Landowner Wants Polish Town To Remove Monument To Murdered Jews
WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — A monument commemorating Jews murdered in a small town in southern Poland during World War II may be removed.
The owner of the land on which the memorial is standing has asked the local government of Chrzanow to remove the monument. It is believed that he wants to sell or lease the land.
In 1942, the Germans murdered seven Jews at the site in Chrzanow as punishment for illegal bread baking. The victims were: Israel Gerstner, Chaim Gerstner, Szymszen Gerstner, Szaja Szpangelet, Fajwel Waloman, Israel Frisz and unknown man from Olkusz.
The mayor of the town informed the Jewish community in nearby Katowice about the request to remove the monument. Members of the Chrzanow town council are now discussing how to commemorate the murders should the monument ultimately be removed, including asking whoever builds on the land to put a memorial plaque on the building which arises in place of the monument.
“Poles also have their memorial places abroad and are fighting for them like lions. Therefore, we should respect such places in our area. People who died there were also Polish people,” said town councilman Kamil Bogusz in an interview with the newspaper Przełom.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30