🇬🇧 2023 marks the 80th anniversary of the uprising of the prisoners of the German Nazi death camp Treblinka II. In connection with this anniversary and thanks to the financial support of the City of Płock, the Nobiscum Foundation will produce a film project entitled […]
🇬🇧 This summer, thanks to the financial support of the City of Płock, the Nobiscum Foundation will organize a project addressed to Płock’s senior residents entitled “Achavah. A series of workshops and meetings with the history and culture of Jews from Płock”. ✡️ As part […]
22 March marks the 125th birth anniversary of Beniamin Perelmuter (1898-1952)
Beniamin (Beniamin Lejb) Perelmuter was born on March 22, 1898 as the son of Majer, a merchant from Łuck (Volyn province) and Liwcia nee Kon. He was born in the house of the heirs of Hersz Domb at 31 Warszawska Street. Currently, in this place there is a open field which belongs to the Centre for Culture and Arts in Płock (former sports field). Beniamin Perelmuter was a graduate of the Polish Middle School and the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology. In 1931, he received a diploma in architectural engineering. He took part in the September Campaign. He spent the occupation as a lieutenant of the Polish Army in the oflag in Dobiegniew. His wife and son were murdered in the Treblinka extermination camp. After the war, he worked on the reconstruction of houses on Wiejska Street in Warsaw and the “Dom Słowa Polskiego” graphic studio on Miedziana Street. He died in Warsaw on February 6, 1952. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery at Okopowa Street.
Beniamin Perelmuter was the author of the Monument to the Memory of the Jews of Płock at the cemetery at Mickiewicza Street, on the grave of the first 25 victims of Nazi barbarism, murdered in Imielnica. The initiator of the erection of the monumental tomb, which in terms of architecture was to commemorate the martyrdom and tragic fate of all Jews from Płock, was the District Jewish Committee in Płock and the Civic Committee for the Construction of the Monument operating at it. The patronage over the construction, which began in 1948, was taken by the secretary general of the Joint, Józef Gitler-Barski, whose wife, Celina Gitler-Barska née Klinkowsztejn, came from Płock. The ceremonial unveiling of the monument took place on October 23, 1949.
JewishPlock.eu enters its fifth year! Family albums, biographies, information on places related to the Jewish community of the city of Płock – we develop and supplement these materials on constant basis, and the content published on the website is often accompanied by extensive historical research. […]
In 1998, the municipality of Płock purchased the building of the former synagogue at 7 Józefa Kwiatka Street from the Jewish Religious Community in Warsaw. The municipality planned to place a small museum dedicated to the Jews of Płock in the building, but also to […]
At the beginning of August 2022, we wrote a letter to the Chairman of the City Council of Płock, Mr. Artur Jaroszewski, regarding the commemoration of three residents of Płock of Jewish origin – Symcha Guterman, Edward Flatau and Nachum Sokolow, by naming the newly created streets of the city of Płock. Content of our letter (translation of the Polish original):
Dear Mr. Chairman,
in our city, only two streets commemorate the members of the Płock Jewish community – Józef Kwiatek and Franciszka and Stefan Themerson. Considering the centuries-old presence of Jews in Płock, the fact that they co-created its history for over 700 years, but above all the personal merit of the proposed patrons of the streets, I would like to ask for an interpellation regarding the consideration of the names of streets commemorating three residents of Płock of Jewish origin – Symcha Guterman, Edward Flatau and Nahum Sokolow.
Symcha Guterman (1903-1944) was a soldier of the Home Army, he also took part in the Warsaw Uprising (he died in the fights for Pawiak in the first days of August 1944). He wrote a valuable diary, which describes the fate of Jews from Płock during the occupation. It is an extraordinary and shocking record of a witness and participant of one of the darkest pages of our city’s history. “Leaves from Fire”, published in Polish by the Płock Scientific Society almost 20 years ago, has been translated into several languages, including French and German and remains not only an interesting book and a great contribution to knowledge about the history of Płock’s (and not only) Jews during the occupation, but also a testimony to the great determination and values of their author.
