Summer 2025: Part 1-Images of Poland January 2025 (pre-80th Anniversary Commemoration)

I just realized that I had failed to post anything about the recent January trip to Poland, as part of the delegation commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. I was part of a group representing Holocaust Scholars and Holocaust Museum and Education Directors. Therefore, now, in Summer 2025, I will retroactively share experiences in Poland, in images and captions.

Our trip began in Warsaw, Poland.

Ringelblum Archive, Warsaw:

Pictured below is a milk can, one of several which held the famous Ringelbum Archive, chronicling the day to day life of Polish Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.

The archive, conceived and organized by Historian Emanuel Ringelbum, was hidden, and buried underground, when it became clear that the end of the ghetto (and its occupants’ lives) was imminent. With the codename of ‘Oneg Shabbat,’ hundreds of people in the ghetto worked to preserve artifacts and detailed descriptions of daily life (and daily suffering) under Nazi brutality in the Warsaw Ghetto. Toward that end, they collected thousands of items describing Jewish life, from 1941 until the ghetto was destroyed in 1943. These items included diaries, personal correspondences, press articles, stamps, posters, journals—anything that could encapsulate what Jews were enduring under the Nazi regime. This process of collection and preservation continued until it became obvious that the ghetto, and its Jews, would be destroyed. At that point, the organizers buried the contents of the archive in metal boxes and metal milk cans, for preservation, so that these hidden ‘witnesses’ could tell their story of those dire years of starvation and suffering—even when the people could not.

Note how dramatically this milk can is deployed, illuminated only at the end of the dark, stone-filled passageway. This gives you an idea of how important this artifact is considered to be, and how important it will, no doubt, always remain.

This milkman, with other rare artifacts from the archive, is housed at the Jewish Historical Institute, located in Warsaw.

Polin Museum—Warsaw

POLIN: Museum of the History of Polish Jews (opened in 2014) showcases (brilliantly) the 1000 year history of Jews in Poland. In fact, it is so highly regarded that POLIN won the prestigious European Museum of the Year in 2016!

The core exhibition focuses on Jewish-Polish history, beginning in the Middle Ages, and continuing until today. The early development of Jewish communities in Poland, religious practices, and a detailed history—both good (including a ‘Golden Age’ under King Cazimir, who reigned from 1340-1370, and, in addition to founding Jagiellonian University—which, incidentally, was Copernicus’ alma mater—he gave Jews many rights and protections) and bad (many pogroms, including one of the most brutal of all, led by Bogdan Khmelnytsky, who led his Cossacks to pillage rape, and overall murder c100,000 Jews, 1648-1654)! To Ukrainians, he is considered a great national hero, but to Jews, he is considered among the worst enemies, like Amalek!

In addition to superb collections throughout, the centerpiece of the museum is the interior of a recreated 17th century synagogue from Gwozdziec, Poland..

Here is the centerpiece of the POLIN Museum: This re-creation (which used only materials, building practices and dyes that were in existence in the 17th century when the Gwozdziec Synagogue was built.

Here is a closeup of the synagogue ceiling

Our group posed in front of the famous Rappaport sculpture, located in the vast plaza, in front of the POLIN Museum’s entrance. Incidentally, a duplicate of this famous sculpture created by Jewish Polish sculptor, Nathan Rappaport (1911-1987), is located at Yad Vashem, in Jerusalem. Both statues are memorials to the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

In this group photo, I am in the center (wearing a white coat), standing next to our scholar, Professor Rabbi Michael Berenbaum.

Warsaw’s Jewish Cemetery

Incredibly, although much of Warsaw was bombed and decimated during WWII—especially the Old City of Warsaw— this old Jewish Cemetery was miraculously left intact. Many famous people are buried here—including luminaries of the Yiddish theater, famous authors and political figures. Here, is the gravestone of the creator of Esperanto (Dr. Lazaro Zamenhof), who invented it to become the “universal language” (which, unfortunately, it never became).

The Jewish cemetery extends over 83 acres and is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in all of Europe, and indeed, the world. Established in 1806, it contains over 250,000 gravestones, as well as divisions of special sections:

3 Orthodox sections (one for Men, one for Women, and one for Holy scriptures;

Reform Jewish section; Children’s section, Military section, as well as a mass grave for victims of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

This is a typical scene in the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery.

Although Janusz Korczak is not buried here (he was murdered in Treblinka, with his school of orphans), in the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery, there is a prominent statue of Korczak, holding the hand of one child and holding another child in his arms, as they were led to their death. [For a more detailed account of Janusz Korczak, please see section August 7, 2025].

Statue of Janusz Korczak

Close Up of Children’s Memorial, by Jack Eisner

I met Jack Eisner (1925-2003), decades ago, after I had read his searing book, The Survivor. Although the whole book is excellent (and reads more like an action novel than a work of history), to get a taste of the trauma of his early life, one need read no further than his book’s unforgettable Dedication. More than a hundred of his family members, including all 30 of his first cousins, were murdered in the Holocaust—with Jack being the only grandchild who survived.

JCC of Krakow, Exterior View

The JCC of Krakow is the hub of Jewish activity in Poland, headed by a creative, charismatic, inspiring and utterly charming CEO, Jonathan Ornstein.

In addition to organizing classes, social activities for the community, food pantry with fully stocked grocery shelves where the needy of Warsaw can come and shop (without money). One of his most well known initiatives is his bicycle marathon. In stark contrast to Nazi Death Marches, Jonathan organizes an annual “Ride for Life” from Krakow to Auschwitz, in which hundreds participate—in recent years, also a survivor friend in his 90’s named Bernie Offen, who grew up in Krakow. In addition to everything else he was already doing, after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Jonathan organized a massive fundraising effort to welcome, house, feed and, in every possible way, support Ukrainian refugees coming to Poland to flee the war. His work is astounding and his scope is more widespread than that of organizations ten times his size.

If you would like to help Jonathan in his very worthy efforts, please see his website to donate both your time and your money: friendsofjcckrakow.org

From left to right: Michael Berenbaum, leading scholar of our delegation, me (Ann Weiss) and Jonathan Ornstein (in glasses), CEO Extraordinaire of the Krakow JCC, whose ‘tag line’ is “Building a Jewish Future in Krakow.”

Here is a small group of our delegation, led here by Danny Spungeon of Illinois, Head of the Spungeon Foundation, (he is seated next to me). He brought us to this very old cafe/bar in Krakow, after our evening activities had concluded. This is where he last spent time with the great Sir Nicholas Winton (1909-2015), an extraordinary man, stockbroker by profession, humanitarian by action. ‘Nicky’ Winton, as I knew him to be called, had (without government support), only the help of friends and family, managed to save 669 children during the Holocaust!

Members of our delegation, seated on the right of the table are Tali Dippold, Director of the Phoenix Holocaust Museum; Lauren Bairnsfather, Director of Anne Frank Center USA; Alexis Morrisroe from Cincinnati’s branch of Echoes and Reflections; and Helen Turner, Director of the St. Louis Holocaust Museum.

Here we are talking to the son of Nicky Winton in London. Danny knew how to reach Nicky’s son, and we were grateful to have a chance to thank him again on behalf of his late father’s stupendous actions.

From left to right: Helen Turner, Lauren Bairnsfather, Alexis Morrisroe, Tali Dippold. We are on the phone with Nicky Winton’s son.

This is part of the ‘main street’ of Kazimierz, Krakow’s historic old Jewish quarter. Note the green house in the middle: This was the home of Helena Rubinstein (then called Chaja), 1872-1965. She was the oldest of eight daughters born to a shopkeeper in Krakow, and she was also a cousin of Martin Buber. When her parents presented her with an arranged marriage, she refused and left Poland precipitously. She arrived in Australia—with no money and virtually no command of the English language. However, she had filled her suitcase with jars of beauty cream she had developed in Krakow, which she sold— this humble beginning became the basis of her beauty empire. She expanded from cities in Australia (Melbourne and Sydney) to London and eventually to America, in NYC. And this empire became the worldwide enterprise we know today, because of her business acumen, and to avoid an arranged marriage!

