they place written prayers on small pieces of paper at the rabbi's tomb asking for his intercession in matters of personal importance accompanied by traditional dances and the singing of psalms conclude with a kosher meal consisting of salmon Witold Wójcik of the Leżajsk Hasidic Jews Foundation told Poland's PAP news agency that "for the Hasidim He described the annual event in the Polish town as "a time of joyful celebration The foundation has prepared a feast for up to 12,000 pilgrims The Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport has handled 26 flights in the past two days from Israel Seventeen planes from Israel alone brought more than 3,000 passengers Chasydzi modlą się w Leżajsku przy grobie cadyka Elimelecha [NASZE WIDEO + ZDJĘCIA] #PAPinformacje https://t.co/4kW2BNwEoZ Weisblum was one of the founders of the Hasidic movement which sought to revive Judaism in the 18th century He was known as both a spiritual healer and a leader of Jewish mysticism Leżajsk was home to about 3,000 Jews and was an important centre of Hasidic Judaism in Poland The town's two synagogues were burnt down in September 1939 The tradition of annual prayers at Weisblum's tomb was revived in the 1970s remains one of the most sacred sites for Hasidic Jews attracting pilgrims year-round for Jewish holidays and private visits By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org (JTA) — Dozens of Jewish headstones were discovered under the asphalt of a local market in Poland The headstones had been placed in the heart of Leżajsk, a town located about 120 miles south of Warsaw, at least 80 years ago, according to a report Friday in the Gazeta Wyborca daily which were uncovered during construction work that began in June have been removed and stored by the municipality which will consult Jewish community officials on what to do with the find Between 1918 and 1939, Leżajsk’s population of about 5,000 was 90% Jewish, according to Yad Vashem Many of them were saved thanks to the town’s proximity to the partition line that separated the German and Soviet occupation zones in Poland following the invasion of those armies into Poland in 1939 The Germans sent many Leżajsk Jews to the Soviet occupation zone where some were exiled into the heartland of Russia — a turn of events that meant they were safe from the Nazis when they opened the eastern front with the former Soviet Union in 1941 But the Jews of Leżajsk never re-established a community there after the Holocaust ending a centuries-old Jewish presence in the town Both the Nazi occupation forces and communist regimes used Jewish headstones as building material throughout Eastern and Central Europe About 90% of Poland’s Jewish minority of 3.3 million people perished in the Holocaust JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent I accept the Privacy Policy 2020Get email notification for articles from Ofer Aderet FollowSep 18 Poland – The first gravestone was uncovered on July 8 By the end of the summer it was clear that this was a historic discovery of a kind that only comes along once in decades One that would draw the attention of many people around the world make a major contribution to historical research and close a circle and bring some justice for those who can no longer make their cries heard Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website Each of our funeral homes offers a complete range of services in tastefully decorated Professionally trained and licensed staff members stand ready to provide sensitive caring service and strive to exceed the expectations of each and every family.Our communities are wonderfully diverse in religious beliefs Our staff truly appreciates these differences and our training includes heartfelt understanding and respect for the special needs of all whom we serve Hartford | Windsor | Poquonock | Granby | Suffield | South Windsor | Rockville | Vernon | Avon© Carmon Community Funeral Homes | Funeral Home Website Design By Frazer Consultants & TA Your browser may not work with certain site. 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Aug 8, 2020 | Culture, History Over 150 historic Jewish tombstones have been unearthed during construction in the market square of Leżajsk It is the largest such discovery in Poland for many years the Polish town had a large Jewish population and became an important site for Hasidic Judaism gravestones were taken from the Jewish cemetery to be used in construction Those now discovered under the square were used by the German occupiers when laying a road They have been gradually uncovered over recent weeks after renovation works began in early June The tombstones had been buried below a layer of sand brick and asphalt along a 30-metre stretch of road many have been better