, a third generation descendant of the Potasiewicz Częstochowa family, many of whom perished in the Holocaust. This was followed by an interesting lecture by committee member and Poland tour guide, Modi Givon.  His topic was “Treblinka and Auschwitz and What is In-Between”.

Words: Alon Goldman Photos: Agencja Wyborcza.pl

Sources: Gazeta Wyborcza, Częstochowa edition, City of Częstochowa

Sources: Mark W. Kiel

Chonon Kiel z”l (1908-1998), formerly Kielczygłowski, was born to a merchant family in Częstochowa. During the war, his family dispersed. Chonon fled to the Soviet-occupied sector of Poland, but was deported to a gulag. When he was freed from the gulag in 1942, Częstochowa Jewry was being annihilated. He married before the war and had a daughter, Ruth. Her mother, Sarka, was murdered in Auschwitz, while Ruth survived in a convent.

Having survived the war, he married his deceased wife’s sister, Liza and, together with his daughter, settled permanently in New York, where his son, Mark, was born in 1948.

Chonon was truly multi-talented. He was best known as a Yiddish poet and lecturer. As an artist, he worked in numerous media. He illustrated journals and designed covers for his colleague’s books.

In the Yizkerbukh, the text and iconography become an instrument of eternal remembrance. He executed the tome in watercolour, pastel, crayon, magic marker, pencil, and pen and ink.

As Survivors began to die, some families insisted that the names of the recently departed, as well as those who had died before the war, be included – along with those who had perished in the Holocaust. Although this was contrary to Kiel’s initial vision of the book as a strictly Holocaust memorial, he was flexible and acceded to their wishes.

Words: Alon Goldman Photographs: Asia Sidorowicz and Steven D. Reece

On an almost annual basis, Alon Goldman, Vice-President of the World Society of Częstochowa Jews & Their Descendants and Chairman of the Association of Częstochowa Jews is Israel, has organised and led a clean-up of the Częstochowa Jewish cemetery. Over time, Alon has been joined by volunteers from various organisations, both adults and young people in this holy work.

DAY 1: Tuesday, 7th June 2022

The work of cleaning up the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery has begun.

On the first day of the work, Alon was joined by our dedicate partner, Dr Steven Rees of the Matzevah Foundation, the World Society’s great friend in preserving our Jewish heritage Krzysztof Straus, members of the ADULLAM Foundation of Częstochowa and students of the M. Skłodowska-Curie Zespół Szkół Gastronomicznych, the VIII Liceum Ogólnoksztacące Samorządowe in Częstochowa, the ZSE-Zespół Szkół Ekonomicznych in Częstochowa, the Romuald Traugutt II Liceum in Częstochowa and the Zespół Szkół Technicznych in Częstochowa.

Today, work was carried out in a particularly difficult area, containing extremely dense vegetation. Following the removal of this vegetation, two discoveries were made:

• • the base of a mass grave from the 1919 pogrom, and
  • a water well, which had served the Bet Tahara (House of Purity), in which the deceased were prepared for burial.

DAY 2: Wednesday, 8th June 202

The second day’s work in Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery came with a challenge – the rain.

Despite this, the challenge was overcome together with Dr Steven Rees of the Matzevah Foundation, members of the ADULLAM Foundation of Częstochowa and high school students of the VIII Liceum Ogólnoksztacące Samorządowe in Częstochowa, the Zespół Szkół Samochdowych-Budowlanych in Częstochowa, the Romuald Traugutt II Liceum in Częstochowa and the TZN-Techniczne Zaklady Naukowe in Częstochowa

Work continued in an area where the vegetation was particularly dense. Slowly, the area was exposed and tombstones, which had previously been hidden by that thick vegetation, were exposed.

Today’s work was greatly assisted by a mulching machine, which was hired in order to dispose of the waste from the vegetation and tree branches.

DAY 3: Thursday, 9th June 2022

The weather eases up a little, but the rain continues intermittently. Today, we were joined by student volunteers from the Gen. W. Anders Zespół Szkół in Częstochowa, the Zespół Szkół Technicznych in Częstochowa and the Jan Kochanowski Zespół Szkół in Częstochowa.

We had the honor of hosting the Israeli Ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne, who, with Alon Goldman, visited the city’s Jewish heritage site. The highlight of the day was the unveiling ceremony of the re-built tomb of the mass grave of the fighters, who, 22nd April 1943, attacked the Eastern Railway (Ostbahn).

