After a lengthy hiatus, we have a new Have Your Say personal essay — this one from Piotr Puchta the CEO of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ). It’s titled On the permanent preservation of synagogues in Poland: the need for synergies and strategic thinking.
In his essay, Puchta reflects on changed attitudes and changed situations regarding Jewish built heritage in Poland, from near total abandonment following WW2, through restitution after 1997, to what we find today.
In particular, he argues that it is essential to change policy to involve broader society, and not just the Jewish world, in the longterm process of saving and preserving former synagogues.
“There was a widespread perception that once former synagogues were restituted, these historic sites would find adequate protection that would allow them to be preserved for future generations,” he writes.
Unfortunately, the excitement was not accompanied by in-depth analysis, and no comprehensive strategy for the preservation of either synagogues or Jewish cemeteries in Poland was developed […] Going forward it will be essential to promote and develop synergies between the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland and individual Jewish religious communities, and central authorities in Warsaw, local authorities, NGOs and other civil society institutions, individual activists and volunteers, schools, academic institutions, museums, and international partners and actors. […] I can state unequivocally that the involvement of local authorities and local communities is not only important but also irreplaceable.