Cmentarz Żydowski, Litzmannstadt Ghetto and Piotrków Trybunalski

AM.

Visited the Jewish Cemetery in Łódź.

Toured the the former site of Litzmannstadt Ghetto in Łódź and located the site of the café that was once owned by the family of Jack Aizenberg, one of the Windermere Boys now living in Manchester.

PM.

Drove to Piotrków Trybunalski, the fomer home of several of the Windermere Boys.

Met Mrs Janina Grędecka, a local resident, who now looks after the Jewish Cemetery. Talked to her at length about both her memories, and her late father’s memories of life in Piotrków during and after the Second World War.

Walked around the Jewish Cemetery and discovered that Ben Helfgott, another of the Windermere Boys and former Piotrków resident now living in London, had visited the cemetery the day previously.

Visited the sites of the Piotrków Ghetto and The Great Synagogue.

Drive back to Łódź.

Memoriał Radegast Bahnhof, Park Ocalałych and Manufaktura

10.00 am. Memoriał Radegast Bahnhof: Attended the ceremony and witnessed/joined the Memorial March to the Park Ocalałych (Survivors Park).

1.00 pm. Park Ocalałych: Invited to attend the ceremony and official unveiling of the ‘Monument Honouring the Poles who saved Jews during the Second World War’. Monument unveiled jointly by by President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński and Mayor of Łódź, Jerzy Kropiwnicki.

4.00 pm. Memoriał Radegast Bahnhof: Attended the premiere of the 3D film ‘Likwidacja 08.1944′ (Liquidation 08.1944) directed by Michał Bukojemski, Marek Miller and produced by Jacek Gwizdała

5.00 pm. Muzeum Kinematografii: Attend screening of  the film ‘Litzmannstadt Getto. Piekło na ziemi obiecanej’ (Litzmannstadt Ghetto. Hell on Promised Land) written and directed by Mariusz Olbrychowski.

8.00 pm. Manufaktura: Meet Krzysztof Noworyta of the National Centre of Culture, Warsaw in this redeveloped artistic quarter of Łódź. Introduced to Marek Cieślak, President of the Board for the Łódź Special Economic Zone and Monika Ptasińska International Cooperation Officer who are leading on the activities and developments towards Łódź’s bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2016.

Invitations extended for return visits and collaborative projects and exhibitions in Łódź, and Warsaw. Preliminary arrangements made to invite Krzysztof Noworyta, Monika Ptasińska, and others to visit Calgarth and Windermere.

Introduced to Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv, whose parents were originally from Łódź, and invitation extended to explore exhibition opportunities.

Sieradz, Chełmno nad Nerem and Rzuchowski Forest

26 August

AM – Drive to Sieradz, the former home town of Mayer Hersh (Manchester) and Arek Hersh (Leeds) both Windermere Boys who are closely connected to the Avenue of Exile project.

Met with Jacek Potakowski, Head of Customer Service at Urząd Miasta Sieradz (Sieradz Town Council), who showed us archive photographs of the town. Meeting with the town registrar who showed original documents relating to Mayer Hersh’s family.

Telephoned Mayer Hersh in Manchester and identified the address where he had lived in Sieradz. Jacek Potakowski then took us on a guided tour around Sireadz and the former Jewish area.

Meeting with Dr. Jerzy Kowalski, Director of Muzeum Okręgowe w Sieradzu  (Sieradz Regional Museum) who gave us material relating to the Jewish community including photographs, essays and documentation.

Meeting with Sister Agnieszka Tarabuła in the Dominican Monastery  who we interviewed at length. She told us stories from the time about the Jewish community, the liquidation of the Sieradz Ghetto and intimate details of help and assistance offered by the Sisters to some Jewish children and families.

Invitation extended from Sieradz Town Council and Regional Museum for a return visit and project collaborations.

PM – Drive from Sieradz to Chełmno nad Nerem (the site of Kulmhof Extermination Camp) and Rzuchowski Forest (the site of the Waldlager or Forest Camp).

Kulmhof Extermination Camp was the place where many of the Windermere Boys families were murdered and their corpses subsequently buried in the camp in Rzuchowski Forest.

Met with Kazimierz Erber from Koło to walk around Rzuchowski Forest. He had been involved in building the memorial on the site of the former camp.

Drive back to Łódź.