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Welcome
This
web site is dedicated to the
study of Jewish family
history in the town of Radom,
Poland.
Location:
51°
25' 21° 09'
Other Names: Radom (Pol,
Rus), Rodem, Rudem
Nearest Large Cities: 93.2
kilometers (58 miles) S of Warsaw
Events
in Radom
A
Commemoration
of the
liquidation of
the Radom
Ghetto
occurred in
August 2017.
At that time a
trail
was
established
that
identifies the
locations of
significance
to the Jewish
community. Learn
more about the
trail here.
Sharon
Grosfeld
and Hilda Chavanovitz,
the organizers
of the
event, have
shared their thoughts
on the
gathering and
other efforts
to unify Poles
and Jews
with an
interest in
the Jewish
heritage of
Radom.
Read more.
There
is an
excellent
youtube video
which was
created by the
Resursa on
the
event.
Be sure to
check it
out at Commemoration.
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What's New!
With the IAJGS Conference in
Warsaw this year, many attendees
took the opportunity to visit their
ancestral towns. I did my third
visit to Radom where I spent some
valuable time in the archives. I
will gradually be putting
information from my research on this
site.
One of the discoveries that you can
access now is a map of "abandoned"
Jewish property in 1945. You can
begin to get a sense of the hole
that the absence of the Jews left in
a very physical sense. You can find
it on the Holocaust page or click here. Unfortunately it
did not list owners.
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Using
This Site
There is a great deal of information on this
site so if this is your first visit, please
explore. A few tips....
Are you
looking for a specific family
name?
Click on
the Names tab to get to the
name index. The Name Index notes and
frequently links to a
particular name in a
variety of sources - ads,
school, synagogue
members, property
owners.
If
you are looking for
addresses go to the Names
tab
for property owners
or the telephone
directory. On
Links you will find
info on the 1930 and
1932 business
directories.
Also check to
see if there is
an ad
for a
family
business
from Names or
Pictures.
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Searchable
Visual History Archive
The Visual History Archive of the
USC Shoah Foundation is now
searchable for names which are
mentioned in Shoah
interviews. After you
register you can do a search for
Radom and the name of interest and
it will pull up interviews in
which the family name is
mentioned.
Virtual Shtetl
Virtual Shtetl has added an
excellent history of Radom to
its site.
A Radom Museum
Did you know that
there is a Radom Museum, and not
in Radom? Many former
Radomers made their way to Toronto
where they founded the Beth Radom
Congregation. In more recent times
they have created a museum
to remember Jewish life in
Radom, to trace the Radomers'
journey from Poland, around the
globe, and to memorialize it as a
physical tribute to their history.
They have sought memorabilia
related to Radom to develop
the museum. You can learn
more about the museum and its
efforts at Beth Radom
Museum.
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KehilaLinks
This page is
hosted at no cost to the public by Jewishgen, Inc.,
a non-profit corporation. If you
feel there is a benefit to you in
accessing this site, your JewishGen-erosity is appreciated.
Please contact Susan Weinberg with
questions or additional information on
Radom.
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Planning a trip to Radom? |
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Pre-War Radom
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What Can I Find at the Archives? |
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Radom Today
On the Radom Today tab
you will now find a summary of key Jewish
sites in Radom and their locations.
Please don't hesitate to contact Susan Weinberg if you are planning a trip
as I can help to connect you to resources
while there.
On the links tab you
will find links to several
articles on my travels in Radom
from my blog
Layers
of the Onion. While there
I explored Jewish Radom and
did research at the
archives. If you are
planning a trip you may find
this useful.
Cemetery
The key to the Jewish
cemetery is held by a woman who
lives nearby. If you are
visiting Radom and want to go to
the cemetery, contact me to learn
how to access it.
In 2010 seventy-two
long hidden tombstones were built
into a monument known as the
Lapidarium. Articles on this
discovery are found on the Cemetery
Tab and the Radom Today tab.
A translation of
these tombstones is now available at the
Cemetery tab. It is referenced to
the Radom Book of Residents thanks to
the assistance of Moshe Michel
Werber. Both Werber and David
Rosen assisted in the translation.
Jakub Mitek from the Arts and Culture
Center in Radom was kind enough to go to
the cemetery in the middle of winter to
take photographs. I've already heard
from several people who have found
family in those tombstones.
