Plock Is Selling Its Synagogue

 

By Gosia Zglinska

 


The last/lost Beth Midrash (Synagogue and House of Learning) in Plock and all the Mazowsza region

 

The Municipal Council of Plock has decided to auction off its historic synagogue, one of the oldest in Mazowsze. This decision means rejecting a former plan to host an art gallery and a small museum of Plock’s Jews in the building, which was bought a few years ago from the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland.

 

The synagogue was erected in 1822. In 1950 the buiding was taken over by the state and in 1997 ownership of the property was granted to the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland, which a year later relinquished its rights to the building in return for 224,000 zloties. The sale agreement stated that the synagogue was not to be used as a church, nor turned into a bath, tannery or public convenience. Further conditions prohibited using the building for purposes of  “indecent entertainment”, especially any involving nudity, sex or dance.

 

The former Municipal Council decided to hand over the synagogue to the Municipal Art Gallery, however the present Mayor of  Plock, Miroslaw Milewski of PiS, rejected this project. In his view, Plock cannot afford to invest in a new gallery : “We do not want the synagogue to remain vacant, hence the idea to sell it” –Deputy Mayor, Tomasz Kulczynski, told journalists. The Municipal Gallery will be housed elsewhere.

 

On Tuesday 27th January the Municipal Council of Plock voted in favour of auctioning the synagogue. The opposition lost by only one vote. One of its representatives, Wojciech Hetkowski, said that the synagogue should remain public property in order to prove that the inhabitants of Plock are not anti-Semites.

 

 

My Appeal

 

The Mayor of Plock,

Mr. Miroslaw Milewski,

Plock

POLAND                                                                    Tel Aviv, 10 February 2004

                                                                       

 

 

Dear Mr Milewski,

 

Re.: Sale of the Plock Synagogue

 

I am writing to you on behalf of the Israeli and American branches of the Plock Landsmanschaft and of all those former Jewish inhabitants of Plock who now live scattered all over the world. We are the remnants of one of Poland's ancient Jewish Communities, 10,000 innocent souls, who were brutally murdered by the Germans in WWII.

 

We have heard the news that the old synagogue in Plock is about to be sold and we are most concerned at its possible fate.

 

As you are no doubt aware, very little of Plock's Jewish past survived the war and since then much of even that has been irretrievably lost.  In the 1950's the Great Synagogue was demolished, as was the memorial monument of Eng. Benjamin Perlemuter.  The tombstones from the Jewish cemetery have simply vanished into thin air and much else has been lost forever.

 

In view of this, it is all the more important that what remains should not only be looked after and protected, but wherever possible put to good use.

 

Poland is now entering a new era - one, we hope, in which Poles will at long last have free access to their unique history and traditions.  Poland's past is inextricably entwined with that of its Jewish population and it would be a distortion of Polish history and culture to allow all trace of the Jewish presence on Polish territory to be forever effaced.

 

We understand that there were initially plans to convert the synagogue into a Jewish Museum.  We consider this an excellent idea that would not only gladden the hearts of Jews throughout the world, but also provide Plock with an institution that would attract visitors from every country in Europe and beyond.  Not only would this be of great economic benfit to Plock, it would also represent an important educational facility for the new generation of Polish youth which, we understand, is beginning to display a keen interest in the important contribution that Polish Jews have made to Polish history and culture throughout the centuries.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Ada Holtzman

www.zchor.org

ada001 "at" netvision.net.il

ada "at" zchor.org

10/5 Korazim St.

Newe Sharet – Tel Aviv 69185

ISRAEL

 

 

The Reply

By Mr. Tomasz Kolczynski, Vice Mayor of Plock "City of Opportunity"...

 March 8th, 2004 (Received 23 April 2004)

 

Click to enlarge

 

Page 1

Page 2

Appendix page 1

Appendix page 2

 

 

 

Jan Przedpełski: the Plock Synagogue...

 

List w sprawie płockiej bożnicy  by Jan Przedpełski  29.2.2004

 

Jan Przedpełski 29-02-2004, ostatnia aktualizacja 29-02-2004 15:36

Kto ponosi odpowiedzialność za tragiczny los płockiej bożnicy? Czytałem wypowiedzi pana Zygmunta Szamela i pani Ady Holtzman w sprawie płockiej bożnicy opublikowane w "Gazecie Wyborczej Mazowsze". Całkowicie zgadzam się z tym, co piszą autorzy. 

 

Jak wiadomo od 1992 r. budynek bożnicy płockiej jest nieużytkowany. Obiekt ten niszczeje i obecnie znajduje się w stanie godnym pożałowania. Jak tak dalej będzie, to zabytkowy ten budynek podzieli los rozebranej w 1951 r. starej, wielkiej synagogi.

W latach 1992-1997 władze miasta Płocka nie uczyniły nic, aby uratować zabytkowy obiekt od całkowitej ruiny.

Na podstawie ustawy z dnia 20 lutego 1997 r. o stosunku państwa do gmin wyznaniowych żydowskich w RP bożnica płocka została przekazana na własność Zarządowi Głównemu Związku Gmin Wyznaniowych Żydowskich w RP. Władze Związku Gmin Wyznaniowych Żydowskich po przejęciu na własność bożnicy odsprzedały ten obiekt władzom miejskim w Płocku.

