When I visited Włocławek last February, I was disheartened by the crumbling historic buildings that were formerly owned by pre-World War II Jewish residents. Still, I met a few people actively involved in documenting and preserving the memory of the city’s Jewish population. They include: Mirosława Stojak, who writes about Włocławek’s Jews and manages the website zydzi.wloclawek.pl, Tomasz Wąsik, the historian and director of the Museum of History in Włocławek, and Tomasz Kawski, a historian and professor at Kazimierz the Great University in Bydgoszcz, and author of several books on the history of Polish Jews.
And now high school students in Włocławek have been collecting photographs, writing historical accounts, and doing interviews with people who remember the events of World War II. Their work can be seen on their Facebook page. Here are just a few of the photos they have posted. The synagogue on Królowiecka Street:
Synagogue on ul. Królowiecka, Włocławek
The synagogue on Zabia Street:
And here the synagogue in flames:
The students write on their Facebook page:
“On September 24, 1939, Germans ordered Jews they selected to bring a barrel full of tar to the synagogue on Żabia Street. Then they forced them to ignite the fire.
In this way, one of the prettiest synagogues in Poland ceased to exist. The synagogue on Królowiecka Street met the same fate.”
“24 września 1939 roku Niemcy nakazali wyznaczonym przez siebie Żydom wprowadzenie do Synagogi na ulicy Żabiej beczek wypełnionych smołą. Następnie zmusili ich do wzniecenia pożaru.
“Tym samym przestała istnieć jedna z najpiękniejszych Synagog w Polsce.
Podobny los spotkał Synagogę przy ulicy Królewieckiej.”
So while horrible truths are communicated, this project and the Facebook page that documents it stand out to me as a marker of hope. A new generation of Włocławek residents are learning about this difficult history, and returning the story of what happened to the city’s Jews to the center of the narrative about their hometown.
Uncovering Jewish Heritage 
Dear Marysia,
Your most recent entry on Wloclavek has really hit home as the synagogue on Zabia Street is where my paternal grandparents (David and Regina Kolsky Kanal) were killed. That year (1939), Yom Kippur began at sundown on September 23rd at which time my father’s (Harold Kanal) parents were in schul for the High Holy Day. They returned the following day for services at which time the Germans broke into the building and forced all congregants onto the front steps where they were machine gunned. Prior to the bloodbath, congregants were made to sign a document stating that they themselves were going to burn the synagogue thereby absolving the German forces. My dad, who was already in the US for several years, knew nothing of his parents’ deaths. He wrote them regularly but never received a response. Months later a close friend broke the news in detail to my father.
Thank you for the additional facts, pictures, … all of which help in bringing closure to this very personal event.
Love,
David Kanal
On Sun, Apr 10, 2016 at 12:12 PM, Uncovering Jewish Heritage wrote:
> Marysia Galbraith posted: “When I visited Włocławek last February, I was > disheartened by the crumbling historic buildings that were formerly owned > by pre-World War II Jewish residents. Still, I met a few people actively > involved in documenting and preserving the memory of the city'” >
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Wow David. I did not know that about your paternal grandfather. I am so sorry. What a horrible thing to happen. We should talk more. Also, I didn’t know your paternal grandmother was a Kolsky. Do you know how she is related to Pinchas/Pinkus Kolski (husband of you maternal grandmother’s sister Rachel) or Bertha/Blima Kolski, wife of your maternal grandmother’s brother John/Abraham Pifko? I’ll follow up via e-mail.
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Pingback: Włocławek’s Forgotten Street: The Street of Death (Ulica Śmierci) | Uncovering Jewish Heritage
http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/article/wloclawek/5,history/?action=view&page=8&ver=2
Its link to few information about Pinkus Kolski from Wloclawek.
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Thank you! And on the previous page is a reference to Jacob Piwko (Zionist, resigned on March 30, 1922) who was my grandmother’s brother.
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