conserved than the surviving tombstones at the local Jewish cemetery Almost one hundred of the matzevot are mostly in tact often with just their curved tops hewn off to allow for tighter placement side-by-side Another fifty had been cut into smaller pieces and spread out There are over 150 and not all of them have yet been removed,” Ewa Kędzierska In the interwar period, Leżajsk’s Jews made up around one third of the town’s population Leżajsk also became a major centre for the Hasidism that emerged in the 18th century One of the movement’s most important early figures was Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk (the Yiddish name for Leżajsk) thousands of Hasidic Jews undertake an annual pilgrimage to his grave in the town and Kędzierska speculates that one of the tombstones – which features golden inscriptions in Yiddish – could have belonged to the rabbi “I hope this one could come from the grave of Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum of Lizhensk,” says Kędzierska “That would be a great discovery.” 16,000 Jews undertook the pilgrimage to Leżajsk over 20,000 were expected before the coronavirus prevented travel An estimated 6,000 Jews from around the world are visiting the Polish town of Leżajsk to pray at the tomb of Rabbi Elimelech Weisblum, one of the founders of the Hasidic movement, on the 231st anniversary of his death pic.twitter.com/NqhVy718uF — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) March 8, 2018 The age and ownership of the gravestones is yet to be determined as they await further research and translation of the Yiddish inscriptions the German occupiers paved the market using bricks from the town’s demolished synagogue and two bombed-out buildings they began using gravestones from the Jewish cemetery an elderly man approached the archaeologists and said that “he remembered when the matzevot were brought to the market in carts” She also noted that it was not only the Germans that used Jewish tombstones for construction KOLEJNE MACEWY ZOSTAŁY ZABEZPIECZONE I KOLEJNY BRUK ODKRYTYW ubiegłym tygodniu wydobyto spod asfaltu Opublikowany przez Ireneusz Stefański – Burmistrz Leżajska Sobota, 25 lipca 2020 The town’s authorities have for now secured and stored the unearthed tombstones and a decision on what to do with them next will be taken in consultation with Jewish religious authorities Filip Szczepański from the Rabbinical Commission for Cemeteries which operates under the authority of the chief rabbi of Poland and therefore should not be placed in a museum “It is best if they return to the Jewish cemetery they come from,” says Szczepański Image credits: Ireneusz Stefański – Burmistrz Leżajska/Facebook Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland , , Karol Nawrocki even suggested that the state security services were involved in creating the scandal , , The 1,200 square metre national symbol was unfurled on the beach in Międzyzdroje , , The proportion of Poles saying the US has a positive influence on the world has also fallen to its lowest recorded level Apr 30, 2025 | , , , That response will include “large Polish and NATO exercises in Poland” Apr 29, 2025 | , , , Those employed in Poland work on average the third-longest hours in the European Union Apr 28, 2025 | , , , , Westinghouse and Bechtel were first chosen in 2022 as partners on the 192 billion zloty 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known for its rich tradition… You must be a Standard 1 Year member to access this content Join Now User Agreement | Privacy Policy | Technologies Used This annual pilgrimage marks the 211th anniversary of Biderman's death Hasidic Jews believe that on the anniversary of his death Biderman descends from heaven to collect their requests and deliver them to God These requests are written on small pieces of paper and placed on his grave director of the Leżajsk Hasidic Foundation in Poland said that around 3,500 people could participate in the Lelów event is expected to attract up to 12,000 pilgrims is one of the most venerated figures among Hasidic Jews He was also said to have the capacity to heal others The first written records of Lelów date back to the 12th century Jews accounted for half of its population of 4,000 Most of them were killed by the Germans during the war Log in and download the free e-publication of the latest A&B The printed version is available for sale online in our store and press salons throughout Poland unique e-mail [will also be used as login in the portal] Only name - check the correctness of the data Only the last name - check the correctness of the data password must be at least 8 characters long * fields required for registration; data can be completed in account settings after logging in ** establishment of a student account follows verification of the validity of the student ID card Please try later or let us know: contact Technology: aitnet.pl Ⓒ AiB Publishing House 2025 Roszkiewicz spent much of his life honoring the memory of his parents who came to this country from Poland many years ago Roszkiewicz helped send millions of dollars worth of medical supplies textbooks and emergency vehicles to that country through his participation in the philanthropic organization Friends of Poland the people living in and around the city of Lezajsk will have yet another reason to remember his family name It is etched on an ambulance about to be shipped to the hospital there "This is all in memory of Henry," group president Walter J "The ambulance is going to where his parents were born They were from a village called Nowa Sarzyna a former chairman of the board of the Friends of Poland received a Medal of Merit from the Polish government for his work more than two dozen members of the Friends of Poland gathered again yesterday to give their official blessing to the latest ambulance bound for an area in desperate need Many Polish hospitals lack the basic supplies American medical centers take for granted as he stood among more than two dozen group members admiring the ambulance in the parking lot of Thad's Steak House on Ashley Boulevard Reaching inside the rear door of the 1992 Ford Econoline Jarnot pulled out a box of surgical clamps -- standard issue in any operating room but sorely lacking in many Polish village hospitals "He wanted a lot of money for all of the stuff but we talked about it and ended up paying a nominal fee has donated several used vehicles to the Friends of Poland But these people do a terrific job fixing these ambulances up And to see it get used by people who really need it who runs the company with her husband James said the company's relationship with the Friends of Poland was a natural; she is a native of New Bedford and her mother was Polish we had an ambulance we were going to give away he told her "'It was like you dropped from heaven.'" And the next time a medical emergency arises in the little town of Nowa Sarzyna there will be a vehicle marked "Ambulance" to make a life-saving journey it will also say something else "Dar Wimieniu Henryka Roszkiewicza" -- Donated in the name of Henry Roszkiewicz." and other medical equipment that is being shipped to Poland reads "Donated in the name of Henry Roszkiewicz." A group of more than 1,000 Jews who took part in the prayers on Tuesday have left the site to make room for new groups the last of which is scheduled to leave Leżajsk by Friday noon Hasidic Jews believe that a person's soul returns to the place of his or her burial on the anniversary of their death This year marks the 235th anniversary of Elimelech’s death Jews visit his grave in Leżajsk to ask his spirit to help them with important life issues such as health and prosperity in business and family participants have a kosher meal consisting of beef The anniversary of his death is a movable feast for Jews who come to Leżajsk on the 21st day of the month of Adar in the Jewish calendar which falls in the second half of February or the beginning of March Leżajsk had a sizeable Jewish population and was among the most important centres of the Hasidic movement in Poland The tradition of the annual prayers at Elimelech's tomb was revived in the mid-1970s The main celebration was held overnight into Friday Those who finish their prayers leave the site to make room for more arrivals with an estimated total of around 3,000 expected this week Some 500 Jews plan to remain in Leżajsk for the Sabbath The prayers at Weisblum's tomb last two to three hours They visit Weisblum's grave in Leżajsk to ask his spirit to help them with important life issues All requests are written down on small pieces of paper which are accompanied by traditional dances and the singing of psalms thousands more Jewish pilgrims are expected to gather in Leżajsk for additional remembrance ceremonies with their numbers potentially reaching 15,000 Weisblum was one of the founders of the Hasidic movement whose aim was to revive Judaism in the 18th century He gained a reputation as a healer of souls and bodies The tradition of the annual prayers at Weisblum's tomb was revived in the 1970s The first groups started arriving there on Monday and the last ones will depart on Thursday He gained a reputation as a healer of souls and bodies and wrote a treatise called Noam Elimelech The tradition of the annual prayers at Weisblum's tomb was revived in the 1970s is one of the most sacred places in the world It attracts many Jewish groups to observe various Jewish holidays as well as during private pilgrimages and tours of Poland