In recent months, Dr. Heidi M. Szpek and Frank J. Idzikowski (with the help of NARA private researcher, Dirk Burgdorf) acquired World War II Luftwaffe Aerial images from the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on behalf of the Bialystok Cemetery Restoration Fund.
These images are part of more than 1.25 million German aerial photographic prints seized at the end of World War II.
In an earlier report for Jewish Heritage Europe, Dr. Szpek explored the value of these aerials for the restoration, history and material culture of the Bagnówka Jewish Cemetery in Białystok.
In this new report — posted in the “Long(er) Reads” section of our JHE Jewish Cemeteries Portal — she explores how aerial images that highlight the city of Bialystok itself provide valuable – and powerful — insights about the Jewish heritage in the city that did not survive: cemeteries, synagogues, other buildings, and entire streets that were, quite literally, wiped off the map.
She also correlates the images with mentions of destroyed Jewish heritage sites referenced on Jewish tombstones in Bagnówka.
Click here to read her essay: How WW2 Luftwaffe Aerial Photos Reveal Lost Jewish Heritage in Białystok, Poland
1 comment on “Long(er) Read: How WW2 Luftwaffe Aerial Photos Reveal Lost Jewish Heritage in Białystok, Poland”
I would like to tour Jewish Bialystok
Are there any tours or tour guides going there?
After the pandemic of course ..