It is a journey covering nearly four centuries, culminating with the tragedy of the Holocaust that saw the near-total annihilation of the city's Jewish inhabitants. During our discussion with Tomasz Kuncewicz, the director of the Auschwitz Jewish Centre Foundation and head of the Auschwitz Jewish Museum, we explored the pre-war Jewish residents' use of the term Oshpitzin to refer to their place of residence.
The history of the Jewish community in Oświęcim dates back to the second half of the XVII century. Their heritage is commemorated by the Jewish Museum in the heart of the city, near Oświęcim's Old Town. Why that particular location?
Our institution is located at Fr. Jan Skarbek Square, between Oświęcim's market square and the Piast Castle. It houses the Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue (Eng: The Society for the Study of Mishnah). It is a unique trace of our city's Jewish past - the only surviving Jewish temple of pre-war Oświęcim. The synagogue was put into use in 1918. During the II World War, it was converted into a German ammunition depot, and during the communist era, it was, among other things, a carpet warehouse. Following the fall of communism, it was only handed over to the Jewish Community in Bielsko-Biala, which subsequently donated it to our foundation. We carried out a comprehensive renovation of the synagogue and restored its religious function.
Nevertheless, before the Second World War, the city had as many as 20 synagogues and prayer houses. It is not unfounded. Given that half the population was Jewish.
Yes, just before the outbreak of the Second World War, there was an exceptionally thriving Jewish community in Oświęcim. Some 8,000 people, over half the population, were Jewish residents of the town. We commemorate the four centuries during which they co-created the history of Oświęcim. After all, they were irreversibly affected by the Holocaust. A few kilometres from where the Jewish Museum is located today operates the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. Jewish inhabitants of Oświęcim were also sent to the camp. After the war, a handful of people returned to the town, less than 180 of its Jewish inhabitants. Until the mid-1960s, a few families lived in the city but eventually left Oświęcim.
Save for one person who went to Sweden and then returned. It was Szymon Kluger.
Yes, Szymon lived in the house at the back of the synagogue. Upon his death in 2000, the house was left empty and deteriorating. Several years ago, with the support of donors worldwide, we carried out a comprehensive renovation of the building and created Café Bergson in it - a place for meetings and education about the multicultural past of the town on the Soła River. This complements activities we undertake at the headquarters of the Jewish Museum located in the synagogue building and the restored pre-war Korreicher and Dattner house. History education is a fundamental element of our activities. We strive to present a complete picture of Oświęcim's past and the municipality, whose rich history after the war was somewhat blanketed by the history of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp.
Many locations on the map of Oświęcim are linked to the Jewish community. One of them is the square that once housed the Great Synagogue, the city's largest synagogue, which was set ablaze and then demolished by the German occupiers on the night of 29-30 November 1939.
That's right. After the war, the temple was not rebuilt, and the site was left empty as a testimony to the events of the war. Over the years, the area formerly occupied by the synagogue has become overgrown with trees and bushes. Nearly 80 years after the synagogue's destruction, we decided to create a park of remembrance and reflection
LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY
OF LOCAL JEWISH COMMUNITIES
IS A GOOD STARTING POINT FOR UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY
OF THE HOLOCAUST
The Auschwitz Jewish Museum lies a few kilometres away from the Auschwitz Memorial. For over two decades, the institution has been caring for the centuries-old heritage of the local Jewish community and organising numerous ambitious educational programmes. It also offers the opportunity to visit the town's only preserved synagogue, the Jewish cemetery, the memorial park or the interactive exhibition entitled "Oshpitzin. A History of Jewish Oświęcim".
Tomasz Kobylański