RESTORING DIGNITY TO PRZYSUCHA
—a blog post by Jake Garfinkle, May 23, 2025
—a blog post by Jake Garfinkle, May 23, 2025
In an exciting update of our past work, Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland is grateful to have been one of the many partners involved in reconciliation and restoration efforts in Przysucha. These efforts, which are ongoing, recently saw the returning of Jewish gravestone fragments to the Przysucha Jewish Cemetery, sponsored and supported by a number of partners in Poland.
During the German occupation of Poland and the years to follow, many Jewish cemeteries were destroyed and Jewish gravestones were removed, being used as material for buildings and roads. Przysucha’s Jewish Cemetery, despite its long history and notable burials, was not spared from this fate. Some of the gravestones from the town’s Jewish cemetery were used to build a barn behind the fire station, where they remained until earlier this month. In May 2025, Professor Radosław Ptaszyński’s Jewish Przysucha Association oversaw the reclamation of matzevot from the old barn, with hundreds of gravestone fragments returning to their home in the cemetery. There, the matzevot will be cleaned, studied, and secured as part of ongoing efforts to revitalize the Jewish cemetery and honor the memory of those buried there, righting historical wrongs, piece by piece.
Ptaszyński, a lecturer at the University of Szczecin, has led this work since its beginning, and Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś financed the efforts from proceeds of his book, “Chrześcijanie wobec Żydów,” which details the historical relationship between Christians and Jews. This achievement was made possible by the hard work, diplomacy, and cooperation of numerous partners over a number of years, especially Steven Reece, Ph.D., who is the Founding President of The Matzevah Foundation, Fulbright Scholar in Poland (2022–23), and recipient of the 2022 Figure of Reconciliation Award from the Polish Council of Christians and Jews.
Over the past four years, an incredible number of people have worked together towards the common goal of remembrance, restoration, and reconciliation in Przysucha. Like elsewhere in Poland, the town of Przysucha has a Jewish past and present, and this work supports an inclusive and respectful Jewish future. Efforts like the reclamation of gravestones from the barn show that contemporary partnerships and goodwill have the potential to mend the historical rupture in Jewish life, caused by decades of anti-Semitism preceding and succeeding the atrocities of the Holocaust. This is central to our work at Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, and we are grateful to have been one of the many partners involved in this years-long effort.
In the summer of 2022, Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland—along with JewishGen and the Matzevah Foundation—sponsored and helped lead work in Przysucha as part of the JewishGen Future Scholars Fellowship (now known as the Greenspan L’Dor V’Dor Legacy Program). In the Przysucha Jewish Cemetery, JewishGen Fellows worked with other volunteers to help restore the overgrown and neglected site, which included weed-whacking, branch-lopping, removing trash, clearing debris, trimming plants, and clearing cemetery entrances to make them accessible. JewishGen Fellows also located, cleaned, and translated matzevot fragments, handling them with care and compassion. The JewishGen Fellows learned about the town’s important history, particularly for its role in Hasidic Judaism, and built relationships with members of the Biala Chasidic community, who supported our work to restore the cemetery and hosted us at a Jewish center in the town. An ohel (shelter building) in the cemetery protects the graves of prominent Hasidic tzaddikim today. During their time in Przysucha, the JewishGen Fellows learned about the importance of teamwork and dialogue—especially across faiths, nationalities, and backgrounds—and gained life-changing experiences and skills, which they carry with them as they continue their education, scholarship, and careers.
Again sponsored by JewishGen and co-led by Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland and The Matzevah Foundation, the fifth iteration of the Greenspan L’Dor V’Dor Legacy Program will occur in July 2025, taking a new cohort of Fellows to Poland. Stay tuned to our social media for updates on their efforts!
FJHP’s work is made possible by the support of donors, organizational partners, and individuals dedicated to our mission. Please consider supporting our work in dozens of towns across Poland, like Przysucha, at the following link: https://jewishheritagepoland.org/donate.html
References:
● Krzysztof Bielawski, “Przysucha”, Cmentarze Żydowskie w Polskie, accessed at http://cmentarze-zydowskie.pl/przysucha.htm
● Itamar Eichner, “Polish archbishop funds return of looted Jewish tombstones,” Ynet, 6 May 2025, accessed at https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkmev7wgee
● “Greenspan L'Dor V'Dor Legacy Program”, JewishGen, accessed at https://www.jewishgen.org/fellowship/
● Józef Krzyk, “Przysucha była najważniejszym ośrodkiem chasydyzmu; 13 października przypada rocznica śmierci jego twórcy,” Dzieje.pl Portal Historyczny, 12 October 2024, accessed at https://dzieje.pl/dziedzictwo-kulturowe/przysucha-byla-najwazniejszym-osrodkiem-chasydyzmu-13-pazdziernika-przypada
● Radosław Ptaszyński, “Przysucha – odzyskane macewy i kardynał,” Więź, 14 May 2025, accessed at https://wiez.pl/2025/05/14/przysucha-odzyskane-macewy-i-kardynal/
● Małgorzata Rusek, “Macewy ze stodoły przeniesiono na cmentarz. Akcję sfinansował znany kardynał,” Wyborcza, 7 May 2025, accessed at https://radom.wyborcza.pl/radom/7,48201,31912392,setki-fragmentow-macew-odkryte-w-przysusze-spolecznicy-przewiezli.html
● Wojciech Szczepański, “Żydowskie nagrobki odzyskali ze starej stodoły w Przysusze. To działania Stowarzyszenia Jewish Przysucha,” Echo Dnia, 12 May 2025, accessed at https://echodnia.eu/radomskie/zydowskie-nagrobki-odzyskali-ze-starej-stodoly-w-przysusze-to-dzialania-stowarzyszenia-jewish-przysucha/ar/c1p2-27575867
During the German occupation of Poland and the years to follow, many Jewish cemeteries were destroyed and Jewish gravestones were removed, being used as material for buildings and roads. Przysucha’s Jewish Cemetery, despite its long history and notable burials, was not spared from this fate. Some of the gravestones from the town’s Jewish cemetery were used to build a barn behind the fire station, where they remained until earlier this month. In May 2025, Professor Radosław Ptaszyński’s Jewish Przysucha Association oversaw the reclamation of matzevot from the old barn, with hundreds of gravestone fragments returning to their home in the cemetery. There, the matzevot will be cleaned, studied, and secured as part of ongoing efforts to revitalize the Jewish cemetery and honor the memory of those buried there, righting historical wrongs, piece by piece.
