The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland was established in 2002 by the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland and the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO). Our primary mission is to protect and commemorate the surviving sites and monuments of Jewish cultural heritage in Poland. The Foundation is active where no Jewish community exists today or where distance from major urban centers or lack of sufficient financial resources makes it difficult for existing small Jewish communities to provide adequate long-term care and maintenance.

We are the only institution in Poland officially dedicated to the task of recovering, preserving, and commemorating physical sites of Jewish significance. Our activities touch 200 synagogues and 1200 cemeteries and spreads over two thirds of the country. Many of these sites exist in an advanced state of deterioration and neglect, and even though all of them are listed as protected landmarks, Polish authorities have shown little independent initiative and commitment toward protecting these precious survivors of pre-War Jewish culture. 

All our cemetery work, whether cleaning, fencing, renovating, or memorializing a site through the installation of plaques and markers, is carried out under the supervision of the Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich. To-date we have completed work in over 100 Jewish cemeteries in Poland, including those in Mszczonow, Dubienka, Kolno, Ilza, Wysokie Mazowieckie, Siedleczka-Kanczuga, Zuromin, Myślenice, Szczebrzeszyn, Radoszyce and Glogow Małopolski.

Our building revitalization activities involve some of the most important and prominent Jewish structures in Poland, such as the synagogues in Kraśnik, Łańcut, Przysucha and Rymanów, as well as the synagogue in Zamość. Wherever possible, we work hand -in-hand with local organizations and supportive administrations.

The Foundation is very proud of its project known as the Chassidic Route, covering a large area in southeast Poland known for its high pre-War Jewish populations (in some towns Jews represented >60% of the total population) and rich religious and architectural legacy. A map of the Chassidic Route can be downloaded on this website and used by descendants, family historians, and others planning ancestral heritage tours (an important and growing phenomenon in Poland) or merely wishing to visit sites along the historic routes of Jewish pilgrimage. Anchoring our educational and cultural activities associated with this project is the lovely Renaissance-style synagogue in Zamość, restored by us between 2009-2010. We are proud that in 2014 the synagogue hosted the first bar mitzvah in Zamość since before the War.

Our primary focus is undertaking actions aimed at restoration and commemoration of the physical remnants of Poland's vibrant prewar Jewish life. Unfortunately, it is not technically or financially possible for us to have a presence in every one of the surviving 1200 Jewish cemeteries in Poland. Many are unfenced, unmarked, and unprotected. Those without headstones are the most vulnerable to being developed, built-over, and forgotten, taking with them all memory of a town's prewar Jewish presence. In 2015 we instituted a unique initiative to reach out to descendants, Jewish organizations, and family foundations to "adopt" a Jewish cemetery and become a financial sponsor of projects to save these precious survivors. For more information about our Adopt-A-Cemetery initiaitve click here.

The Foundation places a high value on education and academic research. One of it’s most important educational activities was the program it created “To Bring Memory Back” involving over 300 schools and aimed at educating young Polish students about the rich 1000 year history of Jews in Poland. Our successful program “Haverim – Friends” emphasized Polish-Jewish youth encounters and frank discussions for overcoming persistent cross-cultural stereotypes, historical negationism, and antisemitism.


Our Goals:

• reclaiming the properties which before WWII belonged to Jewish Religious Communities and other Jewish legal entities in Poland (pursuant to the Law on the Relationship between the State and the Union of Jewish Religious Communities of 1997), and providing legal services for the regulatory procedure of restitution;
• managing restituted properties;
• protecting properties bearing special religious or historical significance.
• constructing and installing monuments and memorial plaques to commemorate a site or event

It is our hope that the Foundation's efforts will not only physically preserve these unique survivors of pre-War Jewish material culture, but will also inspire individuals and families of Jewish ancestry with roots in Poland to come and reconnect with their heritage.

PLEASE, SUPPORT OUR MISSION!
Donations to the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland may be made by PAYPAL, credit card, check, bank draft, or money order, or wire transfer: http://fodz.pl/?d=16&l=en

Bank Accounts:
PLN: PL 23 1030 1508 0000 0005 0294 3006
USD: PL 98 1030 1508 0000 0005 0294 3014

Donations may also be sent through our American partner Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland: https://jewishheritagepoland.org. FJHP is a 501 (c) (3) public charity with federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) 81-3052620.

