28 May 2024

The Scientific Conference of “Jews of Eastern Poland” series is behind us.

The 13th National Scientific Conference of ‘Jews of Eastern Poland’ series is behind us.

The subject of this edition of the event was Jewish travels and Jewish travelers in Central and Eastern Europe.

The event took place between May 27 and 28 this year in two locations: at Książnica Podlaska and at the Sybir Memorial Museum.

The meeting at the Sybir Memorial Museum was opened by Marcin Zwolski PhD, Head of the Museum’s Scientific Department:

“Participating in scientific activities is extremely important for the Sybir Memorial Museum, which is why we are pleased with this cooperation. The subject discussed during the conference is, contrary to appearances, very close to us because we are in a place that is not only a museum but also a memorial site. You entered the building along the tracks – at the extension of the tracks there is the Fabryczny Station, formerly the Poleski Station. It was there that transports were loaded, not only of people deported to the East but also of Jews to Treblinka during the liquidation of the Białystok ghetto. This subject, including the Jewish aspect, is very close to our Museum, so we are very grateful for the proposal to participate and co-organize this conference,” emphasized Marcin Zwolski PhD.

During the conference, one of the speakers was Anna Pyżewska, an employee of the Scientific Department of the Sybir Memorial Museum, who presented the wartime fate of Paulina and Artur Włodawer. This young couple, like tens of thousands of other Jews, fled to the far east of Poland in the fall of 1939, to the areas occupied by the Soviet Union. In June 1940, as part of the third mass deportation, Paulina and Artur were pushed into a carriage heading to Siberia. The following years were spent working in the specposelok of Asino, followed by wandering around Asia in search of a place that would provide shelter until the end of the war. The Włodawer family returned to Poland in late spring 1946.

At the permanent exhibition of the Sybir Memorial Museum, we present several exhibits related to the families of Paulina and Artur, provided to us by the POLIN Museum.

Once again, thank you very much for your cooperation and presence!