Memory poles. strategies of rebuilding the identity of the Bródno Jewish Cemetery

Event program

The event of unveiling tombstones and commemorating 3 graves took place on October 29th, 2024, at the Bródno Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw’s Praga-Targówek district.
The Jewish Cemetery in Bródno is a destroyed burial site. Thousands of individuals buried there have no headstones, and for years, the locations of their graves seemed irretrievably lost—especially in the area outside the fenced terrain. However, thanks to the recent discovery of three archival photographs depicting families posing beside family graves prior to 1939, it was possible to approximate the locations of specific burials. This discovery enabled the artistic reinterpretation of two matzevot (gravestones) based on the headstones visible in these images.
The resulting works were two wooden matzevot, painted in their original colors and inscribed with the same text as seen in the archival photographs. Their unveiling on-site was a collective gesture to restore memory—not only of the two individuals whose names are now known, but also of the entire cemetery, which was condemned to destruction 80 years ago. The event also served as a powerful signal to municipal authorities, urging them to assist the Jewish community in regaining legal rights to the site to ensure its full protection.
The burial area, located in a marginalized neighborhood, has long been a site associated with “difficult heritage” in Poland. Over the years, the land has been used as a landfill and has become a space for activities such as homeless persons’ shelters, alcohol consumption, and other forms of neglect. The goal of the event was to highlight the uniqueness and sanctity of the area surrounding the cemetery—a valid burial site where thousands of graves remain—and to show local authorities and neighbors that this is a place where individuals, each with a unique history, were laid to rest. Through this ceremony, we sought to reopen what seemed to be a closed chapter in history and restore dignity to the site.
The event drew a large and diverse audience, including representatives of institutions and organizations from the Praga district, local authorities, cultural institutions neighboring the cemetery, municipal activists, and public officials. The head of the City of Warsaw Landmark Preservation Office also attended. Due to the special nature of the event, the priest of the neighboring Catholic cemetery and a Warsaw rabbi participated as well. Members of the Jewish community, representatives of Jewish institutions, and direct descendants of individuals buried at the cemetery were present. Additionally, a large class of high school students from a local school attended as part of an educational activity.