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Leokadia near Łaskarzew – May 27, 2014

In the town of Łaskarzew, the Lasting Memory Foundation in cooperation with the locals erected memorial stones over the burial places of the Jews murdered by the Germans at World War II. During the unveiling ceremony, the residents, clergy, local authorities, students of nearby schools and other guests all together paid tribute to the dead as the act of opposing genocide.






Among the ceremony participants were the Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich, the town’s Parish Priest Edmund Szarek, the Mayor of Łaskarzew community Marian Janisiewicz, the Community Office Secretary, the Chief Officer of the District Fire Service, pupils of four local schools and a group of 15 people from Israel.
In the introductory speech, the Mayor stressed that the commemoration was an expression of the people’s concern for all generations to know the history of their homeland. “Like most victims of the German perpetrators – he continued – the dead resting in the commemorated graves had not been given a proper burial. I’m glad there are people with the resolution to pay homage to the murdered ones.”
The ceremony was conducted by Zbigniew Niziński, the Foundation’s president. As he emphasized, although the memory of the events 70 years ago is fading, it has been preserved in this place. The Jews buried there were the escapees from a camp in Wilga. Back in October 1943, they were walking through Leokadia with empty bowls, begging for food when they were captured by two Germans patrolling the area and shot to death soon afterwards. Zbigniew Niziński reminded that during the war the residents of Leokadia had rescued a Jew Srul Warszawer, called Zygmunt. Now they are saving the memory of the victims. The Rabbi and the Priest prayed together. Candles were lit and flowers laid near the memorial plaque. The students made a moving performance with poetry and music. Two girls from Israel performed a song, joining the Polish youth. Rabbi Michael Schudrich stressed that we always have a choice, either good or bad. In 1942, a Polish family Proczek, five people, were killed for having attempted to save Jews. Thank God, nowadays we are not forced to make choices as 70 years ago.
A guide of the Israeli group stated: “the victims buried in the graves are nameless. The group of people who have come here today live in Israel, but all have Polish roots and their families were also killed at war. It is the first time they attend such a ceremony. Who knows, their relatives might be buried here…” The anthems of Poland and Israel were sung upon his request.
The second part of the ceremony took place in a place of execution and burial of 9 Jews, located several hundred meters away. The guests listened to a testimony of an 87-year-old eyewitness: “These Jews were killed first, I saw it all happen. The Jews entered one of the houses to get warm and then were caught by the Germans who told them to lie face down and shot them in the heads. Soon after, another group of Jews were captured. 12 were shot to death and one managed to escape. A burial spot of a Jew, who in 1942 jumped out of a train heading to Treblinka death camp, was also marked with a memorial plaque. Train wheels had cut off his leg before the German military police patrol shot him to death and ordered the locals to bury his body.
The Foundation’s actions were supported by the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, individual donors and Leokadia residents.



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