Out of 51 photos presented for the competition, the jury chose 26 pictures for the exhibition. The official opening of the exhibition prepared by Mr. Daniel Nalepka took place on September 10, 2022, right after the awards were presented to the winners. You can read more about it here: https://brzesko-briegel.pl/en/2022/09/18/brzesko-bond-of-memory-2022-2/
Here are the photos chosen for the exhibition:
Category I, high school youth:
Gabriela Adamczyk “Matzeva”.
Tombstone of Shlomo Baruch Epstein, who died on December 20, 1919.
He passed away at the age of 22
On the third day of Hanukkah 5680
Shlomo Baruch, son of Mr.
Yitzhak Zeev Epstein
May his soul be bound in the bundle of life
Natalia Baniak “Crumbs of memory”
World War I quarters within the Brzesko Jewish cemetery with 21 graves of Jewish soldiers and officers of the Austro-Hungarian army murdered in 1914-1915 around Brzesko.
Daria Dobosz “Crumbs of memory”
Tombstone of Moshe Koenigsbuch, who died on March 4, 1891
Mr. Moshe, son of Mr. Jakob
Passed away on the 24th day of the month of Adar 5651
May his soul be bound in the bundle of life
Nina Dubiel “Peaceful”
Tombstone of Israel Gelberger who died on October 6, 1886
His deeds were righteous
He made a living from the work of his hands
The memory of him will be passed from generation to generation
All too soon he was taken to the heavenly heights
Our teacher Israel Yehuda Leib
Son of Mr Yosef. Died on the 7th day of the month of Tishrei in the year 5647.
May his soul be bound in the bundle of life.
Michal Fuks “We Remember”
World War I cemetery number 275 within the Brzesko Jewish cemetery. The names of 6 among the 21 Jewish soldiers buried here remain unknown.
Oliwia Gajda “Doors of the Past”.
Talmud Torah building on Dluga Street in Brzesko. Talmud Torah is a religious elementary school maintained by the Jewish community for the poorest children.
Sabina Gawik “Unforgotten”.
Matzeva of Alter Moshe Blonder, son of Pinkas, who died on April 29, 1916.
He passed away in good name in the year 5677….
Amelia Guzik “Crumbs of Memory”
Tombstones of Yosef Asher Epstein, who died on April 12, 1903, and Yitzhak Abraham Langer, who died on February 3, 1903.
The sons will lament for him who died before his time
From the fruits of his palms he enjoyed until his end
The bitterness of death has suddenly passed and his candle has gone out
G-d has redeemed him and he has gone to his rest place….
His wife and sons will mourn him….
Righteous man returned to his home in his old age
He died at the age of 74
Mr. Yitzhak Abraham, son of Shlomo
Died on the 6th day of the month of Shevat 5663
The son of Yosef Asher Epstein married the daughter of Yitzhak Abraham Langer. Their three Brzesko-born great-grandchildren now live in the USA: Yosef (1924), Solomon (1931) and Chaim (1934)
Aleksandra Jarosz “In the footsteps of memory”
The monument erected in 1947 by surviving Bresko Jews Abraham Grunberger and Samuel Brandsdorfer commemorates 200 Jews murdered in Bresko on June 18, 1942.
“God will avenge their blood…”
Maria Klecka “Faded Memories”
World War I war cemetery number 275 within the Brzesko Jewish cemetery t. The central monument is a concrete matzeva with the star of David and two smaller matzevot on the sides.
Julia Kraj “Hebrew Reflection”
Tombstone of Jakob Tzvi Reifen, who died on June 24, 1934
Crown of good name…
In the path of the Torah he walked all his days
He observed G-d’s commandments
God-fearing man, he walked the path of the tzaddikim
Jakob Tzvi, son of Meir
He lived to old age, died on the 11th day of the month of Tamuz (5)694
May his soul be bound in the bundle of life
Julia Ogorzelec “Burial”
Matzeva of Yehuda Leib, son of Yitzhak, who died on August 31, 1912 – the 18th day of the month of Elul 5672.
