Nearest Large Cities:  93.2 kilometers (58 miles) S of Warsaw

Events in Radom

2019 Jewish Culture Festival The 11th “Encounters with Jewish Culture Festival” in Radom, Poland will be taking place from May 13th, 2019 through May 19th, 2019. The program planned so far includes musical performances, panel presentations on current topics of interest, films, a walking tour, cemetery visit and more. Translations from Polish into English will be available for some programs. We hope you will join us in celebrating the Jewish life and culture that once graced our ancestral streets.  It is important for the current residents of Radom to see and hear from us, the descendants of long lines of Jewish Radomers, in order to keep Jewish memory alive where there are no - or very few - Jews presently living in Poland.  All of us have stories to share, and as we do, we contribute to important dialogue that has the power to restore the Jewish experience, especially at such a critical moment in Poland.  Not only do we honor our families and the Jewish people, but we are documenting our history for the future.  It would be great to see you there!  For further information, feel free to contact: Sharon Grosfeld at sharon.grosfeld@gmail.com or Hilda Chazanovitz at hildachaz@aol.com Past 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 and the Resursa which honors the former Jewish community each year. Learn how this project to unify Poles and Jews with an interest in the Jewish heritage of Radom came about:  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.

KehilaLinks

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.                   return to top

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

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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.