The “Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre in Lublin is a local government cultural institution. It works towards the preservation of cultural heritage and education. Its function is tied to the symbolic and historical meaning of the Centre’s location in the Grodzka Gate, which used to divide Lublin into its respective Christian and Jewish quarters, as well as to Lublin as a meeting place of cultures, traditions and religions.

Part of the Centre are the House of Words and the Lublin Underground Trail.

The “Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre in Lublin is a local government cultural institution. It works towards the preservation of cultural heritage and education. Its function is tied to the symbolic and historical meaning of the Centre’s location in the Grodzka Gate, which used to divide Lublin into its respective Christian and Jewish quarters, as well as to Lublin as a meeting place of cultures, traditions and religions.

Part of the Centre are the House of Words and the Lublin Underground Trail.

Henio Żytomirski – A Story of One Life

The story of a Jewish boy from Lublin which ended in Majdanek Nazi concentration camp in 1942.

Henio Żytomirski – A Story of One Life

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The photograph was taken on 5 July 1939. The boy stands at the steps of a building. The background indicates the place where the picture was taken. The pre-war address was: 64 Krakowskie Przedmieście Street.

The boy stopped for a moment, perhaps during a walk. He was to start school on 1 September 1939. This is his story – a story of a Jewish boy from Lublin, which ended in Majdanek concentration camp in 1942.

Henio ŻytomirskiDirect link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

Henio was born in 1933 in Lublin. He lived with his parents Szmuel and Sara Żytomirski in a house at 3 Szewska Street. A dozen or so of his photos survived from the period prior to World War II. They show the boy at various occasions: embraced by his father, with his mother in Litewski Square, with his grandfather in Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, at a birthday party, or at the farewell to his uncle Leon leaving for Palestine in 1937.

The fate of Henio during the war is not known in detail. Without doubt, after the establishment of the ghetto in Podzamcze, Henio’s family moved from 3 Szewska Street to the building at 11 Kowalska Street. From there, Henio and his father were relocated to the ghetto in Majdan Tatarski. Then they were moved to Majdanek. And it is there where Henio’s story ends.

Neta Żytomirska-AvidarDirect link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

The story of the Żytomirski family has been reconstructed with the help of their relative Neta Żytomirska-Avidar who, having visited the „Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre, handed over the albums telling about the fate of Henio and his family.

The albums containing information about Henio Żytomirski and the fate of his family are very special documents. Through them, the story of one person becomes the symbolic fate of Jewish citizens of Lublin who perished during the war.

Neta Żytomirska-Avidar lives in Israel. Her father Leon Żytomirski was Henio’s uncle who emigrated from Poland just before the war. Neta Avidar is a graphic artist. In 2007 she came to Lublin with the exhibition of her works whose subject matter concerns human feelings: hidden anxieties, suffering and desires, inspired by war experiences of her family.

"Letters to Henio" projectDirect link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

We were so deeply moved by the story of Henio that we decided to do something in order to commemorate him.

These are various actions of the educational and inspirational character. Trying to preserve the memory of Henio, we suggested the following ideas

  • writing letters to Henio;
  • the last photograph (marking the space) and visiting places connected with Henio’s life;
  • projects of teachers who participate every year in the action „Letters to Henio”.

A booklet about Henio has been published, containing photographs from the albums handed over by Neta Żytomirska-Avidar.

Henio's story Direct link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

The story of Henio was included in the exhibition „A Primer. The Life of Children in Majdanek Concentration Camp" presented in the former Nazi German concentration camp at Majdanek, barrack no. 53.

The story of Henio was an inspiration behind the multimedia presentation entitled "Henio Żytomirski. A Story" which includes archive material and photos from the actions "Letters to Henio,” as well as the song "Małe dzieci po to są" (“That’s what little kids are for”) performed by Anna Maria Jopek.