Context
The area of the former German Nazi concentration camp Plaszow in Krakow, originally established on top of two Jewish cemeteries, remains largely unmarked today and functions primarily as a recreational site. Local residents often enjoy outdoor walks in this area, often bringing their dogs, usually without a full understanding of what was previously located there. Awareness of this history is minimal – even among the residents– and the city has continued to issue building permits on parts of the site, so that what is actually commemorated today is only about half of the actual site.
For several years, FestivALT, a Krakow-based annual festival of Jewish art and activism, organises thematic guided tours for dog owners (coming with their pets if they so wish) and interested residents to present the correct rules of behaviour at Jewish burial sites according to Jewish law, while explaining the topography of the site.
Highlights
- Presenting the practicalities of Jewish religious law concerning cemeteries in a hands-on and discursive manner
- Responding to the specific needs of the neighbours of a difficult heritage site without imposing regulations on them, but rather presenting the Jewish perspective in dialog the challenges the site poses
Challenges
- HOW to educate the residents about a difficult heritage site in an instructive yet non-patronising manner?
- HOW to negotiate new uses for difficult heritage sites?
- HOW to strike a balance between the expectations of residents and the requirements of respect towards a burial site?
Description
In January 2022, FestivALT decided to organise a pilot action involving a neighbourhood walk with dogs for all interested residents and individuals, who gathered together in a friendly atmosphere to educate everyone about the practicalities of Jewish law and what is permitted on the grounds of a Jewish cemetery. Although the first iteration of the action was not widely publicised, it brought together a number of local residents and their pets and proved to be a success.
During the walk with residents and visitors, Aleksander Schwarz, an expert on Jewish burial and cemetery law, introduced participants to the rules of behaviour at Jewish burial sites according to Jewish law, and explained the topography of the site. The walk was designed as a presentation of these rules in practice, with the focus on how the space can also be used by dogs.
The tour took in the key sights of KL Plaszow and the walkers were also issued with headsets so as to allow dog owners to walk comfortably together from a safe distance.
The guide, Aleksander Schwarz is an expert for the Rabbinical Commission for Cemeteries, a specialist in Jewish law in the field of cemeteries and burials, and the vice-president of the Zapomniane Foundation. He reconstructs the historical borders of cemeteries and searches for un-commemorated burial grounds of Jews from the time of the Holocaust, based on non-invasive research methods consistent with Halakha, the laws of Jewish life. Aleksander now leads all the walks accompanied by his dog named Jaga.
Three neighbourhood walks with dogs led by Aleksander Schwarz around KL Plaszow took place in 2022, while the experience was also repeated in June 2023, during the 7th edition of FestivALT, the annual festival of Jewish culture and activism in Kraków.
The organisers of FestivALT have sought to benefit from the neighbourhood walks as an opportunity to build relationships and understanding between locals and the Jewish community in the city of Kraków. The walks are not only an occasion for the participants to learn about the do’s and don’ts related to Jewish burial sites, but they also constitute an opportunity to share thoughts, expectations and impressions about the role of memory, commemoration and public space.
An idea was developed in reference to another type of immersive memory walks practised by FestivALT on the site focused on the medicinal qualities of plants that grow in the area called – Medicinal Plants of Plaszow.
Solutions
- A discursive format that allows for the meeting of various stakeholders, in particular local residents and representatives of the Jewish community.
- A real-time consultation and negotiations of tailor- made solutions for the site and its users, including non-human users.
- A return to tradition and Jewish law for clues and finding innovative ways of dealing with contemporary challenges.
Lessons Learnt
- All stakeholders should have a say about commemorations and remembrances that touch upon public spaces that they interact with regularly or even on a daily basis. There is a need to make compromises that allows everyone to use public spaces while also working together to find an agreeable manner to do so with respect to the past and history
- In order to cultivate a tangible culture of memory, it is more effective to organise walks or events that use participatory methods rather than simply counting on markers, signposts and information plaques.
Funding
The neighbourhood walks organised during 2022 editions of FestivALT were carried out as part of a joint project “Places of Remembering and Forgetting” (2021-2022), funded by Norway Grants from the Active Citizens – National Fund (EEA Grants). It was further carried out by “Negotiating Difficult Pasts (NeDiPa)” project funded by the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme of the EU as part of the Green Commemoration event series.
Further information
You can read more about the initiative on the website of The First News.
photos Pracownia Obrazu 2.0