The 2023 Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery Clean-Up is Done!
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Words: Alon Goldman, The Matzevah Foundation Photos: Asia Sidorowicz
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.
At this year’s work’s end, Alon Goldman said:
One of the main factors of success is due to Piotr Sadowski,who joined us for the week with his chainsaw. Throughout the week, without any problems, he very successfully dealt with the cutting of the trunks which, for many years, had fallen onto the ground, fallen onto gravestones. The broken branches and the bushes had blocked the a pathway and access to the area and the tombstones within it. Thank you Piotr!
The work is not finished and now, when I get home, thanks to the photos taken by Asia Sidorowicz, I will begin checking which of the uncovered tombstones appear on the map and what needs to be updated.
To all the students and teachers of Częstochowa high schools, who came and participated in the cleaning work of the cemetery – a huge thank you!
To my dear friends, from The Matzevah Fundation and its Chairman Pastor Dr. Steven D. Reece and the volunteer Romero sisters and Paweł Kulig of the “Guardians of Remembrance” – thank you friends!
Thank you also to:
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- our friends from the Fundacja Chrześcijańska Adullam from Czestochowa, Director Elżbieta Ferenc, Robert Kamela and the volunteers for the logistical assistance and the daily work.
- our friends, Krzysztof Straus, who is always ready to help with any task, to attorney
- Paweł Andrecki, who organized a work group and came with his friends to help with the work
- Rafał Piotrowski, Director of the Częstochowa Municipal Education Department in the city of Czestochowa, for his cooperation and turning the cleaning work of the cemeteries into an educational project to the students of Częstochowa schools
- Iwona Brzeżowska, the Principal of the General Anders High School for recruiting the schools and arranging their daily wor
- Rabbi Seth Linfield and students of the Dartmouth University Hillel for joining us for several days of work.
- The Mayor of Częstochowa, Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk for his cooperation,
- Andrzej Szczerba, Environmental Department Director, for his help in the restoration of the tombstones of the mass graves of the murdered Jewish intelligentsia and for his assistance in the cemetery cleaning work
- Robert Jasiak, Culture and Sports Department Director, for organising the ceremony for the unveiling of the three tombstones of the mass graves of the murdered Jewish intelligentsia.
- Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska, Chairman of the Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ, and
- Councillor Jolanta Urbanska, Advisor to the Mayor of Częstochowa on Jewish Community Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the Częstochowa City Council.
For 2023, the work is done – Kol Ha’Kavod to you all!
If you would like to donate to help support the future work of cleaning the Częstochowa Jewish cemetery, details appear at the bottom of this page.
DAY 1: Monday, 12th June 2023
The 2023 major clean-up of the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery is underway! This year, volunteers from The Matzevah Foundation and Steven D. Reece and the Fundacja Chrześcijańska Adullam (Adullam Foundation) were joined by students of the Zespół Szkół Ekonomicznych (Economics High School).
The sides of the main pathway trail were quickly filled with fallen tree trunks which had been cut into pieces to enable removal from the cemetery. In some cases, the removal of branches and bushes revealed hid graves. In some places, for the first time, it was possible to see the cemetery fence from the pathway.
During the works, several unfamiliar graves – some hidden in dirt and some having fallen face-down. Very carefully, these were uncovered.
DAY 2: Tuesday, 13th June 2020
This morning, students from the Częstochowa Technical High School (Zespół Szkół Technicznych) joined in the work. Today, much of the work was concentrated in the area to the left of the cemetery entrance.
The challenge was to clear the wall of the bushes which covered gravestones and prevented free passage between the graves and the wall. From the morning, Piotr Sadowski resolutely wielded his saw, pruning the tangled wild bushes and the fallen tree trunks which blocked the passage
Volunteers from the Adulam Foundation, The Matzevah Foundation and the high school students dragged the branches and tree trunks, creating piles to be cleared or shredded.
In the afternoon, World Society friends Paweł Andrecki, Krzysztof Straus and other good people from Częstochowa joined in the work and helped with two more chain saws. The melody of the saws successfully dealing with the wild vegetation was music to the ears. The two new wheelbarrows, which were purchased yesterday, were put to work at top speed and were used in moving the tree trunks to the pathway in order to be removed.
During the day, we were visited by the head of the Municipal Education Department, Rafał Piotrowski, who came to ensure that everything was fine and that his students were doing their job to the best of their ability – and indeed they were!
Tomorrow, around twenty-five students from Dartmouth University Hillel will join in the work. This evening, they were told a little of the history of the Częstochowa Jews and what work will await them on the morrow
DAY 3: Wednesday, 14th June 2023
The clean-up work in the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery continued with volunteers from the Adulam Foundation, The Matzevah Foundation and students from the General Sikorski Technical Science High School.
