Welcome to Lublin!

They came from Israel, United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Denmark, Belgium, France and beyond. More than 230 former Jewish residents and descendants of Lublin attended the first reunion organized by Grodzka Gate Theater NN and Rootka Tours as part of Lublin's celebration of their 700th anniversary. Two sisters, born in Lublin, came with thirty-five family members. I met one woman who survived the war by posing as a Polish girl. The daughter of a Holocaust survivor came. She promised her mother she would write a book about her life in Lublin. Many had parents and grandparents who left Lublin before the war, like me. We came to learn about our families and honor the memory of those murdered during the Holocaust.

The Royal Castle of Lublin

The first evening, we eagerly awaited the opening ceremony at the Lublin Castle, now an art museum. We were welcomed by Tomasz Pietrasiewicz, the founder and director of Grodzka Gate Theater NN, a Lublin-based organization dedicated to uncovering the history of Lublin’s Jewish past. He is often asked, “Why do you do this? After all you are Poles and the Jewish town is not your history?”

Tomasz explained, “This is our common Polish-Jewish history. To remember the murdered Jews you do not have to be Jewish. To remember the murdered Poles you do not have to be Polish. Our contemporary world needs more empathy, compassion and the ability to understand others. In Lublin, such an understanding especially embraces the memory of its Jewish inhabitants murdered during the Holocaust.”

Over the years, Tomasz has received awards of distinction for his work including honorary membership to the Polish Society of the Righteous Among the Nations and the Irena Sendler Award for preserving Jewish heritage and Jewish culture in Poland.

Tomasz expressed his appreciation for coming despite our doubts or possible feelings of anger and sadness. He encouraged us to learn how our families lived, not only how they died.

As the first day of the Lubliners Reunion came to a close, I realized there was a great deal more to learn about the home of my grandparents.