Art workshops on the bicultural town of Mszana Dolna

Someone drew Mila Schächter, of whom only two photographs remain, along with information that she lived with her family on Słomka Street. Someone else drew 6-year-old Dorka, whom a childhood friend remembered walking to her death with a doll in her hand.
There were also landscapes of our town, with the church tower and the synagogue visible from behind the school on the hill. The railway station. The windows of the Streimer family home, where in December you could see the flames of candles, both on the Hanukkah menorah and on the Christmas tree.

Another successful event is behind us – art workshops on the bicultural, pre-war Mszana Dolna, where, according to the memoirs of Aleksander Kalczyński, read during the meeting, the Christian and Jewish communities coexisted in harmony.

Before we moved on to the practical part, an introduction to the art of remembrance was given by the host: psychologist, doctoral student at the Jagiellonian University Doctoral School of Health Sciences and talented artist, Tomasz Krawczyk.
Further inspiration came from archival photographs of pre-war Mszana Dolna and the memories of witnesses, as well as some poetry referring to the bicultural nature of our tradition.

The event brought together three generations of participants, from seniors to children. Really beautiful and interesting works were created with various techniques – from pencil sketches to colourful watercolours.

It was very moving to have Mr Krzysztof Drożdż, a descendant of the Jewish Steiner family from Dobra, at our meeting. Raised by the Catholic Drożdż family, he recently discovered his roots. We would very much like to help him find traces of his biological ancestors.

The meeting took place during a difficult period marked by anniversaries: the Volhynia massacre, the genocide in Srebrenica, the pogroms of the Jewish population by their Polish neighbours in Podlasie and Kielce, and in the shadow of recent scandals related to the denial of the Holocaust by extreme nationalists. We began with a moment of silence to commemorate the victims of these terrible events, to protest against the distortion of history and the resurgence of all hatred towards other people or nations. The lit candles also carried messages of light, memory and solidarity.

The event ended with the sharing of challah bread baked especially for the occasion, which was even called ‘the best in town.’ This gesture of breaking bread is also of great significance to us. There were also cakes and drinks.

The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of the City, Agnieszka Orzeł. It was another part of our educational project ‘A story about the bicultural, pre-war Mszana Dolna. Edition 2025’.

Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the Programme of the National Centre for Culture EtnoPolska.. Edition 2025