Justyna Olchawa “Support”.
Matzevot of Abraham Aba Spira, son of Avigdor Halevi, who died on June 22, 1928, and Aharon Tzvi Mingelgrin, son of Yehuda Leib, who died on June 6, 1927.
Here rests
A sinless and honest man
He walked in straight paths
He observed God’s commandments….
Oliwia Nieć “Unforgettable”
Tombstone of Josef Kohs, son of Yehuda Leib from Wisnicz, who died on April 14, 1886.
Often found on Bresko tombstones, the lion reliefs symbolize the power and strong faith of the deceased, while the trees refer to the Tree of Life.
Wiktoria Swierczek “Together for Eternity”
Most of the tombstones in the Bresko Jewish cemetery are made of sandstone, which delaminates over the years. The upper layers, in which inscriptions were carved, often fall off, making it impossible to identify the grave. All that remains is memory.
Maximilian Walczak. Untitled
Visible in the center of this photo is the gravestone of the Dov Landau, great-grandfather of the Brzesko Holocaust survivor Dov Landau, who was born a year after his great-grandfather’s death, in 1928, and was named after him.
Mourning shrouded our community
A wise man has been taken from us
A pure, innocent and impeccable soul….
He dedicated his years to Torah and prayer….
The fear of G-d was planted in his heart
He will command the heavens that good will come upon us…
Kinga Wawrzeń “Jewish House”
Talmud Torah building on Dluga Street. There is virtually nothing left of the former Jewish religious school.
Category II, adults:
Artur Banach “Memory”
Tombstone of Asher Ansel, son of Tzvi, who died on February 22, 1850. On Brest tombstones from before the mid-19th century, the name of the deceased is never mentioned.
The yoke of days…
Asher Anshel, son of Tzvi
Passed away on the 10th of Adar 5610
May his soul be bound in the bundle of life
Pawel Dudek “Shadows of memory”
The main alley in the Brzesko Jewish cemetery leading from the entrance gate to the ohels – small buildings shielding the tombstones of prominent rabbis from the Lipschitz and Templer families.
Emilia Gawęda “In winter robe”.
The tombstones in this photo are located near the burial site of the Brzesko rabbis and belong to people who enjoyed special respect among Bresko Jews.
Krzysztof Madej “Buried here”.
In the foreground there is the tombstone of Yuta, daughter of Menachem Tzvi Hakohen, who died on August 4, 1881. The rich symbolism of this matzeva testifies to the position of the deceased in the Bresko Jewish community. “The crown of a good name” and the lions supporting it symbolize piety, integrity and marital fidelity.
Klaudia Okas “Memories”
Dark green vines of ivy shroud the tombstones and trees. Only memories remain.
Ireneusz Węglowski “Tree of life”.
Tombstone of Alter Yechiel Schindler, son of Ephraim, who died on November 9, 1910 at the age of 76. Before the war, there were no trees in the new Jewish cemetery in Brzesko, they all grew over the past 80 years. After a few decades, some trees began to “embrace” the matzevot.
Elzbieta Zachara “Following the traces”
The door of a tenement house on Glowacki Street with a trace of a mezuzah. A mezuzah is a piece of parchment with a fragment of the Torah, placed in a container on the outer right frame of the door. The family of the Bresko iron goods merchant Naftali Schiff lived in this tenement before the war.
Justyna Machaj “Mezuzah”
Trace of a mezuzah on a building on Chopina Street. Mezuzahs are hung on the doors of all Jewish apartments. Each contains the same quote from Deuteronomy, beginning with the words: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, God is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength…”
Wojciech Domagała. Untitled
Tombstone of Sarah Sheva Tannenbaum, widow of Moses Hersch Tannenbaum, daughter of Menachem Manel and Chana Rosenbaum, who died on January 1, 1905 at the age of 86
Comments on the photos by Anna Brzyska © 2022