| Kępa – June 25, 2025 |
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The event was attended by Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich, Presidential Office representative Jakub Beczek, Bishop Mieczysław Cisło, Mayor of the Borzechów Commune Edward Jarzynka together with other members of the local government, representative of the Association of Children of the Holocaust, school delegations from Borzechów and Kłodnica Dolna, as well as local residents. The ceremony was led by the Foundation's president, Zbigniew Niziński. In 1942, the Germans ordered the Jews of Kępa to relocate to a ghetto. The last to be deported were Szajndla Mandel and her children — Moszek, Esta, and the youngest, Małka, who was about 6 years old. While being transported by wagon, just beyond the village, they were intercepted by five German gendarmes stationed at the manor house in Kłodnica Dolna. The soldiers forced the family off the cart, pushed them into a roadside pit and shot them. They then ordered the village head of Kępa to bury the victims in the same pit. Now, 83 years later, a wreath from the President of Poland, was laid at the site, and prayers were offered by both the Rabbi and the Bishop. Schoolchildren recited moving poems and songs, and resident of Kępa , an eyewitness to the murder, shared the story of the family's life and tragic death.
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In Kępa, the Lasting Memory Foundation commemorated the site where four Jews — a mother and her children — were executed and buried in November 1942. The Foundation identified their names and inscribed them on a memorial plaque. Local residents, students from nearby schools, local government officials and invited guests attended the unveiling ceremony.
