In excavations under a hundred-year-old building at 23 Polnokna Street in Lodz, a huge Jewish “treasure” containing hundreds of items was discovered; Their discovery arouses great excitement in the Jewish world.
Lodz, a city with a large Jewish population that was completely destroyed during the Holocaust, with the murder of over two hundred thousand Jews of the city and its surroundings, was for many years a vibrant Jewish city, full of Torah life, Chassidism, commerce, and a lively Jewish existence. Eighty years ago, the Nazis began their plan to exterminate the Jews of Lodz, which was completed during the year 1944.
The treasure that was discovered under the building located right on the border between the Jewish ghetto and the free part of the city, is currently being taken care of by experts and archaeologists and will be transferred to the city museum.
The treasure was apparently buried under the building when the war broke out, as some of the silverware and Judaica were wrapped in Yiddish and Polish newspapers dated 1939.
According to Polish media, the building was used as a synagogue, which is not difficult to clarify from the municipal records.
A new generation has arisen who hardly knows the history of Lodz and the meaning of this discovery. Too many years have passed and too many pieces of history have fallen into the abyss. The question that pierces the hearts is where other treasures of this kind are hidden, and in what way they can be reached. There is no doubt that countless valuable items lie in the cellars and attics of Polish cities; When will they be found? And when will we discover the vast historical libraries that disappeared during the war years, such as that of the Gerrer Rebbe, the “Imrei Emet,” which was one of the largest and most dear in the Jewish world? When will we discover the libraries of the rabbis, chassidic rebbes, collectors, and merchants, golden treasures that were swallowed up and it is unknown what happened to them? This includes the vast number of manuscripts, rabbinic responsa and interpretations, holy books, and the writings of the righteous. These works were wonderous worlds of Jewish thought that could have enriched the Jewish bookshelf with dozens or hundreds of Torah, Halacha (Jewish law), and chasidic books, and they are still in their place waiting for a redeemer to find them.
