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ZMIDEK FAMILY
Lodz

Sue in Piotrakowski St
photo : Thomas

Churh in Plac Wolnowski( Liberty Sq)
photo : Thomas / Sue

Marq
photo : Thomas / Sue

Jewish cemetery
View of the Beit Tahara (house of purification) from the entrance to the cemetery.
This is the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, covering more than 40 hectares. About 230,000 Jews are buried here. During the war, an estimated 45,000 people were interred in the so-called Ghetto Field.
Photo : Gabrielle
This is the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, covering more than 40 hectares. About 230,000 Jews are buried here. During the war, an estimated 45,000 people were interred in the so-called Ghetto Field.
Photo : Gabrielle

Beit Tahara (house of purification)
This is where bodies are purified before burial

Interior of the Beit Tahara (house of purification)
Listening to our guide, Tomasz
Left to right:
Alex, Tomasz, Steve, Jeff, Lois, Gabrielle, Susan
Left to right:
Alex, Tomasz, Steve, Jeff, Lois, Gabrielle, Susan

Purification table
photo : Thomas / Sue

Gate to the cemetery
photo : Thomas / Sue

Listening to our guide Tomasz
Left to right:
Alex,Tomasz, Jon, Jeff, Susan, David, Lois
Alex,Tomasz, Jon, Jeff, Susan, David, Lois

Commemorative plaque in the Ghetto Field
During the war, an estimated 45,000 people were interred in the so-called Ghetto Field.

The Ghetto Field

The Ghetto Field

A grave in the Ghetto Field
'According to the Jewish community's archives, an estimated 45,000 victims were buried in this section during the years 1940-44. After the war, the area was named the Ghetto Field. Note that there were no mass graves for Jews in Lodz. Efforts were made to ensure each body was buried in its own grave. Even though most of the graves here have no headstones, as a result of the detailed records that were kept, the place of burial for the vast majority of the ghetto victims can be found. Many of the Jews buried here were deportees from the regional area, brought in from the smaller ghettoes in Wloclawek, Glowno, Strykow, Brzeziny, Sieradz, Zdunska Wola or Wielun. There are also the graves of those deported from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Luxembourg and Germany.'
Information extracted from the website:
Information extracted from the website:

Harry in the Ghetto field
photo : Thomas / Sue

Gravestones

Gravestones

Jewish cemetery
Jon with our guide Tomasz are trying to locate the grave of Szymon Zmidek. Harry is looking on.

Searching for the grave of Szymon Zmidek

Jewish cemetery
Marq, Patricia, Jeff, Jon and Alex at the grave of Szymon Zmidek

The grave of Szymon Zmidek
The following is inscribed on Szymon Zmidek's gravestone:
He was renowned for his good name (literally, he was known at the gates)
From his youth, he walked the path of righteousness
He occupied himself with Torah and labor (the concept of Torah v'avodah)
He taught his sons (to walk) in the ways of righteousness
May his soul be everlasting and become one with the universe
Reb Shimon, son of Reb Yakir z'l
Born on the 4th day of chol haMoed, Pesach, 19?? (indecipherable)
The first letter of each line spells out his name in Hebrew - שמעון Shimon
He was renowned for his good name (literally, he was known at the gates)
From his youth, he walked the path of righteousness
He occupied himself with Torah and labor (the concept of Torah v'avodah)
He taught his sons (to walk) in the ways of righteousness
May his soul be everlasting and become one with the universe
Reb Shimon, son of Reb Yakir z'l
Born on the 4th day of chol haMoed, Pesach, 19?? (indecipherable)
The first letter of each line spells out his name in Hebrew - שמעון Shimon

Interior of the original ghetto building

Radegast train station
Radegast train station was used as the Umschalgplatz (collection point) for the transportations from the Lodz Ghetto. Now a memorial to approximately 200,000 Polish, Austrian, German, Luxemburg and Czech Jews who passed through the station on the way to their death during the period from January 16, 1942 to August 29, 1944.
Left to right:
Gabrielle, Patricia, Tomasz, Susan, Thomas
Left to right:
Gabrielle, Patricia, Tomasz, Susan, Thomas

Radegast

Radegast
A horrific detail of a cattlecar used to transport Jews to the death camps

train used for or similar to the ones used for the transportations at Radegast station
photo : Thomas / Sue
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