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A manuscript never found anywhere before. Narratives in memory of the ghetto in Sosnowiec-Środula
Tomasz Grząślewicz
tomasz.grzaslewicz@us.edu.pl Author BiographyPhD student at the Doctoral School of the University of Silesia in Katowice, journalist, and English translator. He focuses on the literature and history of the Dąbrowa Basin, with particular emphasis on the history of the Jewish community in Sosnowiec. He is currently working on a doctoral project dedicated to the memory of the Jewish ghetto in Sosnowiec-Środula. Editor-in-chief of the publications In the Footsteps of Zbigniew Białas' Prose. A Literary Guide to Sosnowiec (2018), Przewodnik po żydowskim dziedzictwie Sosnowca (Guide to the Jewish Heritage of Sosnowiec) (2021), and Nie damy się wysiedlić. Bojowniczki i bojownicy żydowskiego ruchu oporu w Będzinie i Sosnowcu (We Will Not Be Displaced: Female and Male Fighters of the Jewish Resistance Movement in Będzin and Sosnowiec) (2023).
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6253-5974
University of Silesia in Katowice
Zagłada Żydów. Studia i Materiały, No. 21 (2025), Pages: 276-291
Submission Date: 2025-04-26Acceptance Date: 2025-12-27
Publication Date: 2025-12-27
https://doi.org/10.32927/zzsim.1105
Abstract
The existence of a Jewish ghetto in Sosnowiec-Środula during World War II is largely unknown to the local community. With the vast majority of survivors now deceased and the district having undergone significant changes, opportunities to increase knowledge about the events of 1942–1943 seem limited. In recent years, however, the number of sources allowing for the formation of new threads of memory among the local community has increased. Narratives about the ghetto appear in books such as Salamandra by Ka-Tzetnik 135633, Paweł Wiederman's Płowa bestia, and Art Spiegelman's Maus: The Survivor's Tale, as well as in witness testimonies and memoirs. Most of these works and testimonies have not been translated into Polish and are difficult to access or poorly associated with Sosnowiec; however, they hold the greatest potential for memory creation. Evidence of this can be seen in the interest in initiatives organized to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the ghetto's liquidation, including a theatrical performance, a documentary film, excursions, lectures, and exhibitions. Literature was key to these activities, serving as inspiration and often as the only known trace of the characters, places, and events. In his article, the author provides an overview of texts concerning the ghetto in Środula, discussing their potential use in shaping the cultural memory of Sosnowiec's inhabitants. He also emphasizes the role of digital sources, archives, and publications in this process.
Keywords
Sosnowiec , Środula ghetto , eyewitness accounts , memoir literature , archives , Art Spiegelman , Paweł Wiederman , Ka-Tzetnik 135633 , Abraham Krakowski
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Copyright (c) 1970 Author&"Holocaust Studies and Materials"
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