OCRP - Project Progress

Letter to Friends of Ozarow #4

August 6, 2001

Cemetery as of Aug. 1, 2001 Latest breaking news:
since the last update
latest photographs

Previous communications at:
News Release #3, July 22, 2001
News Release #2, June 24, 2001
News Release #1, June 14, 2001

Picture on the right shows the state of the cemetery as of August 1, 2001. Compare it with the view of the cemetery shown with the earlier news releases.

Website Issues

Thanks to the hard work of Lukasz Omasta (Andrzej's son), the Polish version of the OCRP website is now alive. We are counting on our friends from France to help us with setting up the French site.

Itinerary for Guided Tour of Jewish Historical sites in Poland and the Dedication Ceremony in Ozarow:

It is still not too late to join us on this remarkable and meaningful tour! The deadline to register and send a deposit of $250 has just been extended to August 8th.

By negotiating the group rates with the Mercure Fryderyk Chopin hotel in Warsaw we are trying to lower the cost of the tour even more. See the Tour Reservation page for details. Visit that page frequently since we are updating it almost daily with new information.

Also, do not wait too long with placing your order for the additional commemorative mezuzahs. Only a limited number of them will be handcrafted by Andrzej Omasta before the beginning of the tour and they are being "snatched" as fast as they are made (Rabbi Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Warsaw and Lodz, the first recipient of the original mezuzah displayed on our website, has just placed an order for four additional mezuzahs; Rabbi liked our mezuzah so much that upon receiving it from Andrzej Omasta he immediately replaced the existing mezuzah at the Warsaw synagogue with the "Ozarower" one).

Status of Construction Work:
The work is progressing very fast:

Picture on the left illustrates the exceptional beauty of the newly uncovered matzevots.

Andrzej Omasta, during his recent visit to Ozarow, could not recognize the cemetery. It was clean and tidy and, most importantly, upon removal of debris, bushes, small trees, etc., an additional ca 200 well-preserved matzevots have been uncovered (the exact count has yet to be confirmed). They, along with the ca 100 matzevots already identified earlier, have been raised and resetted on secure bases in exactly the same locations where they have been miraculously found in the last few days.
The architectural drawings of the cemetery wall and the gate have been completed. Please, see below the design of the front wall and the gates. The three other sites of the wall will be built from the Janikow sandstone only (i.e., without the metal gratings).
Since the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has given the Ozarow cemetery a historical monument status, an approval of the architectural design by the Ministry was required. This approval has now been obtained (after Omasta's visit to the regional representatives of the Ministry in Sandomierz and Kielce).
On August 3, Andrzej and Lukasz Omasta were received by Rabbi Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Warsaw and Lodz, during a 2.5 hours long private meeting at the Warsaw synagogue. Rabbi Schudrich approved the proposed cemetery design without any changes.

Rabbi Schudrich (on the left) reviewing the new cemetery wall design with Andrzej Omasta

A positive opinion about the design has also been given by Dr. Lena Bergman, an architect from the Jewish Historical Institute and the OCRP's irreplaceable mentor and advisor since the very beginning of the project. Both Rabbi Schudrich and Lena will accompany Andrzej on his visit to Ozarow, scheduled for the beginning of September, to provide him with guidance in the final stages of the cemetery restoration. In particular, Rabbi Schudrich will advice Andrzej as to the recommended location of the monument commemorating those killed and buried on the cemetery grounds in October 1942. An advice will also be given with respect to the proper restoration of the ohel and the pre-burial house (present state shown below).

Ohel
Pre-burial house
On Friday, August 10 Andrzej will travel to Katowice in order to obtain the approval of the drawings from the head of the local Jewish community (the Ozarow cemetery is within the jurisdiction of the kahal in Katowice).
With all those approvals in hand, the construction of the cemetery wall and the gate could begin very shortly.
A provisional decision was made to proceed with the production of a film documenting the history of the Ozarower Jews and the progress in the Ozarow cemetery restoration project. Early next week a professional filming crew will be selected for that activity.

(Please see Letter #3 on the website for more background information.)

IN BRIEF:

The progress of the cemetery restoration project is so fast that very soon daily updates of our website may be required (in fact, we decided to create an addtional page called "Breaking News" in order to keep you abreast of the most recent developments). The uncovering of the approximately two hundred additional matzevots on the cemetery grounds is indeed amazing.

How to Support the OCRP:

Your additional support is needed to finish the construction work in Phase II, provide for perpetual maintenance, and complete an additional number of other objectives (e.g., the Ozarow documentary). Details on how to support us can be found here.