Ptaszyński, a lecturer at the University of Szczecin, has led this work since its beginning, and Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś financed the efforts from proceeds of his book, “Chrześcijanie wobec Żydów,” which details the historical relationship between Christians and Jews. This achievement was made possible by the hard work, diplomacy, and cooperation of numerous partners over a number of years, especially Steven Reece, Ph.D., who is the Founding President of The Matzevah Foundation, Fulbright Scholar in Poland (2022–23), and recipient of the 2022 Figure of Reconciliation Award from the Polish Council of Christians and Jews.
Over the past four years, an incredible number of people have worked together towards the common goal of remembrance, restoration, and reconciliation in Przysucha. Like elsewhere in Poland, the town of Przysucha has a Jewish past and present, and this work supports an inclusive and respectful Jewish future. Efforts like the reclamation of gravestones from the barn show that contemporary partnerships and goodwill have the potential to mend the historical rupture in Jewish life, caused by decades of anti-Semitism preceding and succeeding the atrocities of the Holocaust. This is central to our work at Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland, and we are grateful to have been one of the many partners involved in this years-long effort.
In the summer of 2022, Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland—along with JewishGen and the Matzevah Foundation—sponsored and helped lead work in Przysucha as part of the JewishGen Future Scholars Fellowship (now known as the Greenspan L’Dor V’Dor Legacy Program). In the Przysucha Jewish Cemetery, JewishGen Fellows worked with other volunteers to help restore the overgrown and neglected site, which included weed-whacking, branch-lopping, removing trash, clearing debris, trimming plants, and clearing cemetery entrances to make them accessible. JewishGen Fellows also located, cleaned, and translated matzevot fragments, handling them with care and compassion. The JewishGen Fellows learned about the town’s important history, particularly for its role in Hasidic Judaism, and built relationships with members of the Biala Chasidic community, who supported our work to restore the cemetery and hosted us at a Jewish center in the town. An ohel (shelter building) in the cemetery protects the graves of prominent Hasidic tzaddikim today. During their time in Przysucha, the JewishGen Fellows learned about the importance of teamwork and dialogue—especially across faiths, nationalities, and backgrounds—and gained life-changing experiences and skills, which they carry with them as they continue their education, scholarship, and careers.
Again sponsored by JewishGen and co-led by Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland and The Matzevah Foundation, the fifth iteration of the Greenspan L’Dor V’Dor Legacy Program will occur in July 2025, taking a new cohort of Fellows to Poland. Stay tuned to our social media for updates on their efforts!
FJHP’s work is made possible by the support of donors, organizational partners, and individuals dedicated to our mission. Please consider supporting our work in dozens of towns across Poland, like Przysucha, at the following link: https://jewishheritagepoland.org/donate.html
References:
● Krzysztof Bielawski, “Przysucha”, Cmentarze Żydowskie w Polskie, accessed at http://cmentarze-zydowskie.pl/przysucha.htm
● Itamar Eichner, “Polish archbishop funds return of looted Jewish tombstones,” Ynet, 6 May 2025, accessed at https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkmev7wgee
● “Greenspan L'Dor V'Dor Legacy Program”, JewishGen, accessed at https://www.jewishgen.org/fellowship/
● Józef Krzyk, “Przysucha była najważniejszym ośrodkiem chasydyzmu; 13 października przypada rocznica śmierci jego twórcy,” Dzieje.pl Portal Historyczny, 12 October 2024, accessed at https://dzieje.pl/dziedzictwo-kulturowe/przysucha-byla-najwazniejszym-osrodkiem-chasydyzmu-13-pazdziernika-przypada
● Radosław Ptaszyński, “Przysucha – odzyskane macewy i kardynał,” Więź, 14 May 2025, accessed at https://wiez.pl/2025/05/14/przysucha-odzyskane-macewy-i-kardynal/
● Małgorzata Rusek, “Macewy ze stodoły przeniesiono na cmentarz. Akcję sfinansował znany kardynał,” Wyborcza, 7 May 2025, accessed at https://radom.wyborcza.pl/radom/7,48201,31912392,setki-fragmentow-macew-odkryte-w-przysusze-spolecznicy-przewiezli.html
● Wojciech Szczepański, “Żydowskie nagrobki odzyskali ze starej stodoły w Przysusze. To działania Stowarzyszenia Jewish Przysucha,” Echo Dnia, 12 May 2025, accessed at https://echodnia.eu/radomskie/zydowskie-nagrobki-odzyskali-ze-starej-stodoly-w-przysusze-to-dzialania-stowarzyszenia-jewish-przysucha/ar/c1p2-27575867