Szydlów, Działoszyce, and Chmielnik

From Kielce we went to Chmielnik, named after Bogdan Chmielniki (Bohdan Khmelnytsky), leader of the Cossacks against the Polish nobles and the Jews in the Chmielniki Rebellion of 1648, which remained the largest revolt against Jews (thousands upon thousands were murdered) in the east Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and Ukraine until the Holocaust. In 1945, only 33 Jews returned to Chmielnik after the Holocaust (from a pre-war population of several thousand). We went to the Chmielnik Cultural Center where we met with local Jewish-Christian dialogue leaders, and future director of the Świętokrzyski Sztetl project which plans to restore and reopen the town’s synagogue and turn it into a museum detailing Jewish life in Chmielnik. It is costing 11 million złoty to rebuild the synagogue, and while half is EU subsidized funding, the other half was raised by the town itself—a very generous gesture considering the size and poverty level of the town. In addition, everyone we met was incredibly friendly, from asking us to take a picture with them (usually it is the other way around) to providing us with delicious blueberry sweet breads and coffee.

Chmielnik Synagogue, under construction.

Zach and Shelby in front of the Chmielnik Synagogue.

From Chmielnik we made our way to the beautiful walled town of Szydlów and went in a small museum in the space of the old synagogue. It was a very quiet, picturesque town, with initial perceptions altered only when one learns of the deportations of the Jews and the fact that the town neglects to maintain its Jewish history or even mention it on the town website. The last stop of the day was the town of Działoszyce (pronounced Jaow-o-shits-eh). For years the synagogue site went untouched, overgrown with weeds and filled with trash and bottles from local parties. Today the synagogue has been (recently) preserved in its roofless state, the weeds have been removed, and white gravel now blankets the floor. Yet there is no explanation anywhere of what this site is or the lost community who once worshiped in there. Thus after our visit, Tomek and Maciek wrote to the mayor of Działoszyce mentioning the need to a have a sign in front of the synagogue, and offered (on behalf of the Auschwitz Jewish Center) to provide the wording.

Maciek in front of the walled town of Szydlów. Probably my favorite picture of him ;)

Recently cleaned-up synagogue in Działoszyce.

Looking into the former synagogue at  Działoszyce.

And as I realize how I have babbled (beginning with Kielce, as this was originally one massive entry), I will stop for now. Do jutra! (Until tomorrow!)