Celebrations of the 64th anniversary of the Kielce pogrom

Maria Zawadzka, 16 November 2016
On Monday, July 5th, 2010 at noon took place in Kielce the unveiling of the renovated tomb of the victims of the Kielce pogrom. The unveiling was part of the celebrations of the 64th anniversary of this tragic event. The ceremony was organized by the Jan Karski Association. It was preceded by the Memorial March: about 250 participants set off from the Menorah Monument and walked through the streets of Kielce to commemorate the Jews killed in 1946.

The new tomb commemorating the victims of the pogrom was created on the initiative of the president of the Jan Karski Association, Bogdan Białek. During the ceremony speeches were delivered by the President of Kielce Wojciech Lubawski, Bogdan Białek, and Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland. The Ambassador of Israel to Poland, Zvi Rav-Ner, said: “We came here to remember about these tragic events, because they need to be remembered. However, we must also speak loudly about the Righteous Among the Nations – and the Poles are most numerous among them, over 6,200 – who risked their own lives to save the lives of Jews”. In front of the tenement at 7/9 Planty Street, where 64 years ago took place the pogrom, the names of the murdered Jews were read. Afterwards, a joint prayer was said by Jews and representatives of various Christian denominations. Then, in front of the monument to Jan Karski a prayer of Catholic priests took place, lead by Rev. Manfred Desleaers. Afterwards the participants went to the old Jewish cemetery, where the renovated tomb was unveiled. The maintenance works in the cemetery were carried out by the prisoners from the Kielce prison as part of the “Tikkun – Repair” program, a Polish-Israeli action of the Prison Service for the preservation of the Jewish heritage in Poland.

The Jan Karski Association was founded in March 2005 as a continuation of the Citizen Association “Memory – Dialogue – Reconciliation”. It works for the development of the Polish-Jewish dialogue, preservation of the Polish national heritage and propagates openness and tolerance. The Association, with the seat in Kielce, tries to prevent all forms of racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia. Its president is Bogdan Białek, member of the Polish Council of Christians and Jews. Among the initiatives of the Association should be mentioned, apart from the organization of the anniversaries of the Kielce pogrom, the funding of the Jan Karski and Menora monuments. The Association is also conducting educational activity. In 2005 it published the book of Henryk and Zbigniew Pawalec “Na rozkaz serca” (“At the heart’s command”) and in 2007 – the collection “Listy z getta” (“Letters from the ghetto”). The patron of the Association is Jan Karski, Righteous Among the Nations, legendary courier of the Polish underground during the Second World War, witness of the Holocaust.