Second day of the commemoration of the 81st Anniversary of the Shoah in Mszana Dolna. "Restoring the names"

During the second day of the commemoration of the 81st Anniversary of the Shoah in Mszana Dolna, on 21.08.2023, ceremonies were held at the memorial sites: at the mass grave of the Victims on Pańskie and at the Jewish cemetery. The most important element of the ceremonies was the unveiling of a monument restoring the names of the thousand Shoah Victims in Mszana Dolna, hitherto resting in a mass grave without names. This was the result of the initiative and many months of work by the Shzetl Mszana Dolna Foundation. The motto on the monument, taken from the Book of Psalms and inscribed in Polish, Hebrew and English, reads: "From the depths of the earth you shall bring us up again".

The execution on 19.09.1942 at the so-called Pańskie was the largest mass crime in the region. The victims came not only from Mszana Dolna, but also from Kraków, Berlin, Łódź, Bielsko Biała, Zembrzyce, Skrzydlna, Dobra, Tymbark, Mszana Górna, Łostówka, Kasina Wielka, Kasinka Mała, Olszówka, Raba Niżna, Raba Wyżna, Konina, Podobin, Niedźwiedź, Poręba Wielka, Lubomierz. One third of the Victims were children and young people under the age of 18. The youngest of them, Izia Markus, lived only 4 months and 3 days. A group of Christians of Jewish origin were also killed in the massacre. Among them was Anna Śliwinska, who was nine months pregnant.

Jews were also killed throughout the occupation: about 70 victims were buried in the Jewish cemetery. Among them were about 20 people brought from Rabka, murdered in September 1939. In this group were also people from Gdańsk and Nowy Sącz. The third mass grave, date of the massacre raging from late April and early May 1942, is located on Ogrodowa Street. More than 20 young people are buried there, of whom only some of the personalities are known.

The ceremony was attended by descendants of the victims from Israel, the United States, Denmark and Poland. Representatives of the Polish Council of Christians and Jews, the Chief Rabbinate of Poland and the Rabbinical Committee for Cemeteries, the Club of Christians and Jews "Przymierze" from Krakow, the Dialogue Council of the Archdiocese of Krakow, and the Institute of National Remembrance were also present. Mszana Dolna was represented by the Mayor of the town, Anna Pękała, the Deputy Mayor, Michał Grzeszczuk, Father Jerzy Raźny from St Michael's parish, Father Tomasz from the Divine Mercy parish, the Deputy Director of Primary School No. 1 in Mszana Dolna, as well as town residents and guests.

Unfortunately, despite our invitations, representatives were not sent by the Municipalities of Mszana Dolna and Niedźwiedź, from which many of the Victims came, there were no councillors from the town of Mszana Dolna and no delegations from other schools in the town and municipality of Mszana Dolna.   

The monument was unveiled by the Mayor, Anna Pękała, and the Vice-President of the Sztetl Mszana Dolna Foundation, Marek Rekucki. Prayers were said by Rabbi Tomasz Ichcak Krakowski from Warsaw and Avraham Taylor, a cantor from Israel, great-grandson of Amalia and David Pesach Rebuhun, who rest in the mass grave. In addition, the Kaddish for the dead was recited at the cemetery by Josef Hoch, grandson of Ryfka Fedregrun, killed at the Pańskie, nephew of Jacob Federgrun, resting among the Victims at the cemetery. The guard of honour was carried out by scouts of Hufiec Gorczański of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (ZHP), the musical setting - his own compositions to Psalms 16 and 130 - was provided by Jakub Antosz-Rekucki.

After the ceremonies, a meeting was held in the Town Hall, at which representatives of descendants presented the history of their families. This caused great emotion in those gathered. They paid tribute to Golda/Jeane Chapnick, a 99-year-old descendant of the Mszana Geller family, who died a month ago, and to others mentioned.

The celebrations were organised by the Town of Mszana Dolna and the Sztetl Mszana Dolna Foundation, with co-organisers Hufiec Gorczański ZHP, Zagórzańskie Dziedziny, Klub Senior+ Mszana Dolna, and the Mszana Dolna Municipal Library.

Co-financed from funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture, from funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage within the framework of the programme of the National Centre for Culture EtnoPolska. Edition 2023. co-financed by the Jewish Historical Institute Association. Project implemented with the financial support of the Malopolska Region. Public task co-financed from the budget of the Limanowa district. Project co-financed by the Dialogue Forum. Funded by the PZU Foundation.

Grants acquisition: Marek Rekucki

The event is held under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of Mszana Dolna, Anna Pękała,

Translation into English was provided by Jakub Antosz-Rekucki and Rachela Antosz-Rekucka. The remembrance ceremonies were broadcast on the FB profile of Sztetl Mszana Dolna, by Dariusz Ptak's team; the recordings will be available on the YouTube channel @sztetlmszanadolna