Interior of the famous Remuh Synagogue in Kazimierz, the historic Jewish section of Krakow. Located on 40 Szeroka Street, it opened in 1557, and was named in honor of the famed Rabbi Moses Isserles, 1530-1572. known by the acronym ReMa (but pronounced Ramuh). He was called the ‘Polish Maimonides’ and was an expert in Jewish law (halacha), author of Ha-Mapah—literally ‘The Tablecloth’ on Jewish law, and he wrote Commentary on the Shulchan Arch (literally’The Set Table”). Most of all, his reputation was as a halakist and a codifier.

The wrought iron enclosure around the centrally located bimah (sacred prayer area, where the rabbi and others reading the Torah would traditionally stand) was reconstructed. Although despoiled and sequestered by the Nazis during WWII for firefighting equipment, in 1957, thanks to the efforts and funding of Joint Distribution Committee (often known simply as “the Joint”), thanks to the local Jewish community and the efforts of Akiva Kahane, the Remuh Synagogue underwent a massive renovation, returning it to its pre-war appearance. One of the newest additions to the Remuh Synagogue is a clock, given as a gift in 1992 by Chaim Herzog, Israel’s sixth President. Outside the synagogue is the old Jewish Remuh Cemetery, where Rabbi Moses Isserles is buried.

Because Krakow, just prior to the event at Auschwitz commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Liberation, was overrun with people from all over the world who had arrived for this event, it was not so surprising that I ran into people I knew. Here is one of my favorites: I reunited with Harry Birnholz, former Head of USAID for Palestinians and Israelis, formerly living in Washington DC and currently residing in Geneva Switzerland, with his wife, Devora Kestel, Head of Global Mental Health for the World Health Organization.

Like me, Harry is also the ‘child’ of Holocaust Survivors.

This is one of several statues in Poland of Jan Karski, the Polish courier smuggled into the Warsaw Ghetto, so he could see the deprivation with his own eyes— children’s stomachs swollen with starvation, the unbearable stench, bodies lying in the street until they could be collected, and the unbearable widespread suffering. The leadership of the Warsaw Ghetto gave him a list of what would help slow down the killing so that Karski could discuss these items with the Heads of the Allied forces, including America and Great Britain. BTW the conditions in the ghetto were so unbearable, that Karski could only endure an hour! However, he managed to get a meeting with President Franklin Roosevelt, and after he finished describing the dire situation of the Jews, and the list of what was needed, he asked FDR what he was going to do.

FDR’s response was short and clear: “We will win the war.”

Sadly, if Roosevelt had responded differently, and taken action sooner, millions of Jews might have been saved—including most members of my own murdered family.

Entering the famous (and unforgettable) Wierzynek Restaurant, located in the center of “Starre Rynek”(the Old Marketplace). This restaurant was the site of what is reputed to be the most lavish and legendary feast in Polish history: the 1364 wedding feast (lasting 14 days) of the granddaughter of King Cazimir the Great to King Charles IV of Luxembourg. Monarchs and dignitaries throughout Europe attended, including King Valdemar IV of Denmark, King Peter of Cyprus and King Louis of Hungary. No expense was spared and the details of this outstanding feast are regularly recounted.

This multi floor important landmark building still displays the armor and swords of that period. However, it is rarely (actually NEVER) mentioned that (except by me, every time I dine there—to both the staff and my companions—the last owner and occupant of this building was a Jewish merchant who, together with his family, was deported and murdered in nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau. Note: My source for this fact is Mark Talisman, the former Congressional aide (who was instrumental in passage of the 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment, enabling Soviet Jews to emigrate from the Soviet Union, and noted Jewish scholar who created Project Judaica—which mounted and traveled important exhibits like “The Precious Legacy” (featuring treasures from Prague) in United States and the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Vatican Library. He was our Scholar on my first trip to Poland in 1986.

On our last night before the Commemoration began, some members of our delegation dined in the private dining room of Wierzynek Restaurant, under the painting that depicted the famous wedding feast, described above. Standing from left to right are: Piotr, Michael, Danny, Eli, me and Tali. Seated left to right are: Kiel, Aviva, Susan (CEO and President of Association of Holocaust Organizations) and an outside guest.