JEWISH HERITAGE SOCIETY
SALVAGE OF OUR HERITAGE
The pictures are from photos made during the Society's expeditions in Jewish communities of the former USSR and from historical manuscripts collected.
Throughout the 20th century notorious for unprecedented tragedies, upheavals and losses it caused to the Jewish people, a variety of Jewish scholars, religious leaders and public figures have repeatedly emphasized the importance of collection, documenting and preservation of Jewish cultural and historical heritage in Eastern Europe. Their appeals remain relevant to the present.
1915
We are living through an extraordinarily important historical moment without precedent in world history. We are living through an extraordinarily painful global process in which the life of man, the life of hundreds of thousands is reduced to a speck of dust that falls onto one side of the scale that weighs the histories of nations and races. The world war rages on ... We must become the historians of our part in the process. Woe to the people whose history is written by strange hands and whose own writers have nothing left but to compose songs of lament, prayers and dirges after the fact.
Become historians yourselves! Record, take it down, and collect! See to it that nothing is lost or forgotten ... Whatever can be recorded should be recorded, and whatever be photographed should be photographed. Material evidence should be collected ... We hope that our appeal will not be a call in the wilderness but will resound within every Jewish heart and that it will awaken the activity that can only be hoped for.
I.L.Peretz, Yankev Dinezon, S.Ansky-Rapoport,
Yiddish daily "Haynt", Warsaw
1942
A great historical mission is to rescue, for the sake of Jewish culture, whatever can still be saved ... Jewry allowed valuable historical treasures to be lost during the First World War. We must ensure that this never happens again. There has never been such an opportunity as now to acquire and purchase rare minute-books, historical documents, antique items, etc. We must not neglect this moment and let it pass. ... Experts in the field should be sent to various cities and towns to collect and purchase all possible historical documents, objects, minute-books, and important books. This should be done according to the model set by S.Anski of blessed memory during the previous World War ... It is necessary to emphasize the importance of minute-books, religious objects, old seforim for history and scholarship. ... The work must be conducted, first and foremost, in those places where there is danger of expulsion, in order to rescue whatever one can before it is too late ...
Rabbi Shimon Huberband,
"Kiddush ha Shem", Warsaw ghetto
1981
... The building of the synagogue is likely to be preserved contrary to its sacred objects like Tora scrolls, old books, ritual artifacts! In time everything would have rotten in a cellar. Many synagogues in cities and towns of the USSR are doomed to this ... How could one preserve the sacred objects? How could one save old books from the synagogues libraries? ... Are there any enthusiasts able to take on this task?
Israel Tayar,
"Synagogue - destroyed but not defeated", Jerusalem
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