Letter to Friends of Ozarow #3

July 22, 2001

cemetery photo No. 7 Other communications at:

News Release #4, August 6, 2001
News Release #2, June 24, 2001
News Release #1, June 14, 2001

As before, there is much to report in this Issue:

Thanks to Bozenna Wolosewicz the website continues to be upgraded and improved with important information. You can find important tour information, a listing with translations of the available monuments in the cemetery and much more. Please help us identify all of those buried in the cemetery.

Itinerary for Guided Tour of Jewish Historical sites in Poland and the Dedication Ceremony in Ozarow:

It is not too late to join us on this remarkable and meaningful tour!

But there is very little time left, so reserve the dates Sunday October 14 to Sunday October 21, 2001, and let me know your intention before the end of July if you will be travelling with us on the guided tour of Jewish Historical Sites in Poland and attending the Dedication Ceremony. Travel costs to Poland from many cities is low for October, as is the tour cost. We expect that the tour cost will be at least 10% lower than originally estimated. See the updated itinerary.

Status of Construction Work:

The cemetery restoration work has begun. The cost of the restoration work for Phase I is within the estimated budget, thanks to the hard work and persistence of our wonderful OCRP Coordinator in Poland, Mr. Stefan Andrzej Omasta. Some of the further progress includes:

An important agreement has been signed by Mr. Omasta (on behalf of the Jewish Historical Institute Association (JHIA) which is the legal representative of the OCRP in Poland), with the town and the county of Ozarow, represented by the town's mayor, Mr. Marcin Majcher.
Some of your donations for the restoration work have already been transferred to the JHIA (the JHIA will be paying the contractors) via the US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad (a US Government agency).
The survey of the cemetery site is completed.
A highly respected architect has been hired and architectural drawings will be available by the end of July for official approvals.
A reliable contractor has been hired to do the actual restoration work.
The cemetery is presently being cleaned, weeds and other debris removed.
The stone for the restoration work has been ordered from the nearby quarry (in Janikow) and is being cut. This is the same stone that was originally used to make the cemetery monuments.
Arrangements have been made by the mayor of Ozarow to recover the monuments taken by the Germans during the WWII to a location 15 km away.

(Please see Letter #2 on the website for more background information.)

IN BRIEF:
The OCRP is moving quickly, yet carefully, and is within cost and on time!

Permission to Search the Ozarow Archives:

Lukasz Omasta, the son of Stefan Andrzej Omasta has tested his official permission to do genealogical searches of interest in the town's archives. He has already found useful family information.

How to Support the OCRP:
Your additional support is needed to finish the construction work in Phase II, provide for perpetual maintenance, and complete an additional number of other objectives.
Details on how to support us can be found here.

Letter to Friends of Ozarow #2

June 24, 2001

Other communications at:

News Release #4, August 6, 2001
News Release #3, July 22, 2001
News Release #1, June 14, 2001

There is much to report in this Issue:

The Ozarow Website:

The Ozarow website is live, thanks to Bozenna Wolosewicz (Marek Lipsztajn's wife). Bozenna worked tirelessly on setting up this intricate site. Do visit the website for updates, since much more will be added in the next few months. Your comments for improvements, corrections, and additions will be greatly appreciated.

Itinerary for Group Tour and Dedication:

Please reserve the dates Sunday October 14 to Sunday October 21, 2001 and let us know your intention soon to travel with us on the guided tour to see many Jewish historic sites in Poland and attend the dedication ceremony in Ozarow. A tentative itinerary has been posted.

Cemetery Site and Status of Construction Work:

On June 19th, our indispensable Polish Coordinator, Stefan Andrzej Omasta found aerial photographs of the site, saw the cemetery walls and determined that there is only one Jewish cemetery. In Sandomierz he found documentation written in 1978 in Polish by Adam Penkalla, a well-known Polish historian. He purchased a copy of this, containing about 130 pages, containing the history and architecture of the cemetery and synagogue, as well as other relevant information. Omasta's son, Lukasz, will translate the work and make it available to the OCRP. On June 20th, Omasta revisited Ozarow. Lukasz took additional photos, including the burial places of the rabbis, measuring 7.5 X 4.5 meters, and the pre-burial house, located on a base of 9 X 4.5 meters. The eastern part of the cemetery contains the mass grave of 80-100 persons.

