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.

Lublin Jewish Organisation in Israel

Lublin Jewish Organization brings together people of Jewish origin with family connections with Lublin, including the second and third generation, children and grandchildren of Lubliners. The organization is based in Israel in Tel Aviv.

Spotkanie prezydenta Lublina Adama Wasilewskiego z Izraelskimi Lublinerami w domu Josepha Dakara
Spotkanie prezydenta Lublina Adama Wasilewskiego z Izraelskimi Lublinerami w domu Josepha Dakara (Author: nieznany)

Jews from Lublin in IsraelDirect link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

In 1946, Sima Mandelsberg founded a charity fund whose purpose was to support refugees who came from Europe to Palestine.

On November 9, 1949, on the 7th anniversary of the liquidation of Majdan Tatarski ghetto, Israel celebrated the Day of Remembrance of Lublin' Jewish community for the first time. It is also the date of the Lublin Jewish Organization in Israel first meeting, establishing its activity.

Lublin Jewish Organization associates people who have family connections to the city or region of Lublin and also those who are second or third post-war generation. Its first chairman was Dawid Sztokfisz, next one – Aleksander Szryft. Current president of the organization is Tzvika Shulman. The seat of the organization is in Tel Aviv, Israel.

It aims for the remembrance of the Shoah and history of Jews of Lublin, getting to know the family history and roots.

Means used to achieve these goals are the meetings in Israel which commemorate important events related to the history of Lublin Jews. The most important reason that ensures the continuation of these activities, and makes subsequent generations join these actions is the sense of sentimental and emotional attachment to Lublin.

In Lublin the organization is involved in spreading Israeli contemporary culture and art, for example by promotion of Israeli artists. Since 2001 the Landsmanshaft has cooperated with the “Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre.

"Kol Lublin" – annual of the Landsmanshaft of Lublin Jews in IsraelDirect link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

"Kol Lublin" ("Voice of Lublin") is an annual edited and published by Lublin Jewish Organization in Israel. The first issue was published in 1962 as a part of commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the extermination of Lublin Jews.

Newspaper contains articles on culture, language and tradition of Lublin Jewish community. In addition to testimonies of Survivors, articles by Shoah historians are published.

First issues of the magazine were published in Yiddish. Currently, first language of the newspaper is Hebrew, and some texts are also translated into English.

Books of Memory – „Sefer Zikkaron Lublin”Direct link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

Books of Memory were created after the war in order to commemorate Jewish community – inhabitants of concrete cities and towns – which was annihilated in result of the Shoah. It was the initiative of individual landsmanshaftn, both in Israel and in diaspora.

Lublin has two Books of Memory. One of them was published in Paris, in 1952, another "Sefer Zikkaron Lublin" – in 1957, in Tel Aviv. Texts that are included in them have historical, reporting or memoir character and are related to both, the life of Jewish community in Lublin before the war, and the Holocaust itself.

Books of Memory are important research material, that presents the story of Jewish population from the Jewish perspective. In  2009 UMCS Publishing House published an anthology of texts taken from the selected Books of Memory, written in various countries and languages about the life and extermination of Polish Jewish community.

Chairman and members of Lublin Jewish OrganisationDirect link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

  1. Dr. Avraham Kerszman – first chairman of the Lublin Jewish Organisation
  2. Dr. Joseph Szlakman
  3. Dawid Sztokfisz (1912–2008) – the creator and editor of the "Kol Lublin" annual
  4. Matityahu (Mates) Horn – the chairman in 1985–1997.
  5. Aleksander Szryft (1920–?) – the chairman in 1997–2003.
  6. Joseph Dakar (1948–) – the chairman in 2003–2017
  7. Tzvika Shulman – the chairman since 2018.

Collaboration with the "Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” CentreDirect link for this paragraphGo back to indexGo back to index

Lublin Jewish Organization has been collaborating with the "Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre" Centre since 2001. Its member, Neta Żytomirska-Avidar brought to Lublin Żytomirski family pictures, which started the project Henio Żytomirski – History of One Life.

In 2007, the president of the city of Lublin Adam Wasilewski, and the vice-president Włodzimierz Wysocki were invited to Israel for the commemoration of the prisoners of the labor camp at 7 Lipowa Street. The presidents met 50 members of the Lublin Jewish Organization and jointly laid wreaths during the commemoration.