Remembering Wolbrom

“The real Wolbrom is no more, but its remnants and survivors settled in the land of Israel, and they continue to contribute to our culture, to our future and to our struggles. Like a candle for the dead, they preserve an eternal image of Jewish Wolbrom, of past generations and of the victims of the destruction. And the remnants who live in countries far away from the mass graves of the Wolbrom martyrs will never forget their hometown, where they have their roots….”

M. Sh. Gshuri (Bruckner) in Wolbrom Irenu

		After the Holocaust, a few survivors returned to Wolbrom, but did not remain for long. The Wolbrom that they knew and they loved, no longer existed. The Jewish community of Wolbrom, which once pulsated with such vitality and life, was now only a memory.
		A few years after the war, the government of Poland affixed a memorial plaque in Wolbrom’s Jewish cemetery in memory of the 800 Jews of the town and its surrounds who were murdered and buried in the nearby forest. In 1988, a monument to the 4,500 Jews of the town who perished during the Holocaust was erected on the same site. A few gravestones at the cemetery still remained standing, but nothing remained of the community's handsome and unique synagogue; the residents of the city and its surroundings dismantled the building and used its bricks for their houses. One Beit Midrash became a warehouse, while another was turned into a women's monastery.
		Many survivors from Wolbrom made their way to Israel to take part in the growth, development and defense of the Jewish state.
		There have been numerous efforts in the ensuing years to commemorate the community of Wolbrom and its Jewish inhabitants:
		In 1962 the Association of former residents of Wolbrom published a Yizkor Book, commemorating their community. The book, “Wolbrom Irenu” (Our Town Wolbrom), was written in Hebrew and Yiddish. Hundreds of Yizkor books were published after the Holocaust by both individuals and organizations to remember their communities and those who perished.
		Names of the victims have been inscribed by their relatives or friends on Pages of Testimony in Yad Vashem’s Hall of Names.
		The names of many of those who perished have been recorded in the Memorial book ‘Wolbrom Irenu’
		The name ‘Wolbrom’ has been engraved on a wall in Valley of the Communities at Yad Vashem.
		Monument to Wolbrom in the Tel Aviv Cemetery

“For more than one thousand years, Jews lived in Europe, organizing communities to preserve their distinct identity. In periods of relative tranquility, Jewish culture flourished, but in periods of unrest, Jews were forced to flee. Wherever they settled, they endowed the people amongst whom they lived with their talents. Here their stories will be told..”