Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
HereisMuranów
ADistrictthatGrew
BeyondtheRubble
Introduction
ZygmuntStępiński
DirectorofPOLINMuseum
InFebruary2013,overadozenpeoplefromPOLIN
MuseumoftheHistoryofPolishJewsaccompanied
byMichaelSchudrich,theChiefRabbiofPoland,
gatheredattheKrasińskiGarden,onBohaterów
GettaStreet(WarsawGhettoHeroesStreet,former-
lyNalewkiStreet),ataspotnearthecornerwith
ŚwiętojerskaStreet.Itwasherethatthetenement
housesatnos.12,14and16stoodbackin1943.Who
todayremembersthat,beforethefinalliquidationof
theWarsawGhetto,buildingsusedtostandinthis
exactspot?WhoremembersthatthissectionofŚwię-
tojerskaStreetwasdelineatedafterthewar,inorder
toexpandtheKrasińskiGarden?Howmanyresidents
ofWarsawknowthatBohaterówGettaStreet,today
acul-de-sac,wasonceoneofthemostbustlingand
noisystreetsintheMuranówdistrict—theheartof
JewishWarsaw?Todaytherearenohouseshere;in-
know,andwillmostcertainlyneverknow,whoowned
thisbasement.PerhapsitwasAbramBigos,who
manufacturedleatherjacketsandrainproofcoats?
OrwasitWolfLichtman,aknitwearfactoryowner,
orAbramItzikSzerman,whodealtintullenetting
andhaberdashery?Perhapstherearesometracesof
abygonelifestilltobefoundundertheseveral-me-
tredeeplayerofsoilandrubble—abrokenwheelof
adoll’spram,apieceofknitwear,ateaspoon?Forthis
isallthatisleftoftheoldNalewkiStreet,ofpre-war
MuranówandtheJewishdistrict.
KrystynaKaszubek-Wacławekusedoneofthebricks
removedfromthebasementwallonNalewkiStreet
tomakeamezuzah,designedbyAndrzejandMaciej
Bulanda.Adaybeforethe70thanniversaryofthe
WarsawGhettoUprisingandtheformalopeningof
steadtherearetrees,shrubsandgrass.Allthatis
POLINMuseum,weafixedthemezuzahtothemain
leftofpre-warNalewkiStreetiscobblestoneand
atramtrack.
Thedaybeforethegathering,asmallbulldozerre-
movedanupperlayerofsoilandrubbleatthevery
spot,fromunderwhichevenrowsofbricksform-
ingbasementwallsemerged.Onecouldeasily
tellwhichonewasthefrontwall,andwhichwere
theconstructionanddivisionwalls.Acorridorleading
toanotherroomwasalsovisible.Theworkmencare-
fullyremovedtherubblefromthespacesbetween
thewalls.Thewallsthatresurfacedwereloosely
entrance’ssidewallinaformalceremony.
Inthepast,everyJewishhomeboastedamezuzah
mountedonthedoorframe—asmallcontainerwith
aparchmentfeaturingthefirstverseofShemaIsrael
[Hear,OIsrael],themostimportantofJewishprayers.
Today,manypeopleregardmezuzotasasymbolof
returningtotheJewishtradition.Formepersonally,it
isavestigeoftheruinedJewishdistrict,ofMuranów
thatisirretrievablygone.
Icordiallyinviteyoutovisittheexhibitiondedicated
bonded.Weremovedthebricksbyhand.Idonot
toMuranów’shistory.
5
