by tskzIt was exactly twenty years ago that the UN General Assembly proclaimed the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The celebration date is 27 January, which is of course no coincidence, as it was on this day 80 years ago that the Red Army opened the gates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. For us the year 2025 also marks an important anniversary, as fifteen years ago the Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland hosted the first edition of the Days of Remembrance i.e. the recurrent event held in Łódź to celebrate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The 15th Edition of the Days of Remembrance was co-hosted by TSKŻ, the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź and the Marshall’s Office in Łódź. In the period from 24 January to 27 January 2025, the hosts and partners of the jubilee edition organised a series of events such as lectures, concerts and meetings, which, just like in previous years, turned out to be immensely popular. For instance, all tickets for theatrical performances were distributed within only two hours after opening of the box office!
We decided to make our programme this year a call for remembrance, but also for life. This life may be different, full of twists and turns, but it is still a life to be cared for, and being the highest value. The world has entered a time of consecutive wars. We know this from history, and it is repeating itself in front of our eyes. The objectives of the main agenda of the event, as well as of our special education package, is to see a human being in each and every dimension. What we search for in life is dialogue and unity. This is something we would like to constantly remind everyone of. – stressed Artur Hofman, President of TSKŻ.
The celebrations of this year’s Days of Remembrance commenced on Friday, 24 January, with a concert by Izabela Szafrańska and her band. Before commencement of the show on the Grand Scene of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź, the audience were greeted by Małgorzata Kowalska, the acting Director of the Theatre, and then Klaudia Klimek, Vice-President of TSKŻ took the floor. The importance of remembrance was also emphasised by the Director of the Department of Culture at the Marshal’s Office in Łódź, Małgorzata Kania. Project coordinator Magdalena Majsterkiewicz also appeared on stage to formally open the 15th Edition of the Days of Remembrance. Izabela Szafrańska’s concert “The Jewish Street” highly impressed the audience, which rewarded the artists with a loud applause.
On Saturday, 25 January, Nobilis Theatre presented a play entitled “The Camp” on the Chamber Scene of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre. The play touches upon the theme of war and post-war trauma, which is very topical in the contemporary times. The drama tells the story of Luda, a girl who, during the Second World War, was incarcerated together with her mother Hanna, in the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. After the war, no one heard from Hanna, who left Birkenau on a death march, and Luda had to learn how to survive in the post-war world. She was helped in this by her substitute mother, Bogumiła. Unforeseen fates led to Hanna being found many years later, and Luda, later known as Lidia, found herself facing the dilemma: who is the real mother for her? This emotional story was presented by the wonderful actors: Agnelika Okroj, Agnieszka Babicz-Stasierowska and Piotr Lewicki.
The theatrical emotions had no end, as on the following day Łukasz Lewandowski appeared on stage in a one-man drama ‘The Story of Jacob’. The play directed by Aldona Figura, and based on a drama written by Tadeusz Słobodzianek, tells a story of a priest and philosopher who suddenly finds out that he is not really who he thought he actually was. The protagonist makes an uneasy attempt to discover his true identity. However, rediscovering one’s roots, having to define one’s faith, nationality and origins and, above all, logically combining all of this with one’s contemporary life, turns out to be both scary and funny.
The main event took place on 27 January at the Radegast Station, which used to serve as the starting point for deportations of Jews to death camps. Like every year, members of Jewish organisations along with representatives of regional, municipal and national authorities laid flowers in order to pay tribute to the victims of genocide. The ceremony was attended, among others, by the Deputy Voivode of Łódź, Marek Mazur, Head of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and Promotion of Poland at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Piotr Erenfeicht, Senator Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Deputy Marshal of the Łódź Voivodship Agnieszka Ryś and Deputy Mayor of Łódź, Adam Pustelnik. The Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland was represented by Ewa Prończuk, Secretary of TSKŻ Main Board and Jacek Młynarski, Member of TSKŻ Main Board. A prayer for all Holocaust victims was said by Dawid Szychowski, rabbi of the Łódź Jewish Community, and Father Piotr Kleszcz, auxiliary bishop of the Łódź archdiocese.
On the final evening, the Grand Scene of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź hosted a concert featuring world-famous stars: an actress and singer and New York Broadway star, Daniella Rabbani, and a pianist and Jewish music expert, Neal Brostoff. The American artists were accompanied by: Sebastian Wypych – double bass, Grzegorz Lalek – violin and Piotr Kopietz – bandoneon, as well as the artists representing the Łódź Sound Factory Youth Choir, including solo-singers such as Leon Mierzwiński, a student of Władysław Jagiełło Primary School in Stare Skoszewy, taught by Paulina Kubiak and Władek Fałek of the Stanisław Moniuszko Music Schools in Łódź, taught by Beata Kurman.
Let us remember that both in the camps and in the ghettos, there was life beyond death. People were creating art, loving each other. Today we are going to listen to songs which were composed in the camps and ghettos – said Jacek Młynarski, Member of TSKŻ Board to the guests.
We will keep on reminding that those who have sacrificed their lives or had their psyches broken were often children, young people who had their dreams, their desires and their lives – added Małgorzata Kowalska, the acting Director of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź.
The stage resounded with Jewish melodies, both those fairly unknown and the ones more popular, combining lively sounds with the melancholic sounds of Yiddish-language songs. Ms Rabbani, who is famous not only for her excellent cinema roles, but also for her performances on the stage of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, simply enchanted the audience of Łódź. The Final Gala was attended by representatives of the Municipality of Łódź, the Marshall’s Office in Łódź, diplomats and members of state authorities.
In the premises of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź an original exhibition titled “WHAT KIND OF REMEMBRANCE? If not me for myself – then for whom? If I only for myself – then who am I?” was displayed. The exhibition consisted of a series of sculptures devoted to the theme of memory. The synthesis of memory contained in the sculptures that make up the series comes from several sources: from Tatiana Nowak’s (i.e. the author’s) own life as seen from the perspective of a mature person, and from the stories of her grandparents and parents, which she listened to for years and then, over the years, set them in the context of history. Another important source of studies over the history of human beings and humankind is theology, and most of all, the broadly defined, Judaic religious thought. The finissage of the exhibition, which took place on Saturday, 26 January, was attended by Rabbi Dawid Szychowski, who, at the sculptress’s request, presented the sounds of shofars, which were part of presented sculptures.
The Days of Remembrance also had their educational component, which included a series of workshops co-hosted by the Museum of the City of Łódź, the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in Łódź, the Museum of the Independence Traditions and the Warsaw Ghetto Museum. Several hundred primary and secondary school students took part in workshops promoting Jewish history and culture. Particularly noteworthy was the Moor-is Foundation’s musical show ‘On the trails of a Yiddish squirrel’, which was presented on the Chamber Scene of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź. The show with storytelling components based on the book ‘Diary of a Squirrel’ by Sonia Kantor was warmly received by the youngest spectators. The Educational Package of the Days of Remembrance also included staging of the drama entitled ‘The Camp’ on the Theatre’s Grand Scene.
We would like to express our gratitude to all co-hosts and partners, as well as to all members of staff of museums and the Stefan Jaracz Theatre whose support was simply indispensable in the course of the 15th Edition of the Days of Remembrance!
Hosts of the Event:
Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland
Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź
Co-hosts:
Museum of the Independence Traditions
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography in Łódź
Warsaw Ghetto Museum
Strategic Partner:
Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland
Partners:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Jewish Historical Institute
Meritum Foundation
Museum of the City of Łódź
Dialogue Centre in Łódź
Museum of Polish Children– Victims of Totalitarianism
“Łódź Sound Factory” Youth Choir
- Moniuszko Music Schools in Łódź
Jewish Music Foundation
Best Art Concept – Sebastian Wypych
Association of the Children of the Holocaust in Poland
Second Generation Association
Association of Jewish Veterans and Victims of World War II
Media Patronage:
Dos Jidisze Wort
The 15th Edition of the Days of Remembrance was held under the honorary patronage of the Mayor of Łódź, Hanna Zdanowska, and the Marshal of the Łódź Voivodeship, Joanna Skrzydlewska. The project was made possible thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Interior and Administration.
Photographs by Marcin Nowak
