‘Knowing Baczyński’s Jewish roots can help us better understand his writings’

MATI SHEMOELOF talks to the non-Jewish Pole trying to shine a light on the little-known Jewish background life of a Polish poet who was killed in the Holocaust

THE POLISH PARLIAMENT declared last year that 2021 would be the year of the Jewish poet Kashistof Kamil Baczyński.

The 23-year-old Baczyński and members of his family perished in the Holocaust. Dr Michał Laszczkowski, the non-Jewish president of Poland’s Cultural Heritage Foundation, has discovered the tombstones of Baczyński’s relatives.

Laszczkowski has teamed with the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland and was a driving force behind the Polish government’s decision in 2017 to launch a $US28 million investment fund devoted to restoring and maintaining the Jewish Cemetery in Okopowa Street, Warsaw. Poles regard Baczyński as a Polish (Christian) poet; Laszczkowski is working to shine a public spotlight on his Jewish identity.

Why did you go looking for Baczyński 's Jewish relatives?

Baczyński’s Jewish side is not hidden but is little known.  Last year, when the parliament declared 2021 the year of Baczyński, I decided to check if the graves of his ancestors still exist. I checked the name of his Jewish mother, who had converted to Christianity.

I discovered that his grandparents, who were murdered by the Nazis, are buried in our Warsaw Jewish cemetery. I was lucky that the tombstones exist because many were destroyed during the war or afterwards. I shared this information on my social media and with colleagues.

On Baczyński’s birthday, I was interviewed by Polish newspapers about the Jewish connections in Polish culture and I mentioned finding the graves. This interview was interesting for many people because they didn’t know of Baczyński’s Jewish background.

MS: Does the Jewish side of Baczyński help us understand better Polish culture?

ML: Baczyński’s poetry is very big in Polish culture. But few know it has a Jewish root. Knowing this can help us understand the depth of this writings. For example, in the 1980s, the lyrics of a famous song were adapted from a Baczyński poem.

Most Poles thought the song was about the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. But Baczyński had already been shot by the Nazis when this uprising began. His poem was about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.

Tell me more about your activism.

I visited the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw during a high school trip; fifteen-years later, I went there for a walk and saw it was overgrown, the biggest jungle in Europe. So, my friends and I started an association that organises volunteers to uncover the history of the cemetery.

We learned about the different societies that were buried there. For example, , Orthodox Jews with Hebrew names on their tombstones. We learned about Jews who were 100 per cent Polish, through what was the written on their tombstones – inscriptions that, for instance, said someone died in 1918 like a respectable Polish citizen.  If anyone writes such a thing on a tombstone, the person buried was sure to be Polish.

We started working more professionally in the cemetery to help it survive. We understood that this is our heritage, and we are responsible for protecting it.

So where was Baczyński buried?

Warsaw is full of cemeteries. There is a Jewish cemetery with famous figures such as the Yiddish writers Ansky, Yaakov Dinzon and YL Peretz all buried there. On the other side of the wall is a Catholic cemetery. And there is also civil cemetery which was previously a military cemetery. Baczyński is buried in the civil cemetery. His mother and wife are also buried there. 

What else did you find out about his family?

Baczyński grew up with his mother’s Jewish family. When the Nazis occupied Warsaw, he stayed with his mother - who had converted to Christianity - in the “German” side of the city.  In August 1943, Baczyński's uncle (from this mother’s side), Professor Adam Zielczyk, was shot dead by the Gestapo.

Baczyński must have had emotional scars, nightmares etc. We also assume he went to the funeral of his grandmother from his mother’s side who died in 1938 and was buried on the Warsaw Jewish cemetery. His grandfather died when he was three years old. He must have visited the Jewish cemetery to commemorate them. So, not only did he have Jewish roots, he was close to Jewish culture.

What is the role of the surviving Jewish cemetery in Warsaw?

In Warsaw nothing survived World War II, the city was destroyed. The Jewish cemetery is a kind of museum that stands under the sky. In a paradoxical way, it shows the life that once existed.

Our association tries to create a network of people who help us preserve the cemeteries in their towns. And I am surprised at how many institutions and people have joined the initiative.

We have signed documents of cooperation with at least 40 institutions. And soon 20 more will join. Discoveries such as Baczyński’s Jewish roots help people understand why Poland’s Jewish cemeteries should be protected.

Photo: Dr Michal Laszczkowski