Also, joining in today’s work were around thirty students of the Dartmouth University Hillel from the United States.
The students and volunteers continued to clear the area of tree trunks, branches and bushes, which then uncovered more and more areas which had been inaccessible for years. The wood chipping machine began its work today and, gradually, the piles of branches were turned into mulch. Piotr continued, admirably, working with his saw to cut back bushes and expose matzevot, which had been hidden for nearly eighty years.
One such matzevah was that of Chana bat Szalom Neuman, who died on 6th November 1848 and, today, her tombstone was uncovered, for the first time, from under the dirt and grime. The area will continue to be examined in an attempt to identify more hidden tombstones.
DAY 4: Thursday, 15th June 2023
Today, we farewelled our friend Pastor Steven D. Reece and the volunteers of The Matzevah Foundation and welcomed another friend, Paweł Kulig from the Guardians of Remembrance of Łódź.
Pawel, an expert in cleaning Jewish cemeteries, is routinely involved in cleaning the large Łódż Jewish Cemetery and came to help us in our work.
Robert Kamela and the volunteers of the Fundacja Chrześcijańska Adullam of Częstochowa and the students from Dartmouth University Hillel from the USA are finishing their work with us today. However, also today, we were joined by students of the Zespół Szkół Przemysłu Mody i Reklamy im. W.S. Reymonta (W.S.Raymont School of Fashion and Advertising).
Following yesterday’s rain, the sun smiled on our work. More and more area is being exposed and the bushes which, for many years, covered gravestones, are piled up where the shredding machine turns them into mulch.
More and more gravestones are being uncovered, photographed. At a later time, they will be checked to see if they are in our records.
DAY 5: Friday, 16th June 2023
Today was the end of five days of intensive work.
Paweł Kulig and our friends from the Fundacja Chrześcijańska Adullam of Częstochowa were joined by photo technology students of the Zespół Szkoła im. Bolesława Prusa in Częstochowa (Bolesław Prus High School).
The high “Bush Wall”, that prevented access to the area and hid many tombstones, is disappearing through the consistent and systematic work.
The students continued removing the bushes and branches, which were then piled near where the branch shredding machine operated, cutting the bushes and branches into mulch.
Gradually, more and more matzevot (tombstones) from the mid-19th century are being revealed.
HELP TO FUND THE CLEANING WORK OF OUR CZĘSTOCHOWA JEWISH CEMETERY
Donations in Israel (in Shekels only):
By cheque – payable to “Association of Częstochowa District Jews in Israel”, which should be sent to the Association address: Kashani Eliezer 3A Box 6 Tel Aviv 6949904.
By bank transfer to the Association’s account: Account No. 276795 in the name “Association of Częstochowa District Jews in Israel”, Bank Hapoalim 12 – Ramat Aviv branch 568, 33 Achimeir Street, Tel Aviv 6949218.
Donations in the USA – New channel with 501C3
Can be done by sending a Check only payable to Lev Zahav NEP and get a 501C3 tax certificate according to the following details:
Lev Zahav NFP, 7321 Ridgeway Ave, Skokie, IL 60076
To co-ordinate and for more information, you can contact: Jeff Cohen (Descendant of a family from Czestochowa):
Email: 18jeffcohen@gmail.com Tel. +1-773-458-3938
Intelligentsia Mass Graves at Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery Restored
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Words: Alon Goldman, The Matzevah Foundation Photos: Asia Sidorowicz
A ceremony was held, at the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery, to consecrate the three restored mass graves of Częstochowa Jewish intelligentsia who were murdered by the Nazis, at the cemetery, during Purim, on 20th March 1943.
To learn more about the circumstances surrounding these murders, click HERE.
The ceremony took place in presence of the Częstochowa Deputy Mayor, Dr. Ryszard Stefaniak, Advisor to the Częstochowa Mayor on Jewish Community Affairs, Jolanta Urbańska, Chair of the Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ, Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska and representative of the Embassy of Israel in Poland, Elena Lagutin.
The restoration of two of the mass graves was funded by the Polish government, while the other was funded by the Cohen family of the United States.
During the ceremony, El Male Rachamim was recited by Rabbi David Szychowski, while World Society Vice-President, Alon Goldman, recited Kaddish in memory of Częstochowa Holocaust victims
Nissenbaum Family Foundation Workers Aid in Clean-Up of Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery
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Words: Alon Goldman Pictures: Krzysztof Strauss
This week, the clean-up work at the Częstochowa Jewish Cemetery continued with aid from the Nissenbaum Family Foundation.