 

CEMETERIES
Enclosure, renovation, commemoration, and upkeep of Jewish cemeteries is one of our most important tasks and highest priorities. Today there are about 1200 surviving Jewish cemeteries in Poland, many in advanced states of neglect. Since 2002, our Foundation has cleaned, renovated, and fenced over 100 Jewish cemeteries, including those in Mszczonow, Dubienka, Kolno, Ilza, Wysokie Mazowieckie, Siedleczka-Kanczuga, Zuromin, Myślenice, Szczebrzeszyn, Radoszyce and Glogow Małopolski. Wherever possible, we work hand-in-hand with local organizations and supportive administrations. We welcome offers to partner on these important projects, and strongly encourage private individuals and organizations to contact us, especially families and descendants groups who trace their heritage to Polish towns in which we have projects or anticipate having projects. To ensure that all our work in Jewish cemeteries is done in compliance with religious laws and traditions, we cooperate and have excellent relations with the Rabbinical Commission for Cemeteries, overseen by the Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich.

In 2015 the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) announced a new "ADOPT A JEWISH CEMETERY" initiative to help save Jewish cemeteries in Poland.

We invite individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations who are interested in starting a commemoration project to partner with us. Projects can be as small as designing and mounting a memorial plaque to remind visitors and locals that a particular site is a Jewish cemetery (even if no headstones exist there today) or as large as erecting a fence, gate, or elaborate lapidarium-style memorial. Our goal is to engage new partners who have been wanting to do something here in Poland to physically commemorate a place, a family, or a community but who have not known where to turn for advice and help on the logistics, paperwork, and details.

PARTNERSHIPS, LOCAL DEVELOPMENT, REVITALIZATION

Jewish monuments are an integral part of the cultural heritage of Poland. Experience has shown that the most successful initiatives to memorialize a Jewish site include involvement of the local community, administration, and NGOs. The Foundation therefore places great importance and priority on developing strong relationships with these necessary partners in decisions affecting the development, installation, and maintenance of monuments and memorials at Jewish sites.

Klimontów – Revitalization of the Former Synagogue
The Foundation is currently in discussions with the town authorities regarding the revitalization of the former synagogue building.

Kraśnik - revitalization of the synagogue complex

Within the framework of the “Revitalization of the Renaissance synagogue in Zamość for the needs of the Chassidic Route and the local community” project an activity “Restoration of the synagogue complex in Kraśnik - phase I (protective works from further decay)” was also implemented. The works in Kraśnik (a town 90 km away from Zamość) were conducted in 2010.

Łęczna – Revitalization of the Former Synagogue
In cooperation with the municipality in Łęczna, the Foundation plans to designate the former synagogue as an educational and cultural center, provisionally named the Center for Intercultural Dialogue.

Orla – Revitalization of the Former Synagogue
Preparations are underway to adapt the synagogue building to serve as a creative work center with an exhibition area. This project is being implemented with funds from the Governmental Monument Conservation Program.

Ożarów – Revitalization of the Former Synagogue
The Foundation is currently in discussions with the Town Office regarding the revitalization of the former synagogue building.

Przemyśl – Revitalization of the New Synagogue
The Foundation is seeking a partner to help revitalize the former Scheinbach Synagogue in Przemyśl. An inventory of the building was conducted with funds provided by the Podkarpackie Voivodeship Office for the Protection of Monuments. The Office has also pledged support for preparing pre-project documentation.

Przysucha – Renovation of the Synagogue
In 2012, the Foundation began the revitalization project for the unused synagogue in Przysucha. In 2024, an agreement was signed with the Hasidic Taferet David Foundation to complete the synagogue’s renovation, transforming it into a place of prayer.

Radzanów – Revitalization of the Former Synagogue
The Foundation reinforced the walls of the unused synagogue in Radzanów. Currently, discussions are underway with provincial authorities and partners to establish a branch of the Płock Museum of Masovian Jews in the synagogue.

