The Second Dawid Rubinowicz Days took place from 26.08.2009 to 30.08.2009 and for five days transformed our town of  Bodzentyn which  became the home of cultural events of the highest order. Thanks to the combined  efforts of the organisers: the  Dawid Rubinowicz  Society,  the “Odnowica”  Society for Rural Regeneration, the Jan Karski Society, the Society of Friends of Bodzentyn and Stefan Rachtan himself as well the good will of  individual all the proceedings took on an aura of  a grand occasion.  This all started at 3 pm on Wednesday with the rededication of the Jewish cemetery which had been brought back to life through the efforts of the citizens of Bodzentyn and which took place in the presence of representatives of three faiths: Fr Leszek Sikorski, Michael Schudrich the chief Rabbi of Poland and evangelical pastor Janusz Daszut.

Amongst the many guests in attendance  from both  home and abroad were:  Lena Jersenius Bureau Chief of the Swedish  Committee against anti-Semitism, the well-known  Swedish journalist and initiator of the project  Ewa Wymark and the USA cultural attaché J. Briganti, The ceremony was begun by Mayor Stanisław Mark Krak and conducted by Bogdan Białek. The moment when residents of Bodzentyn became conscious of the cemetery’s return to its rightful and proper stature was indeed deeply mowing and unforgettable. For those people unable to take part in the occasion local TV and Radio Kielce had been assigned to broadcasts the event. Communal prayers said by the representatives of the three religions concluded this very solemn occasion. The day finished with a concert given by the Kantor, Meynard Gerber, permanently residing in Sweden and the Piotr Kowalik Band.

Thursday was a day dedicated to Dawid Rubinowicz and his diary. From 4pm onwards an exhibition of work inspired by the life and times of Dawid Rubinowicz was in place, in the gym of the A. Waciński, State Elementary School.  The scenes and images evoking  pre-war Bodzwentyn were created through the use of pin hole photography and  the outcome of a project organised by the Odnowica” Society for Rural Regeneration and run by Krystyna Nowakowska. Amongst   the exhibits an original butcher’s shop sign was there for all to see. A selection of paintings of local scenes by Józef Fąfarski; an artist with close ties with the town, was also on show.  Next we were treated to a pre-view of a one act play entitled Dawid’s God, written by J Domżała (based on Dawid’s diary) and performed by pupils of the gymnasium under the direction of Halina Mazur and Urszula Sokół.  The play was presented  with particular style and  was enthusiastically received by the local audience as well as the guests from abroad  On the same day there was a  showing of  Konrad Weis’s  controversial documentary on  Dawid’s Diary –  an outrageous attempt by a German   to recompense  the past.  Immediately afterwards we had the opportunity to listen to a radio report “Exodus from Bodzentyn” presented by Krzysztof Kąkolewski and Andrzej Mularczyk which included actual accounts of people who had known Dawid. The day was finally crowned with the performance of Dorota and Artur Anyż’s play based on the diary of Dawid Rubinowicz – the play which has been performed on many occasions abroad was particularly well received in France, as it certainly was here.

Friday was a rest day, with day three of the Dawid Rubinowicz days beginning with young people from the Wola Jachowa Commune treating the Bodzentyn community to a display of Jewish festivities, staging a daring production of Jewish customs, culture and humour.        The audience roused by the performance came onstage to express their   appreciation by dancing with the players and the producer and presenter Bernadeta Mechelewska, who took the lead part of the innkeeper priest from Wola Jachowa. Subsequently we all had the chance to watch the film "Po-Lin” by Jolanta Dylewska – a nostalgic portrayal of the lost world of small Jewish towns.  But the highlight of the day was certainly the performance by the Artura Hofman Cabaret and actors of the Jewish theatre. A highly professional show, which had the audience rolling in laughter, was of a class that I’m sure Bodzentyn hadn’t seen before, and I must say, I’ve seen quite a few.

Saturday 29.08.2009 was assigned to the launch of the Dawid Rubinowicz Society’s own publication of the book by Goldie Szachter – Kalib. Here a few word of explanation might help to point out that Goldie Szachter is one of very few former residents of Bodzentyn, of Jewish nationality to have survived the hell of the occupation. Daughter of Nusym Szachter, the richest Jewish person in Bodzentyn, now lives in the USA. After nearly forty years she wrote down her memoirs of her childhood days (in English) and published them as book in the States. The chairman of the Dawid Rubinowicz Society together with his wife Emilia took on the task of meticulously transcribing this invaluable book for the residents of Bodzentyn. Our Society on the other hand took upon itself to print the book allowing the dwellers of Bodzentyn and local people to recollect the realities of the forgotten world of pre-war Bodzentyn. The fourth day began with students from the gymnasium school reporting on a project which had been begun in the summer holidays was aimed at tracing the people mentioned in the Goldie Szachter’s book. T he project is expected to last a number of years but already we can say the results have been most encouraging. The next item on the programme agenda was an eagerly awaited discussion on the views on the book now they had read it about the book now that residents had had the opportunity to read the book, in relation to their own recollections of the past. The discussion lasted for well over an hour and attracted many valuable comments, observations and interesting insights, invaluable for carrying on the mission of the Dawid Rubinowicz Society. The main event of Saturday night was the play base on the book, “From Bodzentyn to Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen”, produced by distinguished Kielce artists Dorota and Artur Anyż. The play was performed by actors from the Jazz Club, Drama and Music Studio and was deemed a great success giving the audience a night to remember, leaving them literally with what could only be described as goose pimples. The audience applauded long after the finish of the play.  The day ended with a ceremonial thank you and presentation of small mementos to our dear guests from abroad. Two painting were donated for the occasion by Stanisław Wójcikowski, an artist born with roots in Bodzentyn now living in Paris have a strong affection for the town  A particular  kind word of  thanks is due  to Halina Borowiec the Head of the State Elementary School in Bodzentyn in  which the majority of  the Second Dawid Rubinowicz  activities and events took place.

Sunday 30.08.2009, the eve of the Seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War the town of Bodzentyn paid homage to the murdered residents of the Bodzentyn Commune. This at the same time brought the Second Dawid Rubinowicz Days, taking place since 26 August, to a close.  The ceremony commemorating this significant anniversary was held   in the Upper Market Square in front of the statue of St Florian and opened with a concert given by the Bodzentyn Youth Brass Band. After an exceptional rendering of patriotic music the Mayor of Bodzentyn, Stanisław Marek Krak gave a short moving speech about the events of that time. Stefan Rachtan, chairman of the Society of Friends of Bodzentyn then went on to saying a few words about the history of the town. Next came the i most important and indeed poignant part of the ceremony; the reading out of  names, in the presence of guests  from abroad, of 300 Bodzentyn  citizens  both Polish and Jewish, who had lost their  lives at the hands of the Nazi occupier  The names were read out in turn by residents of Bodzentyn and the guests from abroad. After the ending of this unforgettable moment a delegation embracing: representatives from the District Municipal Council –Mayor Stanisław Mark Krak, Deputy Mayor  Mariusz Kozera and councillor Jan Zygadlewicz, Chairman of the Society of Friends of Bodzentyn Stefan Rachtan,  Bureau Chief of the Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism,  Lena Jersenius   as well as representatives of the Dawid Rubinowicz Society – Justyny Drogosz and  Roberta Kity;  Leszek Wnętrzak representative of A. Jarubas, Marshal of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship and  Wojciech Wiśnios,  Starachowice Town Secretary, placed bouquets of flowers at the foot of the partisans memorial; the place of  execution next to the homestead  of the Czernikiewicz  family, and  at the Jewish cemetery. This solemn occasion was concluded with High Mass celebrated  by Father Dr Leszek Sikorski  who reminded us all of the atrocities of war and the importance  of freedom.

Jacek Poprawiak