About the project

The aim of our project is to make people in Warsaw more aware of the largely forgotten cultural heritage of the Jewish presence in Grochów and to keep alive the memory of this place, so important to the history of Polish Jews.

 

The Grochów kibbutz was the biggest and best-known training center for Jews wanting to emigrate to Palestine. It operated from the early 1920s till 1942, and was important not only because of its leftist-Zionist character, but also as a center for the resistance during the preparation for the Ghetto Uprising. Today, it is seen as a very special place by many young Israelis who come to visit. We hope it becomes an important place for the citizens of Warsaw, too.

 

By introducing people at large to the story of the farm, we remind them about the history of Jews outside of Warsaw's left bank. Much of our work is done locally and aimed at the inhabitants of Grochów. They often have a fondness for the place where the farm used to be, even though they hardly know about its past. Since 2013, the Szymon An-ski Association has been spreading the knowledge about the Grochów kibbutz through lectures, presentations, workshops and walking tours. We got the media interested in the story. You can find out more about our work here.

 

If you want to get involved, please contact the project coordinator, Mania Cieśla: mciesla@anski.org.

 

Our project is co-funded by the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland.