Promotion of our monograph "Jewish Cemetery in Mszana Dolna"
The promotion of our monograph about the Jewish cemetery took place on 20.10.2022 in the Municipal Library in Mszana Dolna. The publication crowned the project "The Story of the Jewish Cemetery in Mszana Dolna", the aim of which was to take care of this historic necropolis, catalog the preserved matzevot, read the inscriptions and create a comprehensive study in album form. The item was published in a Polish-English version, with a transcript of the Hebrew inscriptions, translated by the author of the substantive part of the publication, Jolanta Kruszniewska, a doctoral student at the Institute of Judaic Studies at the Jagiellonian University. The introduction and an additional chapter on a special newly erected matzeva were written by the president of the Foundation, Urszula Antosz-Rekucka. The authors of the photos - in addition to the two authors - are Rachela Antosz-Rekucka and Dariusz Ptak. The book was translated into English by Rachela and Jakub Antosz-Rekucka, the factual reviewer was Hebraist Ewa Gordon, Kinga Antosz was responsible for the Polish proofreading, Jakub Antosz-Rekucki for the English proofreading. During the meeting, the audience, which gathered in large numbers, could learn about the process of creating the book, meet the authors of the study, and share their impressions. The acting Provincial Historic Preservation Officer, Delegation in Nowy Sacz, Robert Kowalski, who was present, expressed a flattering opinion of both the publication itself and the efforts of our Foundation to preserve the historical heritage in Mszana Dolna, and declared further cooperation. The promotion was attended by representatives of local authorities, schools, cultural institutions. Each participant received a free copy of the monograph - its publication, like the entire project, was subsidized by the National Heritage Institute at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Those who could not attend the meeting still have a chance to get the unique publication in the coming days at the City Library and City Hall. Our publication will also go to the National Library, the Jagiellonian Library, the Judaic Studies departments of universities, Jewish Historical Institute, Polin Museum and other educational and cultural institutions.
Information about our monograph:
Jewish cemetery in Mszana Dolna "And the memory of them will not cease with posterity" (Est 9:28)
Author: Jolanta Kruszniewska
Author of the Foreword and Postscript titled: "One more special matzeva": Urszula Antosz-Rekucka
Authors of English translations: Rachela Antosz-Rekucka, Jakub Antosz-Rekucki
Proofreading English: Jakub Antosz-Rekucki,
Polish language proofreading: Kinga Antosz
Photo authors: Jolanta Kruszniewska, Rachela Antosz-Rekucka,
Urszula Antosz-Rekucka, Dariusz Ptak
Reviewed by: Ewa Gordon
Copyright by Fundacja Sztetl Mszana Dolna. Published thanks to funding from the National Heritage Institute under the "Together for Heritage" program. An important part of the project was the work of volunteers who took care of the cemetery.
Review by Hebraist, Ewa Gordon:
"The publication entitled. "The Jewish Cemetery in Mszana Dolna", authored by Urszula Antosz-Rekucka and Jolanta Kruszniewska, consists of two parts: the first part discusses the norms of Jewish law and customs related to the functioning of Jewish cemeteries, the second part is a thorough and in-depth analysis of individual matzevot preserved to this day in Mszana Dolna. It is a monograph on the borderline of history, anthropology and Jewish culture. The two-part layout of the work provides a clear structure, where the first part is essential for a better understanding of the Hebrew tombstones described in the second part. At the same time, the publication is an attempt to partially reconstruct the history of the Mshany Jews, their demography and customs - it is worth noting that on the preserved matzevot, in addition to the customary inscribed virtues, the fact that the deceased lived from the honest work of their own hands is often emphasized, and by tracing the quotations used on the tombstones one can guess which pious books were popular among the Mshany Jews, although the amount of preserved material does not allow one to draw far-reaching conclusions. The publication also includes a list of Jews murdered in the area during the Holocaust, an important act of saving the victims from namelessness, restoring their memory and dignity.
Deciphering the Hebrew inscriptions on the matzevot, translating them along with interpreting the symbolism of the reliefs, is the result of Jolanta Kruszniewska's meticulous research.
Individual tombstone objects are accompanied by footnotes referring to Jewish customs, which indicates deep knowledge of the literature and the subject of the research. The researcher also reaches out to preserved archival records and finds documents from the history of the Mshany Jews. However, the basis of the research technique is, above all, knowledge of the Hebrew language, together with knowledge of the sources and customs of Judaism - thanks to this, the researcher is in full control of the collected material throughout the narrative, and the immense amount of work put into reading the often already vestigial tombstone inscriptions is also admirable. The results of the research, the correctness and clear form of the study and the validity of the conclusions place this work undoubtedly at the highest levels of publications of this type.
According to tradition, a Jewish burial site remains a cemetery forever, and perpetuating the memory of the dead is a noble act with multifaceted significance. On the map of Poland's Jewish past, the Jews of Mszana Dolna have also regained their names."