Reflections
from Hilda Chazanovitz and
Sharon Grosfeld, children of
Holocaust survivors and
activists for a new narrative
in Poland
As we reach the High Holy Days,
it seems especially significant
to reflect on our recent
experiences in Radom, Poland and
share what’s been possible and
could never have been
anticipated.
Reflecting upon our past deeds,
we ask for forgiveness from
those we have wronged, we are
also asked to offer forgiveness
to others, and to make it most
meaningful, seek conversation
and reconciliation. This has
been the very journey we began a
few years ago when each of us
traveled to our ancestral town
of Radom, Poland.
In 2009, Sharon traveled on her
own to visit the place of her
father's lost youth. Though
finding his former address, the
original building was replaced
by a Communist era high rise,
and there were very few plaques
to identify historically Jewish
landmarks. Hilda’s journey began
in 2014 upon the discovery of
the Grynblat home where her
mother lived with her family.
Without any visible signs of
Jewish life, echoes of her
family whispered through the
broken walls.
Over the next few years, Hilda
and Sharon visited Radom and
began developing relationships
with Radom teachers and
government officials interested
in pursuing the same journey of
reconciliation by honoring, as
well as commemorating, the
Jewish community and culture
that once flourished there. In
2016 they led an interfaith
Passover Seder at the Radom’s
community center. This year we
worked with the Radom government
and colleagues in Radom to mark
the 75th anniversary of the
liquidation of the Radom ghetto
through commemorative ceremonies
lasting almost a full week in
early August. Inspired by
beloved Professor Zbigniew
Wieczorek and close friends at
the Forum for Dialogue in
Warsaw, we have worked to
restore just some of what was
lost.
In addition to many events
planned during the
commemoration, together we all
formed an extraordinary
relationship that culminated in
the unveiling of Jewish plaques
installed along streets and on
buildings throughout Radom to
ensure local citizens, as well
as visitors do not miss the
presence that once filled the
town with Jewish schools,
bakeries, hospitals, a
synagogue, cemetery, and most
importantly, Radom's former
Jewish inhabitants.
Descendants of Radom traveled
from all over the world to
participate in the events this
past August. The 70 plus
visitors were able to
participate and interact with
local residents who were engaged
in all the events.
We dreamed of the possibilities.
Restoring the history of Jewish
within the infrastructure of
Radom’s society, along with the
renewed and present-day ties
between Jewish and Christian
Poles, marks both a revival and
regeneration of centuries of
co-existence. Though the
Holocaust was a defining moment
that severed those fragile
bonds, the hope for the future
runs through the veins of Jewish
descendants, and Christian
residents alike. The mutual
desire for Tikkun Olam,
repairing the world, exists for
ourselves and for our former
enemies, collaborators and
bystanders.
Shanah Tova! A gut, gezunt
yor.
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Pictures
On the pictures tab
you will see a link to stills from
a homemade film of Jewish Radom
done in 1937. The quality is
poor, but it captures the
people and institutions of the
community in a rare pre-war
snapshot. It is easier to
view via stills so I have captured
many of the images.
My visit in 2011 was on the occasion of
exhibiting my artwork
based on that film some of which is found in
the header of each page. Accompanying me was
Dora Zaidenweber, a survivor who was 15
years old when the war broke out. Dora
shared her pre-war and ghetto period family
photographs in the exhibit. Her photos
had survived in the shoes of her husband and
her brother who grabbed photos and put them
in their shoes prior to being sent to the
camps. The exhibition occurred as part
of the Traces series, a focus on the former
Jewish community that the Resursa has
sponsored for several years. We found
great interest in Radom about the former
Jewish community that lived in their midst.
Family Histories
On
the Family History tab you will find
recollections of survivors who lived in
the pre-war community. Many who have
written a memoir have allowed us to
include the first chapter about their
life in Radom.
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While in Radom I found
many resources that I've included on this
site.
Archives
If you plan to do
research in Radom, read
Using the Radom
Archives to learn what is
available there. Even if you don't
travel there, it may help you in
ordering documents.
Names
Research documents from
1822/23 are available at the name link
with the patronymics and the new surnames
which were taken.
A list of Jewish names from
1813 are in a downloadable excel
spreadsheet, together with
profession. As these are
patronymics, the name they later assumed
is also noted.
Other documents list out the
members of the synagogue in Radom and
surrounding areas in 1884/86.
A list of surnames of photographs of
former Radom residents is provided which
can be located through the Jewish
Historical Institute in Warsaw.
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