The Last Jew of Nowy Sącz

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Around 10 years ago when I first arrived in Krakow I received an invitation from Anna Grygiel/Huryn, the last Jewish Polish citizen living in Nowy Sącz to come to the city and learn about its history, and to lecture on Judaism to a group of Poles before the holiday. I came several times and there was always a crowd of hundreds of Poles eager to learn about Judaism from a rabbi. We even set up a mock Passover seder and Rosh Hashana service a few days before the holidays so the locals could understand some of the traditions of the city which was so infused with Judaism before the war.

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Anna was born there, her parents and grandparents as well. She met me and proudly gave me a tour of the synagogue as well as the cemetery. She was thrilled that after so many years she would have the honor of hosting a rabbinic representative of the chief rabbi of Poland to her shtetl.

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This week Anna passed away suddenly in what Judaism calls ‘dying with a kiss’ as she suffered very little, but, at the age of 82, she was still quite young and energetic and her death is a shocking loss to her family, the city of Nowy Sącz and the entire Jewish community in Poland.

The funeral, conducted by me, according to Anna, her daughter Tamara, (and her husband Tadeusz’s) wishes was a testament to the love people felt about her as several hundred friends and acquaintances. It was the only funeral of a local Jew from the city since her mother Regina Kempinski passed away and was buried there in 1996. Today Anna lies next to her mother in a last act of respect.

Anna was the president of the Krakow branch of the Children’s Holocaust Association (Dzieci Holocaustu) and was a beloved and competent leader and spokesperson for the proud but dwindling survivor community. Catering to the once 80, now more like 40 survivors in the surrounding area, the meetings took place monthly at the JCC of Krakow and brought together survivors, their spouses, and children, as well as providing educational and social programming. Her love for the JCC community and her close friends motivated her to travel (until last month!) the 2-hour drive from Nowy Sącz to Krakow for the monthly meeting. She also came for holidays, shabbatot, and special occasions.

I just spoke with a smiling Anna last month at the JCC and she inquired, as always, about the welfare of my family, specifically my son who was in Gaza. I asked about her daughter Tamara, who lives in Israel as well as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the apples of her eye.

The Jewish funeral is called ‘chesed shel emet’, (ultimate kindness) since there is no repayment for escorting a Jewish body on its last stage as the soul departs and continues its journey to the heavens. There was an additional chesed that took place at the funeral for which Anna would have been very happy—it was a chance for the Polish community of Nowy Sącz to learn about the tradition of loss and comforting which embodies the Jewish condition.

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We began outside the gate of the cemetery where I asked Tamara, Anna’s daughter, to cut a garment she was wearing, representing a tear in her heart and a knowledge that nothing would be able to be repaired. Tamara recited a blessing together with me—‘dayan haemet’—in which we acknowledge that though we don’t understand why she was taken, God is the true judge and we accept it.

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After that moment the procession began towards the gravesite, though we made several stops on the way. This is an ancient tradition where the loved one was eulogized at several points during the procession and though we decided to conduct the eulogy at the gravesite we still followed the tradition.

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Once we arrived at the site the coffin was laid before the eyes of the family and I eulogized my old friend. Anna was always smiling and hugging and one might never suspect that she experienced the horrors of the Holocaust. Though she was just a baby, being forced to move over and over to elude the Nazis leaves an imprint even to a small child. Losing her father in Belzec and having her mother survive but never finding joy in her life, could have turned Anna into a bitter, sad woman; yet, the opposite was true and everyone loved and respected her.

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Nowy Sacz is a famed Jewish city with a prominent Hasidic dynasty (Sanz) and the cemetery is frequently visited by the Hasidim as Rabbi Halberstam, the Sanzer Rebbe is buried there. Despite its prominence, almost no Jews lived there, except Anna and her family. The city, with Anna’s help, and especially the help of a wonderful non-Jewish organization intent on preserving Jewish memory called Sądecki Sztetl, (she was an honorary ambassador) has experienced a revival with the synagogue converted into a beautiful museum and just this past Shabbat many Hasidim came to Sącz to pray. Mr. Joel Halberstam, a descendant of the dynasty is in charge of hachnasat orchim wanted to honor Anna and ensured that some Hasidim offered prayers for her soul.

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After the eulogy and kaddish were recited I explained that the Jewish tradition is for each individual to participate in the interment process and all the members offered their last act of compassion to Anna by helping to inter her appropriately. Tamara brought special earth from Israel to connect Anna’s final resting place with the nation of Israel, its land, and people.

The prayer, El male rachamim, (God filled with mercy) was recited by myself in Hebrew and Anna’s husband Tadeusz in Polish and we then apologized to Anna if any part of the burial process was not done according to the highest moral and ethical code.

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The funeral was attended by the Jewish members of the community in Krakow but mostly by non-Jewish Poles. Anna got along with all Jews and non-Jews and was truly loved by all. She leaves us with a deep hole in our hearts, in the hearts of the Dzieci Holocastu, in the JCC, in the Polish Jewish community, and in Nowy Sącz.

We continue to honor her memory by supporting Jewish life, radiating love for our fellow men and women, and trying to bring joy to our world even during darker times.