Filmmaker and ADJCP friend Tanja Cumming continues her work on the recovered Gostynin matzevah fragments. With the help of a team of volunteers, the texts are being translated, and the fragments are being pieced together. Here is an example of three fragments that seem to have all been part of a memorial for Rivka, daughter of Asher Anshel. They continue this painstaking work, matching up text and ornamental features, comparing stone sizes and compositions.
The tombstones were recovered from a local inhabitant who found them in his garden and kept them safe in a garden shed for many years. Earlier this year, with the help of Gostynin resident Piotr Syska, the stones were transferred to the town’s Jewish cemetery where they are secured for the time being in metal cages called “gambions.”
The next step will be to build a lapidarium, a memorial wall incorporating the recovered tombstones, that will stand as a lasting reminder of Gostynin’s vibrant Jewish community. In addition, the catalogue of stones will be made public once they complete their work.
ADJCP 