Talking about the past means hope for the future. Commemoration of the 83rd anniversary of the Holocaust in Mszana Dolna

On 17th August 2025, the 83rd Anniversary of the Holocaust was commemorated in Mszana Dolna. The event was organised by our Sztetl Mszana Dolna Foundation. The aim of the ceremonies was to commemorate those murdered on 19th August 1942 in the largest mass execution in the region, as well as other victims killed during the German occupation in other places.

The Anniversary consisted of four important parts: a debate, ceremony at Pańskie, reopening of the renovated Jewish cemetery and a concert.

The first part was a debate on the need for and significance of preserving memory and dialogue. It was guided by the idea of Prof. Joanna Tokarska-Bakir: “The past does not threaten us. It has already happened. What threatens us is a bad future if we do not learn from the painful past.”
The discussion panel included representatives of the Polish Council of Christians and Jews, the Przymierze (Covenant) Club, and the Council for Dialogue of the Archdiocese of Krakow, as well as local activists. The discussion highlighted the enormous importance of preserving memory and seeking ways of dialogue, of finding what unites people of different faiths, and of working together for the common good. The panellists talked about their path to dialogue, their motivations, challenges, difficulties and glimmers of hope. Three generations were represented: from young doctoral students at the Jagiellonian University to retirees – Rev. Prof. Łukasz Kamykowski, Chairman of the Dialogue Council of our diocese, and the originator and host of the meeting, Urszula Antosz-Rekucka, President of the Foundation. The conversation concluded with a call for mutual kindness as a way to heal divisions and radicalism.

The second part, and at the same time the central event of the Anniversary, was a memorial ceremony at Pańskie.
This year, excerpts from the testimonies of the trial of Nazi criminals in Bochum were read aloud. In the poignant silence, the painful words of the witnesses, who had to watch helplessly as their loved ones died, sounded loud. In the mass execution, Nazi criminals murdered almost the entire Jewish community of Mszana, including Christians of Jewish origin and numerous displaced people from many towns and cities. One third of the victims were under the age of 18.
The ceremony began with Psalm 23 performed by Ariel Cahn, while the Jewish prayers ‘Ela male rachamim’ and ‘Kaddish’ were sung by Avraham Taylor, the great-grandson of Amalia and David Rebhun, who were murdered at this site. The Catholic prayer was recited by Rev. Prof. Kamykowski. At the end, those gathered laid stones of remembrance, lit candles and paid tribute to the victims.

The next point on the agenda was the reopening of the Jewish cemetery on Zakopiańska Street after a thorough renovation. The Sztetl Mszana Dolna Foundation, together with the City, obtained funding from the government's monument restoration programme, and took on the task of renovating the dilapidated fence and restoring another 20 historic matzevot. The symbolic opening of the gate was performed by the Town Council representative, Secretary Ewa Poray-Zbrożek, and the Vice-President of the Foundation, Marek Rekucki, who deserves great credit for the implementation of such a vast and difficult work. A new bilingual plaque containing basic information about the cemetery, the history of its rescue and the rules of conduct was unveiled by young members of the Foundation, Rachela and Jakub Antosz-Rekucki.
The Jewish cemetery is also a place of martyrdom for the Jewish population of the town and surrounding area. Moving prayers, carried up to the heavens, were sung by the cantor and rabbi, Avraham Taylor. The ceremony was attended by the contractors from Kraków who renovated the matzevot, Marek Sawicki's KonsArt conservation company, with its boss and subcontractors, Joanna and Piotr Marczyk. The contractor responsible for the renovation of the fence, Piotr Krzysztofiak from the local Milbart company, was unable to attend in person, but he deserved our gratitude for another solid job.

The participants laid pebbles and lit candles at the resting places of former residents and victims of the Holocaust, including several children.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Gorczański Scout Troop for their uniformed assistance and for preparing the pebbles for the graves.

After these difficult ceremonies, the participants were able to soothe their souls during the last part of the Anniversary, a concert by the string quartet ‘Con Affetto’. Melodies from around the world were played, inaugurated by Wojciech Kilar's beautiful polonaise for the film ‘Mister Tadeusz’, interspersed with tango, oberek, Polish film music, as well as traditional Jewish melodies, including songs from the musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and the film ‘Schindler's List’, which the quartet dedicated to the memory of the murdered in its premiere performance. The audience rewarded the ladies with a standing ovation.

The events were broadcast live by Dariusz Ptak's invaluable team, which enabled descendants from the USA, Israel, Australia, Denmark and Germany to participate. Recordings of the ceremony will soon be available on our YouTube channel @sztetlmszanadolna.

The event was held under the honorary patronage of Mayor Agnieszka Orzeł.

Co-financed by the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the National Centre for Culture's EtnoPolska programme. Edition 2025.

The Sztetl Mszana Dolna Foundation would like to express its immense gratitude to:
* the participants, residents and guests, for commemorating the former inhabitants of our small homeland, for their compassion
* The Gorczański Scout Troop for their help in organising the memorial ceremony
* The Senior+ Club for their help in preparing refreshments for the participants
* The management of the Municipal Library in Mszana Dolna for providing the premises for the debate and concert
* Magdalena Czajka – guardian of memory from Żelechów, for preparing beautiful bouquets for the memorial sites
* Agnieszka Józefiak-Lewandowska for her presence throughout the day, photo report and all her help