82ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRISONERS' REVOLT AT TREBLINKA II EXTERMINATION CAMP
Jewish Historical Institute
During the celebrations organised in cooperation with the Treblinka Museum, we commemorated the victims of the Treblinka II extermination camp on the 82nd anniversary of the uprising of its prisoners. The ceremony was attended by top state officials, local government representatives, cultural organisations, members of the diplomatic corps, and Ada Willenberg, the widow of camp survivor Samuel Willenberg, who expressed her gratitude to the attendees. She highlighted the significance of Treblinka as her family's burial site. Her loved ones were murdered at this location. Samuel, her husband, also spent 10 months in this place.
Marek Zając, the secretary of the International Auschwitz Council, conducted the ceremony. Michał Trębacz, PhD, director of the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, stated:
"We meet here, as we do every year, to pay our respects to the victims of the Treblinka extermination camp- the nearly one million people murdered here—people whose memories, analogous to this place, were meant to be forgotten. Our presence and, most importantly, the enduring work of institutions and organisations dedicated to Holocaust history, serve as the strongest testament to the fact that this has not transpired.
Nevertheless, memory only exists if it is passed on. It is a process that must be sustained. During the 80 years that separate us from the events we commemorate today, this transmission of memory has encountered various obstacles. Overcoming them has often required sacrifices and concessions. [...]
Memory has endured, and the history of Treblinka continues to be rediscovered and documented. Evidence that it has not been forgotten can be seen in the various commemorations held, as well as during the monthly meetings of the Treblinka Remembrance Foundation, where testimonies from victims are read aloud. Additionally, the construction of the new museum building, featuring a Wall of Remembrance engraved with the names of some of the Jews murdered here, serves as a poignant reminder of this tragic history.
Our memory is alive. This obvious statement goes hand in hand with the need to nurture it. The very idea behind the monument, designed by Adam Haupt, Franciszek Duszeńko, and Franciszek Strynkiewicz, which we see around us, is a prime example of this. Nearly 10 years passed between the conception of the idea and its realisation in 1964. However, despite the passage of time, this solution still resonates – it evokes emotions, forces us to reflect, and confront emptiness. It is our duty to protect the memory it expresses. We must oppose attempts to relativise this history, not to prevent history from repeating itself, but out of respect for the families who were murdered here, out of respect for the witnesses and their stories. We must also understand that the Holocaust, and with it Treblinka, are part of our history – the history of Poland. They represent a shared experience and an obligation we all carry.
This history remains alive, becoming a subject of debate, dispute, and even abuse. All our efforts, both individual and institutional, must focus on ensuring that the history of Treblinka is not only remembered, but also, more importantly, not distorted. No one should attempt to forget the nationalities of the victims, the circumstances of their deaths in the camp, during transportation to the camp, at the railway station, or in their hometowns and cities. The German Nazi extermination camp, Treblinka, holds too much significance in the history of the Holocaust to allow it to become the subject of the current struggle between various politics of memory”.
An essential component of this year's commemorative events was the musical accompaniment, which included the performance of "Songs of the Treblinka Death Camp," alongside two religious and mystical pieces – Niguna and Ma'oz Tzur, rendered by Andrzej Ciepliński and Piotr Przedbory.
The following guests participated in the joint ecumenical prayer: the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich; the vicar of the Roman Catholic Parish in Prostyń, Krzysztof Nagórny; and the parish priest of the Evangelical-Reformed Parish in Warsaw, Michał Jabłoński.
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During the celebrations organised in collaboration with the Treblinka Museum – German Nazi extermination and labour camp (1941-1944), we commemorated the victims of the Treblinka II extermination camp on the 82nd anniversary of the revolt of its prisoners.