Association
Memory and Dialogue. Common History.

In the previous article I wrote about people from the Dębno municipality who helped Jews hiding from the German invaders during the Second World War. Two people were missing on that list – Jan Wojciech and Maria Flądro. This was not a mistake, but a deliberate action, as this couple deserves special attention as they […]

While researching the history of Dębno commune in the period  of 1939-1945, one may come across various references or memories concerning help provided by local residents to Jews who were hiding in the area. At the outset, it should be noted that before the outbreak of the war, the Israelites were an indispensable part of […]

Originally from the Lviv area, Bazyli Łoza (1879-1939) and Stefania Duda (1890-1987) lived in Brzesko for most of their lives; it was here that they raised their six children. Bazyli died in the first days of the war, on September 6, 1939. His widow Stefania and three children who were living in Brzesko at the […]

Jan Wiktor Brzeski was born in Brzesko on July 17, 1909. His father, Jan Władysław Brzeski, was not only a doctor, but also the mayor of Brzesko and a prominent social activist. His son also became a doctor. During the Second World War the Germans arrested and imprisoned Jan Władysław Brzeski in Tarnów, Kraków and […]

Stefan Łaszkiewicz (January 22, 1891 – November 1, 1963) and Maria Jadwiga Łaszkiewicz nee Wręga (November 21, 1900 – March 30, 1978) lived in Borzęcin. Stefan was a reaiway station worker and Maria was a teacher. During the second world war they were hiding for over 2 years Miriam Redner together with son Ryszard. From […]

By Lucjan Kołodziejski Emilia Piękosz Hynek passed away on February 18, 2019. She was the last of the seven Righteous of Borzecin to bear such an honorable title. About ten years ago, I interviewed her about the help her mother provided to a Jewish family hiding in their house during the war. Their entire family […]

Rachel (Rozalia) Schrank (later Anna Bratko, 1922-1995) was born in Borzecin as the daughter of Szymon Schrank and Erna née Sattler. She had an older sister Bluma (1917-2008) and a younger brother Maks (Marian,1925-1942). Her father Szymon died in a hospital in Tarnow in 1936 at the age of 48; her mother Erna (born in […]

This small article dedicated to the beginning of Jewish settlement in Brzesko, was written on the basis of  2 sources: (1) the book “Brzesko. The History of the Town and the Region” (in Polish, “Brzesko. Dzieje miasta i regionu”), a collective study edited by F. Kiryk and Jan Lach, Brzesko, 2006 and (2) “Metryka Józefińska” […]

Some time ago, Mrs Marilyn Fish contacted our Association. Her great-grandparents, Jonas and Chawa Bluma Vogelhut, lived in Brzesko, but several of their children emigrated to the USA in the 1920s avoiding death in the Shoah. Several days of intensive communication with Marilyn and genealogical research allowed to recreate at least part of the history […]

In 2022, as in previous years, we regularly took care of the Brzesko new Jewish cemetery. From the beginning of May to the end of October, we organized cleaning the cemetery 6 different times. These events were attended by many people: teachers and students from three Brzesko schools took (all together oved 120 people from […]