Edward Flatau (1868-1932) is one of the most outstanding Polish scientists and one of the most important figures in the history of not only Polish, but also world neurology (a significant part of his achievements is still important in practice and theory of medical science). A graduate of the middle school in Płock and the University of Moscow, he was distinguished by great and comprehensive knowledge in the field of anatomy, pathology and the clinical study of the nervous system. He was, among others member of the Polish Academy of Learning, corresponding member of the Neurological Society in Paris and the Society of Psychiatry and Neurology in Vienna, honorary member of the Neurological Society in Moscow and the Medical Society in Vilnius. He wrote over 100 publications in Polish, German, French and Russian.
Nahum Sokolow (1859-1936) – is one of the most outstanding leaders of Zionism, considered one of the fathers of this political movement. Although he was born in Wyszogród, he spent his childhood and youth in Płock (he called himself “A man from Płock”), where he received traditional Jewish education (he attended one of the cheders in Płock) and then studied at Dancygier’s school on Synagogalna Street. From 1876, he published articles in Ha-Cefira, of which he was co-editor from 1886, and editor-in-chief from 1892. He collaborated with the magazines “Ha-Maggid”, “Archives Israelites”, “Hamelic”, he was also the editor of the weekly “Izraelita”. In the years 1905-1909 he was the secretary general of the World Zionist Organization. In 1911, during the 10th Zionist Congress, he was elected a member of the Executive Committee, and in 1921 its chairman. In 1925, Sokolow visited his hometown of Płock – his arrival was met with great enthusiasm by the residents of the city of all religions. In the years 1931-1935, Sokolov served as the fifth president of the World Zionist Organization, and after 1935 he was the honorary president of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency.
The toponymy of the city is not only a part of the process of creation of its space, but also reflects its character. Also, the naming of the streets of the city of Płock should reflect its rich history, of which the Jews of Płock were an important part. Among them, there are many recognized, world-class figures.
In response to our letter, the Street Naming Committee at the City Hall of Płock informed us in a letter of January 17 this year that there are currently no new streets and objects to be named, but the submitted proposals will be placed in the Bank of Street Names for possible use in the future. Therefore, we hope for this to happen, and soon we will present our next suggestions for female and male patrons of the streets of Płock.
On March 1, 2020, the Nobiscum Foundation, courtesy of Susan Keller Mouckley, Sandra Brygart Rodriguez and Arieh Bomzon, presented a film recorded in the summer of 1937 in Płock by Herman and Norton Keller. The premiere of the film took place during a commemorative event […]
On January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp is commemorated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this day, we especially remember the Jewish residents of our city who were murdered in the Płock ghetto, in Imielnica, in the Działdowo transit […]
Ada Holtzman (1951-2016) was the daughter of Meir Holtzman (1914-1998) and Rywcia (Rywka) nee Gostyński (1914-1969). Her grandfather – Eliahu Holtzman (1866-1923) was married to Rasza née Złotnik (1870-1937), who came from a well-known rabbinical family. Her brother was the Płock rabbi Jona Mordechaj Złotnik. In the summer of 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, Meir and Rywka Holtzman emigrated to Palestine. Meir Holtzman was a devout socialist, Zionist, leader of the Hashomer Hatzair movement, and founder of Kibbutz Evron in Israel, near the Lebanese border. Ada was born at the end of 1951 in Naharia. In 1978, she graduated from Tel Aviv University, where she studied economics and social sciences. She worked as an analyst and programmer for Alitalia, an Italian global airline.
Ada Holtzman devoted her life to restoring the memory and heritage of the Jews of Gąbin, but also of many Jewish communities in other pre-war Polish cities, including Płock. The website she created “Zchor” or “Memory” is a collection of a lot of information useful for people looking for information about the life and history of Polish Jews.
Ada Holtzman was tirelessly involved in Jewish genealogy, the memory of the Holocaust and reviving the history of the hometown of Meir Holtzman and Rywka née Gostyńska. She was the caretaker of Beit Gombin in Tel Aviv, meticulously cared for the memorial wall composed of plaques with the names of the Gombiners who died in the Shoah. She never stopped saying, “We remember!” and “Never Forget!”.
She died on September 29, 2016. She was buried in Kibbutz Evron.
November 14, 2022 is the date of the premiere of the latest book published by the Nobiscum Foundation – “Rachmonim bnei rachmonim. Charity and philanthropy of Płock Jews” by Gabriela Nowak-Dąbrowska. The 340-page publication is a presentation of selected initiatives undertaken by the Jews of […]
