Polish Jews Hope To Raze Historic Warsaw Ghetto Building
The Jewish community of Warsaw is advancing plans to demolish one of its historical, ghetto-era buildings in favor of new offices.
The Jewish community favors a plan which would replace the White House on Twarda Street with a 20-story building where the community – which has tripled in size since the fall of Communism – could accommodate more members during celebrations and on weekends, according to the Associated Press, .
But the Association of Protectors of Warsaw’s Cultural Heritage has filed a petition to the Cultural Ministry asking that the building – one of the few that survived the German onslaught on the old Warsaw Ghetto – be declared a historical site. The ministry is expected to decide on the issue in the coming months.
“An opinion that I can’t agree with is that the building is more important than the future of the community,” Andrzej Zozula, vice president of the Jewish community, told the Associated Press.
Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich also supports the plan to replace the building with a modern structure.
The white building reportedly is in a clear state of decay. Though it has a cellar that dates back more than two centuries, most of the building is about 130 years old and has undergone major transformations since.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO