From: Alter Goldstein

Date: July 26, 2009 7:02:39 AM GMT-07:00

 

On July 15th 2009, 70 years after its destruction, we rededicated the Żuromin cemetery.

Unfortunately Perry Rosenstein (SŻklar) and Sandra Krisch (Frank) were not well enough to attend. They were the prime movers in achieving this.

Sol Plotka and his daughter, Deena, The two Braff brothers, and Sharon and Renee Rypinsky spent July 14 in Żuromin. They walked the town center and met many people. They renewed old acquaintances and met children of acquaintances.

 

At noon on July 15,  I arrived from Warsaw in a van together with Carlos and Brian RyŻowy (father and son whose family originally went to Montivideo and now NY).  Also on the van were Monika KrawcŻyk, CEO of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, who is our chief contact in Poland); Marek Lupinski of the Foundation, who oversaw all the work in Żuromin; Rabbi Żaichensky (sp?), Assistant Chief Rabbi of Poland, who conducted the religious ceremony; and several young people from the small  Jewish community of Warsaw, who wished to participate.

We were met by Mayor Nusek and his assistant Maria, by the provincial chief and his assistant, by the outgoing and incoming Catholic priests, by a television crew and a news team, as well as by about 35 local citiŻens.

Monica spoke, the mayor spoke (giving a long dissertation on the important Jewish history of the Jews of Żuromin), and I spoke. Deena Plotka read remarks by Sandra Krisch and by Perry Rosenstein. Sharon Ripinsky read the plaque on the cemetery wall. 

We were then invited to a reception in the town hall.  We presented the town librarian with several books on Jewish themes, and a Polish-English dictionary. We hope to have a set of pictures and possibly a video to distribute. In the meanwhile, there are a few pictures on the Foundation's website.

We understand this week from Monika that the townspeople view this a holy site and come to meditate there. Possibly, a few of the many missing matŻevot will be discovered in the town.

Regards, Alter Goldstein

A MESSAGE FROM SANDRA KRISCH

DEAR FRIENDS,

 

THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. 

 

I CANNOT BE WITH YOU IN PERSON TODAY, BUT I AM WITH YOU IN SPIRIT.

 

IN AUGUST 2006, I MET SOL PLOTKA IN NEW YORK.    MR PLOTKA HAS DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO KEEPING ALIVE THE MEMORY OF THE ŻUROMIN JEWISH COMMUNITY.  HIS DEDICATION INSPIRED ME TO TAKE STEPS TO TRY TO RESTORE DIGNITY TO THESE CEMETERY GROUNDS.  

 I AM ESPECIALLY THRILLED THAT MR. PLOTKA IS HERE TODAY.

 

I AM GRATEFUL THAT PERRY ROSENSTEIN AND ALTER GOLDSTEIN HAVE BEEN MY PARTNERS IN THIS EFFORT.  WITHOUT THEIR HARD WORK, WE PROBABLY WOULD NOT  BE HERE NOW.

AND, OF COURSE, WE WISH TO THANK MONIKA KRAWYCŻ FOR HER HELP AND HER ENCOURAGEMENT.  SHE HAS GUIDED US EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

 

MY FAMILY LIVED IN ŻUROMIN FOR GENERATIONS.  MANY OF MY RELATIVES ARE BURIED HERE.  MAY THEY, AND THE OTHERS WHO ARE WITH THEM, REST IN PEACE IN THESE HALLOWED GROUNDS. 

 

A MESSAGE FROM PERRY ROSENSTEIN

DEAR FRIENDS, HONORED GUESTS AND MEMBERS OF THE ŻUROMIN COMMUNITY:

I BRING YOU SALUTATIONS FROM GENERATIONS OF DESCENDENTS WHOSE MOTHERS AND FATHERS, IN THE PAST, WALKED THESE SAME STREETS AS YOU DO TODAY.  OUR FATHERS AND MOTHERS LIVED HERE AS HONEST HARD-WORKING FARMERS, TRADES PEOPLE AND STUDENTS AT THE LOCAL SCHOOLS. 

TODAY WE HAVE COME TO DEDICATE A SMALL PLOT OF LAND WHICH HOLDS THE REMAINS OF OUR RELATIVES, SO THAT THEIR NAMES WILL BECOME THE HERITAGE OF OUR FAMILIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

WE, THE CHILDREN OF ŻUROMINERS ALSO WISH AT THIS TIME TO COMMIT OURSELVES TO THE CAUSES OF PEACE BETWEEN ALL COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES, AND TO END THE BIGOTRY AND PREJUDICE BETWEEN CATHOLICS, JEWS, MUSLIMS, AND NON-BELIEVERS.

WE INVITE THE PEOPLES OF ŻUROMIN TO JOIN US IN OUR REDEDICATION.  LET US ALSO COMMIT OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILIES TO MAKE ŻUROMIN THE C ITY THAT SERVES AS AN EXAMPLE OF THESE IDEALS OF PEACE, FRIENDSHIP AND CARING FOR EACH OTHER AND OUR CHILDREN.

LET US REMEMBER, OUR HISTORY AS JEWS IN ŻUROMIN, IS ALSO YOUR HISTORY.  LET US TOGETHER MAKE THE YEARS TO COME FIND US WORKING TOGETHER AS ŻUROMINERS ONE AND ALL FOR A BETTER WORLD.

THANK YOU.

Date: Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:57:57 +0200

From: Monika KrawcyŻk

Subject: Re: Żuromin - follow up

 

Perhaps you will be interested in the following news from our Polish  friend in Żuromin. He writes:

"The cemetery - praised be the fact of its re-creation, momentarily became

a holy site. The people of Żuromin come there, look, meditate. Not even a

single stone which we put on the top of the memorial plaque has been

touched or displaced. Could you imagine that? Slowly we are moving with the

action "Let's look for for the macevot". I just heard about second piece of

a maceva which was identified by anonymous person"

This is what I had on mind while talking to you about giving the locals the

opportunity of making some reconciliation of the past.

Let's think of next year event as "first yorŻteit" and we will have some

macevot brought to the site, I hope.

Regards,

Monika

Michael Schudrich is the Chief Rabbi of Poland. He could not attend the ceremony, but wrote the following:

From: Michael Schudrich

Date: July 26, 2009 2:19:46 AM GMT-07:00

To: Monika KrawcŻyk"

Subject: Re: Żuromin - follow up

Dear Monika,

 

Thank you for sharing and for helping to make this happen.

 

This is what happens when we all work together.  We have seen this happen time and again.

 

Kol tuv,

 

michael