Kizzie's Follow-up From Poland

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Follow-up From Poland: Chmielnik Synagogue

By: Kizzie Frank

The renovated synagogue is hard to miss. It stands in the center of this small Polish village, a provoking reminder of the town’s history.

 

It was a place of worship for the many Jews who once lived here, but has stood empty since World War II. There isn’t a single Jew now living in Chmielnik, a town about 100 miles southeast of Warsaw.

 

Instead of a place of worship, the synagogue now serves as a museum, paying tribute to those who once filled this place of prayer. Its walls are covered with fragments of frescoes that barely survived after the Nazis used the space as a warehouse. Its new name is the Święokrzyski Shtetl Education and Museum Center.

 

One of the key features of the museum is a multi-media genealogy center stocked with archival documents from more than 100 towns and cities in the region. Another unique feature is the light-omitting tempered glass bimah, holding court in the middle of the prayer room.

 

The renovation project spanned 5 years and cost about $3 million dollars. Funding came mostly from the European Union. Some residents suggest that money could have been used to build infrastructure to help lower the town’s 15 percent unemployment rate.

 

According to the Mayor of Chmielnik, Jaroław Zatorski, the synagogue was rebuilt to “rid Chmielnik of ignorance” and not to cater to tourists. Among the absence of all Jews, young or old, the synagogue’s purpose it to educate younger people about pre-war history and Jewish culture, Zatorski said in a meeting with Polish and American journalists.

 

Still, town officials say the renovation has brought visitors and money to Chmielnik, leading to the opening of the city’s first hotel last year. The synagogue renovation also let loose a host of emotions the town’s residents had tried to bury for years.

 

Piotr Krawczyk, the driving force behind the renovation, said current residents worried Jews would return to reclaim their homes and property. But he insists his neighbors have since changed their minds.

 

“This was a mission for me. I wanted to see this place filled with people and happiness again. I have my wish”.


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