• • • • • • • • • Click HERE to read about the operation in English, Polish and Hebrew.
                • Click HERE to view the unveiling ceremony of the re-built monument.

DAY 4: Friday, 10th June 2022

Today, the weather was pleasant, which enabled the work to continue apace. A particular highlight for our World Society Vice-President, Alon Goldman. In the area that had been cleared of thick vegetation, he found the graves and matzevot of his great-great-great-grandparents, Izaak Dov and Chana Glikson. Such a great find rewarding Alon’s long and hard work for our Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery.

Also, Aleksandra Kaczmarek, from the Zespół Szkół Samochdowych-Budowlanych in Częstochowa, managed to uncover and clean the matzevah of Łucja Gradshtein, who died on 12th October 1902, when she was 16 years old.

Many of the matzevot are extremely heavy and, when uncovered, require a real team effort to turn them over and to prevent any further damage.

Again, many  thanks to the volunteers from the Adullam Foundation of Częstochowa,  led by Robert Kamela, and also to the students from  Gen. W. Anders Zespół Szkół , the Stefan Żeromski Zespół Szkół Technicznych i Ogólokształcących, the Zespół Szkół Samochdowych-Budowlanych in Częstochowa and, of course, to our partner Pastor Dr Steven D. Reece.

DAY 5: Sunday, 12th June 2022

The rain is falling, but the work continues nonetheless.

Today was people’s day, where we invited the people of Częstochowa to join us in the clean-up of the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery.

We were also joined by “Team Tadeusz” – a group of twenty-eight wonderful people, who traveled by bus (supplied by Alon Goldman) more than 120 kilometres, from Łódź to Częstochowa, to help us in our holy task. We sincerely thank Tadeusz Ołubek for organising his amazing team.

DAY 6: Monday, 14th June 2022

Volunteers from the Adullam Foundation of Częstochowa and students from the Jan Kochanowski Zespół Szkół in Częstochowa are mainly engaged in collecting branches left in piles. The mulching machine continues to operate non-stop, grinding the piles of branches created by “Team Tadeusz” on Sunday.

If there are still branches to be cleared away and mulched, some clean-up will take place tomorrow.

As this was the final day of our 2022 clean-up, it’s appropriate to thank many people:

• • • • • • • our World Society Vice-President, Alon Goldman
            • Adullam Foundation of Częstochowa
            • the Matzevah Foundation
            • the director of the Gen. W. Anders Zespół Szkół, who assisted in recruiting the high school students for the work
            • all the amazing teachers and students from the various Częstochowa schools
            • Tadeusz Ołubek and his wonderful cleaning team from Lódź
            • Rafał Piotrowski, head of the Częstochowa Municipal Education Department, and Iwona Brzeżowska
            • Andrzej Szczerba, director of the Environment Protection Department for his help in the removal of waste from the cemetery
            • Asia Sidorowicz (pic above), for her wonderful photography, documenting the event,
            • and our partner Pastor Dr Steven D. Reece, who is so committed to preserving Jewish heritage and Christian-Jewish dialogue.

Thank you everyone and we hope to see you all again next year!

Together, with your support, we can do much more!

!יחד עם התמיכה שלכם נוכל לעשות הרבה יותר

The Association of Częstochowa Jews in Israel supports these works by financing the purchase of tools and gloves,
as well as protection against ticks and mosquitoes.

We also hire skilled aborists and mulching machines as needed.

Together, with your support and contribution, we can do more! A donation to support our activities can be made as detailed below:

Words: Alon Goldman Photos: Asia Sidorowicz

An unveiling ceremony took place today at the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery. Unveiled was the rebuilt tombstone on the mass grave of the victims of “Operation Ostbahn” which took place on 23rd April 1943.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the Israeli Ambassador to Poland, Mr. Yacov Livne, and with the participation of the Deputy Mayor of Częstochowa, Dr. Ryszard Stefaniak, Deputy Chair of the Częstochowa City Council, Ms. Jolanta Urbańska, Chair of the Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ, Ms. Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska, Rabbi Yehoshua Ellis and many other guests.

Source: Jolanta Urbańska Photographs: Asia Sidorowicz

Ceremonies commemorating the 79th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising were held in Częstochowa on Samuel Willenberg Square, at the Memorial to the Jews of Częstochowa.

The event was organised by the Częstochowa branch of the Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland, Częstochowa branch. The City of Częstochowa was represented Deputy Mayor Dr. Ryszard Stefaniak and Jolanta Urbańska, Deputy Chair of the Częstochowa City Council.