As far as the architectural design of the renovated cemetery is concerned, we would like the new wall to incorporate all the remains of the old wall and be strengthened by concrete poles every 8 meters. The remains of the pre-burial house will be lifted to its original height and likewise strengthened. The wall will be over a meter high, but rise in height towards the gate. The gate will be made of steel, with a design somewhat like the steel gate of the Lodz cemetery. The architect will also supervise the work as it progresses. We remain optimistic that the wall restoration, the commemorative monument and the informational plaque will be finished in time for the dedication ceremony.

Omasta learned that the local priest, Father Stanislaw Szczerek is proposing building a parking lot on the property of the church, which could serve both the Jewish and Catholic cemeteries. We may contribute to the parking lot, considering its dual use and the very positive support the priest has given the OCRP.

Permission to Search the Ozarow Archives:

Lukasz has received permission to do genealogical searches of interest in the town's archives, which contain birth, marriage and death records of the past 100 years.

Jewish Historical Institute:

We are very pleased to announce that the Jewish Historical Institute Association (JHIA) in Warsaw has agreed in principle to be the intermediary in hiring and paying the Polish contractors (a formal agreement between JHIA and the OCRP will be signed shortly). JHIA is also serving in an advisory role to the OCRP Coordinators and the contractors, as needed.

How to Support the OCRP:

Additional support is needed to finish the construction work, reset and repair fallen or broken monuments, repair of the Ohel, provide for perpetual maintenance, and a number of other objectives. Please write a note with your check and on the check in the description line please indicate: "For Support of OCRP". You will be sent an acknowledgement letter.

In the USA, tax exempt donations (under 503 C (3)) may be made to:
Esh Dat, Inc.
1318 Avenue J
Brooklyn, NY 11230

For other countries: Please determine the best way to make tax exempt contributions to Esh Dat, Inc. in the USA or Esh Dat Seminary, Israel.

For additional Information:
Contact Dr. Norman L. Weinberg: tel.: 716-688-5272; fax: 716-636-6093 nweinberg@adelphia.net

News Release #1

June 14, 2001

Ozarow Cemetery Restoration Project

Later communications at:

News Release #4, August 6, 2001
News Release #3, July 22, 2001
News Release #2, June 24, 2001

The restoration of the cemetery of Ozarow is actively underway, thanks to an international group of dedicated individuals. Ozarow is located in southeast Poland, near Ostrowiec and eighty km from Kielce. The cemetery is in the southern part of town, across from the Christian cemetery. Approximately one hundred monuments remain in the 2.5 acre plot, which dates back nearly four hundred years. The cemetery wall is almost totally destroyed. Famous rabbis, including disciples of the 16th Century Kabbalist, Rabbi Yitzrak Luria, and the third Rebbe of Ozarow, Rabbi Leibush Epstein, are interred here. The sandstone monuments, mined 5 km away in Kunow, are among the most unique in Poland for their beautiful carvings, and attract many visitors worldwide. Many monuments were taken by the Germans during the war to a place fifteen km from Ozarow for fortifications. In 1939, 4,284 Jews lived in Ozarow. At the time of the ghetto's liquidation in 1942, approximately 8,000 Jews resided there.

The OCRP group will work through US Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, located in Washington, DC, and the Jewish Historical Institute associates in Warsaw, because of their significant experience in such restoration projects. In Phase One, to be completed by early October of this year, the plan is to build a cemetery wall and a commemorative monument of the same sandstone. If practical, the stones of 15 km away will be brought back to the cemetery. A descriptive plaque in three languages near the metal gate will tell the history of the site and acknowledge those who have supported the project including the Ozarow mayor, Mr. Marcin Majcher and the Ozarow priest, Father Stanislaw Szczerek. Phase Two will include the resetting and raising of fallen monuments on secure bases, as well as repair of broken monuments.

Members of the OCRP are actively engaged in promotional activities, including construction of an OCRP website. There is also a proposal being researched to rent space in the former Ozarow synagogue for a regional museum displaying both the Jewish and the Polish exhibits. The synagogue, now a warehouse, was bombed in the War and is in very poor condition. There is much to do, so participation on committees by friends of Ozarow is very welcome and needed.

Dedication Ceremony and Guided Tour

A cemetery dedication ceremony will be held in Ozarow on Monday, October 15, 2001. We expect many Ozarowers as well as interested non-Ozarowers, government dignitaries from Poland and abroad, rabbis, priests, the Polish media, and a filming crew to attend this memorable event. A tour bus and guide have been arranged to take the group from Warsaw to Ozarow, and then continue for a further week of site seeing in various towns of Jewish interest, including Krakow and Sandomierz.

For additional information please contact:
Dr. Norman L. Weinberg,
tel.:716-688-5272; fax: 716-636-6093; e-mail: nweinberg@adelphia.net