Władze Związku Gmin Wyznaniowych Żydowskich doskonale sobie zdawały sprawę z tego, że sprzedają dawny dom modlitwy dla Żydów. Pieniądze zainkasowali za bożnicę i dalsze losy dawnego domu modlitwy już nikogo nie interesują. Jestem przekonany, że Związkiem Gmin Wyznaniowych Żydowskich kierują ludzie religijni.

Pragną zwrócić uwagę, że w wielu miastach polskich jak np. Oświęcimiu, Tykocinie, Poznaniu, Wrocławiu etc. etc., pięknie odrestaurowano dawne bożnice, przeznaczając je na domy modlitwy lub obiekty muzealne.

Wiem jaka będzie odpowiedź władz gminy żydowskiej i Urzędu m. Płocka na to, co piszę. Odpowiedź będzie taka: w Płocku nie ma już Żydów i brakuje pieniędzy na remont zabytków. To prawda, że w Płocku nie ma Żydów, ale każdego roku przyjeżdżają tu Żydzi płoccy z różnych krajów. O tym, że w Polsce na wszystko brak pieniędzy to "stara piosenka", którą słyszę od wielu lat. Po dokonaniu remontu budynek powinien być przeznaczony na pomieszczenie muzealne jak np. galeria obrazów, w której powinno znaleźć się miejsce na judaiki. W przyszłości na murze bożnicy można umieścić tablicę pamiątkową.

Decyzja radnych miejskich w Płocku o sprzedaży dawnej bożnicy prywatnemu użytkownikowi została wydana pospiesznie i jest niewłaściwa.

Jako rodowity płocczanin, historyk Żydów, stanowczo apeluję do radnych o cofnięcie tej szkodliwej i złej decyzji.

 

 

Jan Przedpełski 29-02-2004,

 

The Plock Synagogue

Translated by Edyta Gawron

 

Who is responsible for the tragic lot of Plock synagogue? I have read the letters of Zygmunt Szamel and Ada Holtzman regarding the Plock synagogue, published in  "Gazeta Wyborcza Mazowsze". I absolutely agree with what the authors have written. 

 

As it’s well known  the building  of  Plock synagogue hasn’t been used since 1992. It has decayed and now it’s in lamentable state. If it’s going to be like that - this  historical building  will share the lot of the old, great  synagogue, which was demolished in 1951.

 

In the years 1992-1997 the local government of  the city of  Płock has done nothing to save the historical  building and prevent it  from total ruin.

 

According to the law of  the February 20th 1997 considering  the relation between the State and the Jewish religious congregations in Poland the synagogue of Plock was handed down to the Authorities of Union of  Jewish Religious Congregations in Poland. The Authorities of  Union of  Jewish Religious Congregations, right after receiving the property, sold the building to the local government of Plock

 

The Authorities of Union of Jewish Religious Congregations have surely realized that they were selling the old Jewish prayer’s house. The money for the synagogue was collected and   nobody is interested in the future of that prayer’s house. I am sure, that the people who lead the Union of Jewish Religious Congregations are religious ones.

 

I would like to draw the attention to the fact, that in many Polish cities, like for example Oswiecim, Tykocin, Poznan, Wroclaw etc.; old synagogues have been beautifully renovated and assigned for the prayer’s houses or museums.

 

I already know the answer of the Jewish Community and City of Plock’s authorities for what I have written. The answer will be like this: There are no Jews in Plock any more and there is not enough money for the monuments’ renovation... It’s true that, there aren’t any Jews in Plock, but every year the Plock Jews from all around the world come there.  I have heard for many years the same "old song", that there is no money for anything in Poland.  After the renovation the building should be assigned  for the museum, for example art gallery, where the Judaica will be shown too. In the future the commemorating room could be founded inside the synagogue’s walls.

 

The decision of the local Council members in Plock of selling the former synagogue’s building to the private user was made in a hurry and it’s the wrong one.

 

As the native Plock inhabitant, the historian of the Jews of Plock, I appeal  to the local Council members  to countermand that harmful and bad decision.

 

 

 

Links:

 

The Letter in Plock Gazeta.pl

 

The Letter in the Forum (English)

 

Płocka synagoga

 

Co dalej z synagogą? - komentarz Konstantego Geberta           (Midrasz – îãøù)

 

Forum

 

Poland's Jewish Heritage Under Attack

 

We Remember Jewish Inowlodz

 

äøöçú åâí éøùú?

 

“Have You Killed and Also Taken Possession” (English)

 

Heritage

 

 

 

A Vote on the Internet
17.2.2004
 
Could you please all (and whoever you can quickly recruit for the CAUSE) vote in favour of the Museum
- scroll down the page (link below) and select the first button (next to "muzeum Żydów mazowieckich")- then click 
on the box that says: glosuj
 
http://miasta.gazeta.pl/plock/8,35683,1876896.html

 

 

What Will Remain from the Remains...???

 

The grand synagogue of Plock before its destruction in the 1950s. Source: Liber Taub

 

 

Plock Beth Midrash - the Spirit & Tradition

 

The Small Beth Midrash

By Israel Zilberberg

Yiddish

From the Yizkor Book: PLOTZK (PLOCK) A HISTORY OF AN ANCIENT JEWISH COMMUNITY IN POLAND, Eliyahu Eisenberg, Tel Aviv 1967

Pages 258-259

 

 

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Last updated  April 23rd, 2004