Radzymin Mayor Commits to Fencing Historic Jewish Cemetery to Preserve Heritage

A historic breakthrough was achieved last week in Radzymin, Poland, regarding the preservation of the Jewish cemetery there. The mayor of Radzymin, Krzysztof Czaczyński, pledged during a special meeting to fence and protect the entire area of the Jewish cemetery, which over time had been converted into a road and a garden, causing the sacred site to be trampled by passersby.

At the center of the cemetery stands a renewed tent dedicated to Rabbi Shlomo Yehoshua David of Radzymin, son of the revered Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh of Radzymin, who lived and was buried in Warsaw. The Nazis destroyed the cemetery during the Holocaust, desecrating the graves. In 1985, efforts began to restore Jewish holy sites in Poland, including locating the burial place of Rabbi Shlomo Yehoshua David, which was fenced and marked with a new tent. Despite this, the surrounding cemetery grounds were neglected and repurposed by local residents.

The turning point came when Rabbi Yisrael Menachem Alter, son of the Ger Rebbe, led a delegation to meet with Mayor Czaczyński. The delegation included Rabbi Moshe Chaim Dandrovitz, head of the Sfat Emet Yeshiva, Bnei Brak Mayor Hanoch Zeibert, Housing Ministry Director Yehuda Morgenstern, and activist Rabbi Shlomo Kopulovitz, who has long worked to preserve Radzymin’s holy sites. Rabbi Dandrovitz emotionally emphasized the Jewish commitment across generations to safeguarding ancestral graves, which deeply moved the mayor.

Mayor Zeibert informed Czaczyński that Bnei Brak honors Radzymin’s name with a street named after the Radzymin Rebbe. Rabbi Kopulovitz presented the mayor with a personal letter from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, urging the preservation of the cemetery and inviting the mayor to visit Israel as the president’s guest. The mayor was visibly moved and promised to expedite the fencing project. A working meeting was immediately scheduled with local officials and Rabbi Kopulovitz to overcome bureaucratic hurdles and honor the memory of those buried there.

This commitment marks a significant step in restoring dignity to the Jewish cemetery in Radzymin, reflecting broader efforts to preserve Jewish heritage sites in Poland.