Sejny – Conservation Work on the Former Synagogue
The Foundation is preparing design, cost estimation, and conservation documentation for the former synagogue in Sejny. This project is being carried out with funds from the Government Monument Conservation Program.

Sejny – Conservation Work on the Former Talmudic House
A construction project is underway to reinforce, conserve, restore, and modernize the building of the former Talmudic house in Sejny. This initiative is also funded by the Government Monument Conservation Program.

Zamość - Revitalization of the Synagogue
The Renaissance synagogue in the Zamość Old City is one of the most spectacular monuments of Jewish heritage in Poland. The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland has been the owner of the building since 2005. Our goal was to transform the synagogue into a modern cultural institution. In 2008, the project “Revitalization of the Renaissance synagogue in Zamość for the needs of the Chassidic Route and the local community” was supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. Construction and conservation works commenced in July 2009 and have been completed in the summer of 2010. The opening ceremony took place on April 5th, 2011.

Site of the "Synagogue" Centre in Zamosc

Ziębice – Workshops in the Synagogue
In spring 2025, student workshops will be held in the former synagogue in Ziębice. These workshops aim to explore prospects for the building’s future use and the care of the local cemetery. The project is being implemented in collaboration with Bet Tfila, a research unit of the University of Braunschweig, and the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. 

VIRTUAL TOURS OF SYNAGOGUES
The Foundation is promoting knowledge about selected synagogues and the funeral home in Olsztyn through virtual tours (www.synagogues-fodz.com). The project was financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

EDUCATION
We believe educational activities to be crucial support for effective and successful heritage preservation.  We have created was the program “To Bring Memory Back” which since 2005 involved over 300 Polish schools, 10,000 students, and 400 teachers from across Poland.

The aim of the project was to engage Polish students of secondary schools and high schools to discover the pre-war multicultural heritage of their towns.

LAUREL CROWN DECORATION
Marking the 25th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between Poland and Israel on June 21, 2015 the first Laurel Crown Decoration was awarded, recognizing Polish citizens involved in Preservation of Memory and Jewish Heritage.

The Award was extended by the Israeli Ambassador to Poland, in cooperation with the Polish Ministry of Culture and the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland

PUBLICATION
In 2012, we have published an album “Preserving Jewish Heritage In Poland”, marking the 10th anniversary of the Foundation. The album presents the most important and most spectacular activities for preserving monuments of Jewish culture that took place in the last decade through presenting achievements of the Foundation over the period of 2002-2012. The album shows revitalization of the synagogue in Zamość, restoration of the synagogues in Kraśnik and several Jewish cemeteries all over Poland.

ANTI-SEMITISM
While not every act of vandalism or graffiti is an act of antisemitism, we at the Foundation recognize the property devaluation that results from "looking the other way." These as well as acts defacing Jewish properties under our care or directed at Jewish sites of heritage in Poland are taken seriously and reported to the appropriate local authorities. The Foundation maintains a zero tolerance policy with regard to incidents with overt antisemitic overtones or those likely to fuel further acts of vandalism or graffiti, including the dissemination of inflammatory leaflets and public speeches that go beyond the acceptable boundaries of exercising freedom of expression in a democratic society. 

 In June 2010the Ivansk Project E-newsletter, issued by the Ivansker Society composed of the descendants of Jews of Iwaniska, published an article written by the CEO of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, describing the activities of our organization.
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Kol Polin, the Hebrew Language service of the Polish Radio, published an interview with the CEO of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, dated October 15, 2012. 
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Agence France Presse/AFP published an article on the regulation process in Poland, dated November 12, 2008.
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An article written by Herbert Block, entitled "The Restitution of Holocaust-Era Jewish Communal Property: An Unfinished Item on the Jewish Diplomatic Agenda" recently appeared in the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, published in February 2009 by the Israel Council on Foreign Relations, which is affiliated with the World Jewish Congress.
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On April 21, 2010, the Israeli English-language daily "The Jerusalem Post" published an article entitled "Give it Back". The article deals with the subject of restitution of Jewish private property in modern day Poland.  
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