Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland was established by the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland and the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO). Our mission is to protect and commemorate the surviving monuments of Jewish cultural heritage in Poland. The Foundation is active in regions whose location far from major cities makes it difficult for Jewish communities to provide adequate care. Our area of operation covers nearly two thirds of Poland.

Aims:
Reclaiming the properties which before WWII were the property of Jewish Religious Communities and other Jewish legal entities (based on the Law on the Relationship between the State and the Union of Jewish Religious Communities of 1997), and providing legal services for the regulatory procedure;
Managing returned properties; and
Protecting properties bearing special religious or historical significance.

Bank Accounts:
PLN: PL 23 1030 1508 0000 0005 0294 3006
USD: PL 98 1030 1508 0000 0005 0294 3014
Wire transfers details

Newsletter
If you want to be informed about current Foundation's activities and projects, please subscribe to our newsletter. Subscription form is located on the right-bottom corner of our website.

Cemeteries renovation and commemoration
Cemeteries renovation and commemoration has always been for us an issue of particular importance. In turn, we cooperate regularly with the Rabbinic Commission in the field of cemeteries’ upkeep.As a result of our cooperation with local organizations and private allies, as of the end of 2005 we have succeeded in restoring the cemeteries in Kolno, Koszalin, Kozienice, Różan, Strzegowo, and Zakopane. We continue to coordinate projects in Bodzanów, Dubienka, Frampol, Iłża, Iwaniska, Mszczonów, Narol, Przasnysz, Sochaczew, Zielona Góra and Ziębice.

Partnerships, local development, revitalization
Jewish monuments are an integral part of the cultural heritage of Poland. We strive to make these monuments a factor of local development, acquiring new cultural and economic functions to bolster the local communities. Sustainable regeneration proceeds only in a strong local partnership with local authorities and NGOs. As such, it is the focal point of our strategy to build these partnerships.

Revitalization of the synagogue in Zamosc
The Renaissance synagogue in the Zamosc Old City is one of the most spectacular monuments of Jewish heritage in Poland. The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland has been the owner of the building since 2005. Our goal is to transform the synagogue into a modern cultural institution that will serve both Jewish visitors to Zamosc and the local community. 

In 2008 the project “Revitalization of the Renaissance synagogue in Zamosc for the needs of the Chassidic Route and the local community” is supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. Construction and conservation works commenced in July 2009 and will be completed by October 2010. 

Revitalization of the synagogue complex in Krasnik
Within the framework of the “Revitalization of the Renaissance synagogue in Zamosc for the needs of the Chassidic Route and the local community” project an activity “Restoration of the synagogue complex in Krasnik - phase I (protective works from further decay)” is also implemented. The works in Krasnik (a town 90 km away from Zamosc) have commenced at the beginning of July, 2010 and will be completed by April 2011.


Educational programs
We believe education activities to be crucial support for effective and successful heritage preservation. For this reason, the Foundation has started the “To Bring Memory Back” educational program for Polish schools. It encourages young people to discover the multicultural history of their region and to bring their discoveries and knowledge back to the larger public. Voluntary upkeep of the local cemeteries is an integral part of the project.

Since 2005 over 300 schools and culture centers, over 7 thousands students and 350 teachers from all over Poland participated in the ‘To Bring Memory Back’ program. Their activities can be found on the program’s website www.pamiec.fodz.pl

Antisemitism
We monitor and inform appropriate authorities about all recognized anti-Semitic incidents and acts of vandalism directed against the Polish Jews’ historical heritage. The list of our reports of these incidents can be found at our website.

Agence France Presse/AFP published an article on the regulation process in Poland, dated November 12, 2008.
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An article written by Herbert Block, entitled "The Restitution of Holocaust-Era Jewish Communal Property: An Unfinished Item on the Jewish Diplomatic Agenda" recently appeared in the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, published in February 2009 by the Israel Council on Foreign Relations, which is affiliated with the World Jewish Congress.
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On April 21, 2010, the Israeli English-language daily "The Jerusalem Post" published an article entitled "Give it Back". The article deals with the subject of restitution of Jewish private property in modern day Poland.  
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In June 2010the Ivansk Project E-newsletter, issued by the Ivansker Society composed of the descendants of Jews of Iwaniska, published an article written by the CEO of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland, describing the activities of our organization.
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