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Jewish Gravestones Found In Polish Basement

Local historian discovered the headstones in a house set to be torn down

by
Hannah Dreyfus
April 01, 2014
Jewish gravestones discovered in basement of home in Golina, Poland. (Virtual Shtetl)
Jewish gravestones discovered in basement of home in Golina, Poland. (Virtual Shtetl)

Seven Jewish gravestones were found built into the basement ceiling of a home in the Polish town of Golina, Jewish Heritage Europe reports. The gravestones were discovered by chance when local historian Krzysztof Grochowski was photographing the disused house before it was torn down.

Virtual Shtetl, quoting a local Polish TV station, reports:

In the past, the building housed an ice-cream shop and a furniture store. Grochowski was initially intrigued by the unintelligible inscriptions. The removal of old plasterwork revealed seven Jewish headstones in the ceiling.



In all probability, the headstones come from the Jewish cemetery in Golina. Due to its total devastation, there are no matzevos preserved any more. It remains unknown exactly when the headstones were used for the construction of the ceiling in the building, which was erected in the interwar years. It could have happened during or after the Second World War.

Though the stones are in good condition, the local monuments preservation office is taking care to see that the relics are properly handled. The stones are expected to be included in a museum exhibition or as part of a memorial site to remember the Jewish cemeteries destroyed across Poland during World War II.

Hannah Dreyfus is an editorial intern at Tablet.