Objects

Mug

Ceramic mug from the collection of objects found in the house of Szymon Kluger (1925–2000), the last Jewish resident of Oświęcim. Szymon was one of the Jewish residents of Oświęcim who survived the Holocaust and eventually returned to their hometown. Surprisingly, he did so in the 1960s, when the last remaining Jews were on the point of leaving the town in the face of mounting antisemitism and a growing sense of isolation. They decided to leave Poland for good, joining their families, primarily in the United States and in Israel, and less commonly in select Western European cities. Of the eleven-strong family, only Szymon and his two siblings, sister Bronia and brother Mojżesz, survived the Shoah. All the other members of the Kluger family perished during WW2: father Symcha, a pre-war melamed, one of many religious teachers living at that time in Oświęcim, mother Fryda, and their six children. Little is known about the circumstances of their death. Szymon Kluger’s WW2 life and post-war existence are also shrouded in mystery. In 1939, when the war broke out, Szymon was 14. He was witness to the gradual eradication of the Jewish presence in Oświęcim. In 1941, alongside his father and most probably some of his relatives, he was relocated to the ghetto in Będzin. Then, he was transferred to Blechhammer, an Auschwitz-Birkenau subcamp in Kędzierzyn Koźle), and subsequently to the Buchenwald and Gross Rosen camps. After liberation he found himself in Sweden, where he worked as a mechanic for a dry-cleaner’s in Stockholm. Little is also known about his life in Scandinavia. The reasons for his sudden return to Oświęcim in 1961, when the once thriving Jewish community had already been gone, remain undetermined. Upon his return, he settled in his family house at 18 Kościelna Street (before the war: 287 Podzamcze Street; presently: 2 ks. Jan Skarbek Square), adjacent to the only surviving pre-war Jewish house of prayer in Oświęcim – Khevre Loymdei Mishnayos (Hebrew: Association of those who study Mishna). At that point, the building of the Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue was converted into a storehouse, and later it was occupied by a carpet warehouse. As the last Jewish resident of the town, Szymon acted as the self-appointed guardian of the synagogue. He found employment in the Synthos Chemical Plant in Oświęcim. And then one day he stopped coming to work. He spent most of his days in the family house, which continued to fall into disrepair. Mainly keeping to himself, he rarely entertained guests or maintained ties with the world outside. Although his living conditions kept on deteriorating, he still looked after the long-forgotten Jewish house of worship. His siblings (Bronia and Mojżesz) intended to invite him over to the United States, but he consistently declined their offer. He did not live to see the re-opening of the synagogue. He died three months short of the completion of its renovation, on 26 May 2000, but remained aware of the restoration work in progress, fulfilling his duty as a guardian till the end. He was buried in his hometown – in the local Jewish cemetery (Polish: kirkut). Today, the Kluger House is home to Café Bergson, which – together with the restored synagogue and a newly established museum – is managed by the Auschwitz Jewish Centre. Founded in Oświęcim in 2000, it cultivates the memory of the Jewish community that constituted over half of the town’s prewar population. Szymon Kluger was their last representative. , For over 150 years, Włocławek has been a byname for glazed ceramic ware (faience) in Poland. In 1873, in the then Żelazna Street (presently: Kościuszko Street), the first faience factory in the town was founded, later known as the Teichfeld & Asterblum Włocławek Faience Factory (1882–1939). Soon, other factories were established, including the Engelman & Schreier Faience Factory (est. 1880; later known as the Czamański Faience Factory), the Keramos Faience Factory (1894–1924), and the Cohn Brothers Polish Faience Factory (est. 1922; later known as the Czarniecki Chemical Plant). Before the outbreak of WW2, Włocławek was the key ceramic producer in Poland, and the wares manufactured in the town were distributed internationally. In 1945, all the existing factories were nationalised and consolidated into one. It operated under a number of names, depending on the historical period, e.g. United Polish Faience Factories (1945–1955), the 1905 Russian Revolution Faience Factory (1956–1973), the 1905 Russian Revolution Tableware Factory (1973–1991). In 1991, the ongoing economic slump led to the closing down of the factory. In 2002, thanks to the involvement of the Szanowski family, the factory resumed its production. Today, the Włocławek Faience Factory remains fully operational.

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Information about the object
Author / creator
Włocławskie Zakłady Fajansu im. Rewolucji 1905 roku (Włocławek; ?-?)
Object type
personal accessories
Place of creation
Włocławek (Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province)
Technique
ceramic
Material
faience
Keywords
Copyright status
the object is not protected by copyright law
Owner
Oshpitzin Jewish Museum in Oświęcim
Identification number
MZ-289-O