Our Shtetl Mszana Dolna Foundation at the National Heritage Institute Gala in Warsaw

On December 5, on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day, the Volunteer Gala "Together for Heritage" took place in Kino Kultura in Warsaw. This program is related to grant subsidies from the National Heritage Institute, of which we are also beneficiaries, including publishing a monograph on the Jewish cemetery in Mszana Dolna and taking care of this unique monument. The Mszana Dolna Shtetl Foundation was invited to the Gala, where the achievements of the project groups were presented; we were represented there by the vice-president of the Mszana Dolna Shtetl Foundation, Marek Rekucki, and people cooperating in the above project. Unfortunately, many volunteers were unable to participate, due to professional obligations.
In the seven editions of the program to date, more than 1,100 organizations have submitted applications, and more than 270 have received financial support. Nearly 5,000 volunteers - including a dozen "ours" - have been involved in the projects. Implementation of projects is possible thanks to grants from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. We plan to participate in future editions in order to take more effective care of memory in our city.

On December 5, on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day, the Volunteer Gala "Together for Heritage" took place in Kino Kultura in Warsaw. This program is related to grant subsidies from the National Heritage Institute, of which we are also beneficiaries, including publishing a monograph on the Jewish cemetery in Mszana Dolna and taking care of this unique monument. The Mszana Dolna Shtetl Foundation was invited to the Gala, where the achievements of the project groups were presented; we were represented there by the vice-president of the Mszana Dolna Shtetl Foundation, Marek Rekucki, and people cooperating in the above project. Unfortunately, many volunteers could not take part, due to professional obligations.
In the seven editions of the program to date, more than 1,100 organizations have submitted applications, and more than 270 have received financial support. Nearly 5,000 volunteers - including a dozen "ours" - have been involved in the projects. Implementation of projects is possible thanks to grants from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. We plan to participate in future editions in order to take more effective care of memory in our city.

Information about our monograph:
Jewish cemetery in Mszana Dolna
"And the memory of them shall not cease from 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 as part of the "Together for Heritage" program.

And here is a review of the monograph by Judaist Ms. 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 still preserved 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 Mszana 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."

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator