by tskzThis year will be the first time in the 16-year history of Łódź’s MEMORIAL DAYS when the celebrations of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day are not held at the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź. The 16th edition of the event is going to be hosted by the Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre in Łódź, which helped us to prepare art events making-up the four-day programme of the celebrations, as well as the Special Educational Package for children and youth.
The decision to change the venue was not ours. The hitherto co-hosts of the DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE, i.e. the Stefan Jaracz Theatre and the Marshal’s Office in Łódź, have decided to withdraw from further co-operation on the event. The Theatre’s management cited the current situation in the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the reason for this decision. Director Paweł Łysak clearly made the Theatre’s participation in the DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE this year conditional on the incorporation of events that would constitute ‘an expression of support for Palestine’ into the agenda. As an organisation bringing together Polish Jews, a community in which almost everyone lost family members during the Holocaust, we could not agree to linking the commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day with contemporary political conflicts. The memory of the six million murdered Jews is not only part of our identity, but also a moral obligation towards future generations. Nowadays, this day, established by the United Nations on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, has a clearly defined meaning, significance and date: 27 January.
It is far from the truth that Paweł Łysak, Director of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre, had no say about the agenda of this year’s DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE. As a matter of fact, due to his uncompromising stance, continuing discussions regarding the format of the 16th edition of the event turned out to be impossible.
For fifteen years, successive directors of the Stefan Jaracz Theatre fully understood the idea, significance and responsibility associated with the DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE, and actively participated in the preparation of the event’s programme. This was demonstrated by numerous productions and co-productions by the Theatre, which premiered during previous editions of the DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE. We worked together to preserve the memory of the victims of the Shoah and to remind people of the role of the Jewish community in shaping Polish cultural heritage. Thus, we were saddened to hear about the decision to terminate such long-standing cooperation.
We would nonetheless like to thank the Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre in Łódź for its readiness to help organise this year’s events, and for understanding the significance and unique idea of the DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE. We would also like to express our gratitude to the authorities of the City of Łódź for their support, which made it possible to hold the 16th edition of the DAYS in a new space.
We would like to invite you to take part in this year’s celebrations and join us in paying tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.
THE AGENDA OF THE 16TH EDITION OF THE DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE:
Saturday, 24 January 2026
19:00 – How to be (Un)loved. The Story of Irena Tuwim – a stage reading by actors based on Blanka Konopka’s script. The Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre in Łódź
Sunday, 25 January 2026
18:00 – The Corn Princess – a one-actor play by Katarzyna Tarkowska – Żogała based on Mira Krum-Ledowska’s memoirs. The Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre in Łódź
Monday, 26 January 2026
18:00 – THE CLOSING GALA OF THE 16TH EDITION OF THE DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE – The Melodies of Generation| Di melodjes fun dojres | די מעלאָדיעס פֿון דורות – a concert by Katarzyna Dąbrowska, Olivia Ohl-Szulik , Jakub Szydłowski and Tomasz Bielski Jazz Orchestra. The Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre in Łódź
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
12:00 noon – The laying of flowers at the Radegast Station. Aleja Pamięci Ofiar Litzmannstadt Getto 12
6:00 PM – An event promoting an exhibition: We Are Firmly Rooted in Łódź |Exhibition hosts: Patrycja Dołowy and Michał Adamiak. The Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre in Łódź
THE SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL PACKAGE:
21 January, the Museum of Independence Traditions, the Radegast Station
How the Past Echoes in the Present – On Anti-Semitism and Exclusion
- Workshops for schoolchildren aged 14 +, facilitated by Museum Educators. The Museum of Independence Traditions, the Radegast Station, 10.00 AM
26 January, the Museum of Independence Traditions, the Radegast Station
How the Past Echoes in the Present – On Anti-Semitism and Exclusion
- Workshops for schoolchildren aged 14 and above, facilitated by Museum Educators. The Museum of Independence Traditions, the Radegast Station, 10.00 AM
21 January, The Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum in Łódź
THE ARTISTRY – Jewish art and culture as exemplified by the collections housed in the Museum
- Workshops for 5th and 6th grade primary school pupils, facilitated by Museum Educators. The Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum in Łódź, 11.30 AM
22 January, the Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre
How Stereotypes Rule the World and Why we Must Strip Them of Power
Workshops for 7th and 8th primary school pupils, facilitated by Museum Educators. The Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum in Łódź, 10.00 AM
23 January, the Museum of the City of Łódź
- Workshops for senior primary school pupils, and secondary school students, which have been inspired by the exhibitions: In the Common Yard, Karski – Margolis – Edelman. The Poznanski Palace in Łódź, 11:00 AM and 12:30 AM
26 January, the Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre in Łódź
- THE DREAM TREASURE. JEWISH STORIES – A musical show with narrative elements, for children aged 5-9. Featuring Ewelina Jarnutowska and Marta Maślanka. The Small Stage of the Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre in Łódź, 12:00 noon.
THE SUPPORTING EVENTS:
20 January, the Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre
The screening of The Asylum – The film has been recommended by Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Łódź, as a valuable educational resource for young people. The Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre in Łódź
1:00 PM -4:00 PM
NB !!! To register for the film screening, please send an e-mail to: a.kwiatkowska@centrumdialogu.com
All events held as part of the Package are available free of charge.
———————————————————————
For more detailed information on the workshops, and to sign in, please call +48 733 739 966 or send an e-mail to: workshop.dnipamieci@gmail.com
