A web site project documents the traces on doorposts in Poland where mezuzahs were once affixed — and asks people to send in their photos, with location noted.
All over Poland (and other countries, of course) many doorposts still bear grooves, paint discolorations, nail holes and other scars that show where a mezuzah had been affixed before WW2 when Jews had lived in the house. These are very poignant, and even dramatic, signs of the Holocaust.
So far, the site has collected images from about two dozens town, cities and villages. They are posted with the address, date of photograph and name of photographer, as well as other information in some cases.
Administering the site is Krzysztof Bielawski, who founded the kirkuty web site on Jewish cemeteries in Poland and now the chief specialist for the Virtual Shtetl portal.
3 comments on “Documentation of Mezuzah sites in Poland”
Auschwitz survivor looking for long lost twin- Tattoo number only sure ID #A7734. For those unfamiliar to this search. Two twins were separated at Auschwitz in 1945. They were 4 years old. Elias {Elijah? spelling?} Gottesman is looking for his long lost twin that may or may not remember his family of orgin. However the twin brother, Jeno {Jolli} Gottesman would not ever be able to get away from the tattoo on his arm- A7734. If you have any information on a Jewsih holocaust survivor born in 1940 ish…from Hungary, please contact me, or the researcher in charge of this search. They have been apart for 67 years. Any leads, however small will be greatly appreciated. https://www.facebook.com/pages/A7734/499971010060858
Kim
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There are surely hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Europe (and elsewhere) that once held mezuzahs on their doorposts! Unfortunately, these properties were stolen from us by gentile neighbors who were just waiting to pounce on them as they anxiously waited our removal (and often helped in one way or another to get rid of us).
what a great idea. and i am very jealous i didnt think of it. terrific.