Responding to a request from World Society Vice-President Alon Goldman, a team of skilled workers from the Foundation spent two days working at our Cemetery – and they worked wonders!
The team focused on professional tasks which the students could not do such as cutting down trees which had fallen to the ground or trees which were broken and were leaning on one side. They also pruned bushes and branches in order to prepare them for removal from the cemetery.
For many years, the area to the left of the cemetery entrance has not been revealed in this way. This resultant clearing will allow Alon, upon his return, to endeavour to locate new gravestones which, until today, have been hidden by the thick vegetation.
The Nissenbaum Family Foundation was founded in 1983, with the aim of saving Jewish testimonies and heritage in Poland. It was the first foundation established in Poland after World War II and, for years, its activities have been focused on the restoration and protection of Jewish cemeteries throughout Poland.
We sincerely thank Gidon Nissenbaum and Wojciech Łygaś
for their positive response to our request to lend us such an important helping hand.
The next work week will take place between 12th-16th June 2023. During that week, Alon Goldman will be assisted by Pastor Steven Reece and volunteers from the MATZEVAH Foundation from the USA, Pawel Kulig and volunteers from the Guardians of Remembrance Foundation from Lodz, our friends the volunteers of Fundacja Chrześcijańska Adullam of Częstochowa and students from Częstochowa high schools.
Częstochowa Students Clean Up Jewish Cemetery
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Source:: Alon Goldman
This year’s first concentrated cleaning work at the Częstochowa Jewish cemetery took place on 22nd-25th May 2023. The work was a joint operation involving the Association of Częstochowa Jews in Israel, the City of Częstochowa and the city’s Education Department, a collaboration which began in June 2022.
Around one hundred students, from four Częstochowa high schools participated in the concentrated work : General Anders High School, Jan Kochanowski High School, K. Puławski Mechanics and Electrical High School and the Automotive Professions High School.
The purpose of the project and the involvement of the students was not only to clean the cemetery, but also to allow the youth of Częstochowa to learn about Częstochowa’s multicultural history and the contribution of the city’s Jewish community in the life of the city and its development over the years. As part of the project, the students also received a lecture on the subject from the historian Wiesław Paszkowski.
This week of work could not have come to fruition without the efforts of several dear friends of the World Society: Rafał Piotrowski – head of the Education Department of the City of Częstochowa, Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska – Chair of the Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ, Cr. Jolanta Urbańska – Deputy Chair of the Częstochowa City Council and advisor to the Mayor on Jewish community issues, Elżbieta Ferenc – Director of the Adullam Foundation of Częstochowa; Iwona Brzezowska – Principal of General Anders High School and Robert Kamela of the Adullam Foundation from Częstochowa.
Our sincere thanks to all the students and teachers who took part in this activity.
Your involvement is greatly appreciated and is not to be taken for granted.
The next work week will take place between 12th-16th June 2023. This week, Alon Goldman will be assisted by Pastor Steven Reece and volunteers from the MATZEVAH Foundation from the USA, Pawel Kulig and volunteers from the Guardians of Remembrance Foundation from Lodz, our friends the volunteers of Fundacja Chrześcijańska Adullam of Częstochowa and students from Częstochowa high schools.
Częstochowa Roundabout Named in Honour of Leon Silberstein
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Source: czestochowanaszemiasto.pl
By a decision of the Częstochowa City Council, a Częstochowa roundabout has been named in honour of Leon Silberstein, one of the most important organisers of the resistance movement in the Częstochowa ghetto.
The Council resolution was adopted on 26th April 2023. Jolanta Urbańska, Vice-President of the City Council and consultant to the Mayor of Częstochowa on Jewish community matters, was the originator of the proposal.
Information from the Częstochowa History Documentation Centre, states that:
“Leon Zylbersztajn, a Częstochowa entrepreneur, a member of the underground in the Częstochowa ghetto, a man who saved people during the liquidation of the ghetto in September and October 1942, certainly deserves commemoration”.
From 1942, during and after the liquidation of the Częstochowa ghetto, Leon Silberstein saved hundreds of Jewish lives, including that of Zygmunt Rolat (Honorary Citizen of the City of Częstochowa). Silberstein himself lost two sons during World War II, who were both brutally murdered.
The Council resolution is part of the 2023 commemorations, established by the Polish Senate, as the Year of Remembrance of the Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Częstochowa TSKŻ Commemorates 80th Anniversary of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
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Source: Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska & Jolanta Urbańska
The Częstochowa branch of the TSKŻ commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
by organising a ceremony at the Częstochowa Jewish Memorial.
