🇬🇧 Forum for Dialogue – the oldest Polish non-governmental organization aiming to improve Polish-Jewish relations, for 25 years has been gathering people for whom Jewish history and heritage in Poland are of great importance. This year we had the honor and pleasure to participate in […]
An inconspicuous one-story house at the exit of Sienkiewicza Street, at number 64. Every day it falls into more and more decay. At first glance, it does not stand out as anything special, although its history and the history of its residents is unique. These […]
Beniamin Lejb Sztucki – the last Jew who lived in Płock until the end.
Beniamin Lejb Sztucki was born on January 13, 1903, in the family of a merchant, Moszek and Gitla née Niedźwiedz. Due to a hearing impairment, he did not work professionally and was dependent on his father. His wife was Basia née Niedźwiedz, with whom he had three children. During World War II, he was a prisoner of concentration camps in Auschwitz and Dachau. Almost his entire family was murdered by the Nazis. Beniamin returned to Płock after the war. He worked at the Gershon Dua Knitting Work Cooperative, which began its activity in 1949, in the building of the synagogue at 7 Kwiatka Street. As we read in the work of Jan Przedpełski and Jerzy Stefański “Żydzi płoccy w dziejach miasta” [“Jews of Płock in the history of the city”], he remained faithful to Jewish religion and tradition until the end of his life. He died on July 21, 1994. He was buried in the municipal cemetery in Płock.
🇬🇧 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 […]
Monika Niedźwiecka and her students from the Complex of Economics and Merchant Schools in Płock take part in the Daffodils Campaign every year. Also today, on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, they created a magazine dedicated to women – […]
🇬🇧 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 of the series, we will organize workshops inspired by the works of Fiszel Zylberberg (1909-1942) and the brothers Feliks (1921-2016) and Devi (1914-2002) Tuszyński, which will be conducted by Mariola Adamska – a long-time employee of the Art Department of the Mazovian Museum in Płock (as well as the co-author of the scenario of the permanent exhibition devoted to Art Deco), currently associated with the Municipal Cultural Center in Płońsk, a meeting with Krzysztof Bielawski – a researcher of Jewish cemeteries and publicist, author of the book “Destruction of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland”, lectures on, among others, historical sources for the history of Jews from Płock in the collection of the State Archives in Płock, which will be led by Gabriela Nowak-Dąbrowska, as well as genealogy workshops.
More information about the project coming soon!
On our graphics: a photograph of Synagogalna Street in Płock, 1918 (from the collection of the Scientific Society of Płock).
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 […]
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 devote this space to the Art Gallery of Płock. At the beginning of 1999, the director of the gallery at that time, Bożena Śliwińska, saw the ruined and abandoned building at Kwiatka Street. The spacious and high hall of the synagogue, after being adapted for exhibition activities, gave the perspective of presenting exhibitions that had not been possible to organize in Płock so far – presenting contemporary, spatial fabric installations, sculpture or monumental painting. It also gave the opportunity to organize monographic exhibitions of artists with great creative output, group exhibitions, as well as national and international art events.
The City Council of Płock, by resolution No. 752/XXXVI/01 of January 23, 2001, designated the building of the synagogue at 7 Kwiatka Street as the future seat of the Art Gallery of Płock. In the same year, a technical expertise of the facility and historical and scientific research were carried out as auxiliary materials for the project. In December, the public tender for the contractor, which was MAPRO, was settled. In 2002, the future seat of the Art Gallery of Płock was included in the city’s investment plan. At the same time, design work was underway. It was agreed that the City of Płock will be the investor of the construction works. However, the concept of moving the seat of the gallery to the building of the former synagogue was ultimately rejected by the mayor of Płock at that time, Mirosław Milewski, who argued that the city could not afford to invest in a new gallery. The synagogue at Kwiatka Street has been put up for sale by the municipality.
In 2005, the Płock Synagogue Association was established, which brought together people of culture and entrepreneurs – people not related to politics. A group of social activists decided to purchase the building at 7 Kwiatka Street, renovate it and establish the Museum of Mazovian Jews. The association prepared a renovation project, obtained support from sponsors and funding from the European Union (7.7 million PLN out of the total investment cost of 9 million PLN).
Thanks to the commitment and work of Roman Góralski, Jerzy Janiak, Konrad Jaskóła, Hanna Witt-Paszta, Fr. prof. Ireneusz Mroczkowski, prof. Janusz Zieliński, prof. Bogdan Grzeloński, Zofia Celińska, Anna and Wiktor Bramski and Marek Mokrowiecki, on March 14, 2013, the Museum of Mazovian Jews began its activity (the museum is a department of the Mazovian Museum in Płock and its activities are financed from the funds of the City of Płock and the Self-Government of the Mazovian Voivodeship).
In this way, the dream of Izrael Gerszon Bursztyn – the chairman of the board of the Jewish Committee in Płock, who after World War II made unsuccessful attempts to turn the surviving building of the Great Synagogue (today nonexistent) into a monument-mausoleum, came true.
You can also read about the history of the synagogue at 7 Kwiatka Street here (link)
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 […]
