Krościenko
On 17 June 2018, for the first time in 76 years, the names of the 256 Jewish residents of Krościenko nad Dunajcem murdered by the German occupiers in 1942 were read aloud.
How it began
The wish to commemorate the Jewish community of Krościenko nad Dunajcem inspired the wider project “People, not numbers”. The foundation developed its concept together with Joanna Kurczap and Elżbieta Magenheim.
The project became possible thanks to Dr Karolina Panz’s discovery of the 1942 lists of residents of the Podhale region drawn up by the Judenräte. Publishing these personal details made it possible to commemorate all 256 men and women on a memorial designed by Grzegorz and Joanna Kurczap.
An online fundraiser was launched. Consultations with Rabbi Avi Baumol of the Kraków JCC, who has a personal connection with Krościenko, led him to write about the work on his blog in “The Times of Israel”. Thanks to anonymous donors, students from the Stefan Żeromski Secondary School and the John Paul II Primary School travelled to the Bełżec Museum and Memorial Site.
The ceremony of 17 June 2018
The memorial was unveiled in the presence of local, district and regional authorities, representatives of Rabbi Schudrich, of the AJC and the JCC, residents, students and teachers. Prayers were led by Rabbi Avi Baumol and Father Krzysztof Kutek. The memorial was unveiled by the families of descendants: the Susskinds from Australia and the Neugroschels from the United States.
The son of Salomon Susskind scattered earth from Eretz Israel over the mass grave and recited a prayer: a symbolic burial of those who were murdered. Eight men survived the Holocaust. At the end, Mr Koterba, a witness to those events, recalled those days in a personal account.
The memorial
“O earth, cover not my blood, and let my cry have no resting place.” These words from the Book of Job catch the eye of everyone who visits the cemetery in Krościenko nad Dunajcem, and beneath them are 256 names.
A few months after the unveiling, students of the Stefan Żeromski Secondary School officially took on the patronage of the memorial site. This is shown in the film “People, not numbers”, made for Gazeta Wyborcza.
Guardians of memory
- Jakub Dyda
A “guardian of memory” who has worked in Krościenko for many years. Owner of Sport Spektrum and founder of the nasniegu.pl ski school, member of the Adaptive Skiing Commission of the Polish Ski Association’s instructors’ body. Co-creator of tourism and sports projects for people on the autism spectrum and a board member of the Prodeste Foundation.
Timeline
From the pre-war community to the present day.
The Jewish community of Krościenko
In the 1930s almost 300 people of the Jewish faith lived here, mostly merchants and craftsmen. For several generations the rabbinical Baumöhl family watched over religious life.
The murder of 256 residents
The German occupiers murdered 256 Jewish residents of Krościenko. Their names survived on the lists drawn up by the Judenräte of Podhale in 1942.
Fundraising and preparations
The slogan “an Olympian is raising money for a cemetery” carries news of the project to Israel, the United States, France and the United Kingdom.
The unveiling of the memorial
After 76 years, 256 names were read aloud. The memorial was unveiled by the Susskind and Neugroschel families.
A school’s patronage
The Stefan Żeromski Secondary School takes on the patronage of the memorial site.
A walk through the site
2 pointsapprox. 870 m on foot37 min including stops
Market Square
The walk begins here. For almost 200 years Poles and Jews shared the history of Krościenko. In 1942 the German occupiers murdered 256 Jewish residents of the town.
fot. Happa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons Jewish cemetery and memorial
When the project began in 2018, only two matzevot were still standing in the cemetery. Today there is a memorial bearing 256 names and a verse from the Book of Job. The foundation searches for gravestones that were taken away and returns them, like the matzevah of Liba, which came back after 80 years, recovered from a floor.
Blog fundacji: Zmiany w Krościenku cz.2
Gallery
A walk of remembrance
The boards from the memorial sites in full.
Panel of LifeKrościenko
Żydzi z Krościenka nad Dunajcem przed Zagładą
Panel of the HolocaustKrościenko
Akcja Reinhardt. Zagłada Żydów w powiecie nowotarskim
Panel of HorrorKrościenko
Początek eksterminacji bezpośredniej
Panel of HorrorKrościenko
Relacja świadka
Panel of KnowledgeKrościenko
Cmentarz żydowski z XIX wieku w Krościenku nad Dunajcem
List of names
The 256 names are inscribed on the memorial.
Biographies
The stories of individual people and families, researched by the foundation and published on its blog (in Polish).
Biographies of people from this place are in preparation.
Listen
Narrated recordings for this place are in preparation. Each will have subtitles and a full transcript.
Guide to the site
A single A4 sheet to print: a short history, the address and coordinates, a QR code for navigation, guidance on conduct at the cemetery and the foundation’s contact details.
Krościenko nad Dunajcem