On May 11, 2022, at the Jewish cemetery in Kałuszyn, a ceremony was held to dedicate three new monuments commemorating the Jewish community of Kałuszyn and its Jewish residents who were murdered during the Holocaust. The project of locating monuments in the cemetery was carried out by the Israeli association the Dr. Avraham Gamzu Kaluszyner Society of Israel, in cooperation with FODŻ and the Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland Foundation operating in the USA. The organization of the ceremony was supported by the local authorities of Kałuszyn headed by the Mayor, Mr. Arkadiusz Czyżewski. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the descendants of the former Jewish community of Kałuszyn representing Dr. Avraham Gamzu Kaluszyner Society of Israel; students of the local school and invited guests, including: Ambassador of the State of Israel, Mr. Yacov Livne; Chief Rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich; Mayor of Kałuszyn, Mr. Arkadiusz Czyżewski and Parish Priest Jerzy Skłucki.

On the eve of the Second World War 5,200 Jews lived in Kałuszyn, about sixty percent of the population. The humiliation, torture and murder of the Jews of Kałuszyn by the Nazi German enemy began in those very first days of war in September 1939. The Germans established a ghetto in the town, carried out mass executions of Jews in and near the Cemetery and ultimately deported the remaining Jews of Kałuszyn to the Treblinka death camp. Few Kałuszyn Jews survived the Holocaust. The major Jewish landmarks in Kałuszyn also did not survive the War.

We take this opportunity to express our warm appreciation to Mr. Joe Gellman for undertaking the initiative and for his personal commitment to commemorate the former Jewish community of Kałuszyn and its Jewish residents who were murdered during the Holocaust.

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