International Holocaust Remembrance Day

#WeRemember

A perspective view of a concrete memorial wall engraved with Jewish names. A group of people in winter clothes stand in front of the wall, paying tribute to the deceased. A boy holds a lit candle and prays. On a low platform at the foot of the wall, there is also a bouquet of white flowers and other lanterns burning.
Performative reading, guided tours and paying tribute to the victims – this is how the Museum and Memorial in Bełżec joined in the celebrations of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

As part of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day celebrations, the Museum and Memorial in Bełżec, in cooperation with the Bełżec Municipality, organised an event dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reflection on its tragic history. The celebrations were educational and artistic in nature and provided a space for reflection on the past and its significance for the present day.

A young woman in a black jacket stands intently in the foreground. In the background, another person speaks into a microphone in front of a group of seated people in a stark, bright interior.

The celebrations began with a guided tour of the museum exhibition and the Memorial Site. Participants learned about the history of the Bełżec extermination camp, the fate of the people deported there, and the scale of the crimes that took place in this area. A special moment of the event was a performative reading entitled ‘We were just like you!’, based on excerpts from Róża Fiszman-Sznajdman's diary ‘My Lublin’. Thanks to this artistic form, participants were able to transport themselves to the world of pre-war Jewish Lublin and look at the everyday life and emotions of a young girl whose life changed with the outbreak of war and the experience of the Holocaust. The performance by Alicja Stankiewicz and Kamila Kucharczak, directed by Bartłomiej Miernik, encouraged comparisons between the experiences of young people from years ago and those of today.

Two women with microphones sit facing the audience against a tall concrete wall, performing a reading.
A woman dressed in black, holding papers and a microphone, stands in front of a group of young people sitting on chairs and listening.

Another element of the ceremony was the symbolic laying of flowers and lighting of candles in the Ohel Niche – a gesture expressing remembrance and respect for the victims of the Holocaust. The celebrations were attended by students and teachers from the Technical and Automotive School Complex in Tomaszów Lubelski and the Primary School in Miączyn, educators together with the Headmistress of the School and Kindergarten Complex in Bełżec, as well as representatives of the local authorities, led by the Mayor. The ceremony provided an opportunity to commemorate the victims together and to emphasise the importance of remembrance and responsibility for passing on history to future generations.

A narrow corridor of a snow-covered path, bordered on both sides by tall, dark walls with a rough, stone texture. At the front are two women in dark winter coats, holding lanterns in their hands. Between them walks a man in uniform, carrying a wreath of white flowers. Behind them follows a group of people.