Members of the Częstochowa TSKŻ were joined, in the ceremony, by representatives of local government, other organisations and schools, as well as members of the Częstochowa community.
Częstochowa TSKŻ Commemorates the Events of March'68
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Source: Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska
The student rally, held at the University of Warsaw on 8th March 1968, which was brutally suppressed by the communist government headed by Władysław Gomułka, turned out to be a spark which ignited one of the most complex socio-political crises in Poland’s post-War history. This crisis resulted in the pacification of Polish intellectual life and in the forced migration of 13,000 Polish Jews, who had fallen victim to the government’s brutal antisemitic campaign.
The Częstochowa TSKŻ commemorated the 55th anniversary of this event.
On 17th March 2023, members heard Częstochowa TSKŻ chairwoman, Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska deliver a lecture on “Częstochowa Echoes of March’68”. Sitting at a common table, they listened to the history of those who left Poland with a one-way passport. Discussion included the Gdańsk Railway Station in Warsaw, which was the departure point for most of those emigrants and also learned about the plaque there, which commemorates the site. Following the lecture, members recalled their friends who had left Częstochowa at that time.
On 27th March 2023, the Częstochowa TSKŻ invited its member to a lecture by historian, Wiesław Paszkowski, on “The Origins of March’68”. The event was attended by Dr Zdzisław Wolski, a member of the Polish parliament, who spoke about his friends who had left at that time, and by Ms Jolanta Urbańska, Deputy Chairwoman of the Częstochowa City Council and special advisor to the Częstochowa Mayor on the Jewish community and on Jewish affairs.
Wiesław Paszkowski spoke about the events, moods and the political situation which resulted in the mass escape, from Poland, of persecuted Jews.
Righteous Families Honoured in Częstochowa
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Words and photographs: Alon Goldman Video: Orion TV
In Poland, each year since 2018, 24th March is commemorated as the “Day of Poles Who Saved Jews During the German Occupation”.
So it was appropriate that this day was chosen to unveil a plaque in memory of two families, who had already been honoured with the title of “Righteous Among the Nations”. The event was co-organised by the Częstochowa City Council and the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN).
The plaque, honouring the memory and deeds of the Brust and Mielczarek families, was placed on the wall of the Częstochowa House of Culture on ul. Łukasińska and was unveiled in the presence of Częstochowa Deputy Mayor, Dr Ryszard Stefaniak, Deputy Chair of the Częstochowa City Council, Jolanta Urbańska and Artur Hołubiczko, commander of the Częstochowa Straż Miejska (City Guard) and grandson of some of those honoured.
Click HERE to read the stories of rescue of both families.
Below is how Częstochowa’s Orion TV covered the event.
Częstochowa TSKŻ Celebrates Purim
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Source: Izabela Sobańska-Klekowska
Purim 5783 was celebrated by the Częstochowa TSKŻ, on 7th March 2023, in an evening which was both celebratory and joyous. All TSKŻ members received noise-makers and funny masks, while the children came in costumes.
The meeting began with the story of the beautiful and brave Queen Esther, who saved the Jewish nation from extermination. While the story was being told, everyone traditionally drowned out the name of the Amalekite Haman with stomping, noise and humming. There had to be cheerful music, and we were graced with a concert by Urszula Makosz, with the band “Hajnt iz PURIM – Today is PURIM”. We listened to Purim and Sephardic, songs in Hebrew, Polish and Ladino. The atmosphere was extremely joyful.
Following the concert, commemorative photographs were taken, followed by traditional refreshment, which included hamantashen and other delicacies. According to tradition, everyone tasted the wine, while repeating “Baruch Mordechai, Arur Haman” [“Blessed is Mordechai, cursed is Haman”].
Late in the evening, everyone left in good spirits, wishing each other “Chag Purim Sameach”!
Częstochowa Commemorates Holocaust Remembrance Day
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Words: Andrew Rajcher Photographs: Częstochowa City Council
Holocaust Remembrance Day was commemorated in Częstochowa, on 27th January 2023, with the laying of wreathes and the lighting of candles at the monument on Plac Bohaterów Getta (Ghetto Heroes Square). This was once the site of the entrance to the “Small Ghetto”.
Participants in the ceremony included representatives of the Częstochowa City Council, the World Society of Częstochowa Jews and Their Descendants, the Częstochowa Museum, the Częstochowa branch of the Social-Cultural Association of Jews in Poland (TSKŻ), as well as local residents of Częstochowa.
