It was blue here. Up there there were polychrome paintings. This is the balcony where my mother and younger brothers were standing.

Max Furmański

SejnyLith. Seinai, Rus. Сейны, Yid. סייני

In 2000, a bespectacled man with a small moustache stopped in front of the White Synagogue in Sejny. Max Furmański had been born in Sejny in 1934. After surviving the Holocaust as a concentration camp prisoner and partisan, and loosing his whole fam-ily he left Poland in 1945, swearing he would never come back. But in 2000, he did come back here to show his home-town to his wife and son. Furmański remembered the synagogue very well: as a young boy he used to come here with his grandfather. Now, after a moment’s hesitation, he went inside again. ¶ A group of young people dressed in the traditional clothes of Hasidic Jews were

singing Hasidic melodies. Furmański, who had been a rabbi in Argentina for many years and then a cantor in the United States, had arrived in Sejny, and had entered the synagogue, just as a theatre performance based on S. An-sky’s play The Dybbuk was being rehearsed there. ¶ Max started to talk with the young people in the synagogue. Afterward, walking around the town, he found the place where his family home had been and met his childhood neighbour. Two years later, he came back again to attend the unveiling of a memo-rial stone at the Jewish cemetery in Sejny. He performed at concerts together with the Sejny Klezmer Band.„ Over there, at the riverside, there were booths where girls changed their clothes,

and we spied at them through the knot holes. ¶ Max Furmański

Dominicans and the White Synagogue ¶ As the town belonged to the Vilna (Vilnius) monks, the permission to build the first synagogue in Sejny was granted by the Domini-can Order. As a means of promoting economic development, the Dominicans had been encouraging Jewish merchants and craftsmen to settle in Sejny stating

in 1768. In the mid-19th century, Jews constituted more than 70 percent of the the town population. ¶ The synagogue was erected in 1788, a year after the Jews settling in Sejny had been granted the right to do so. That original wooden “shingle-roofed synagogue with a colon-nade” was replaced in 1885 by a new one – the White Synagogue, built on the

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initiative of Rabbi Moshe Betzalel Luria. According to unconfirmed reports, Wawrzyniec Bortkiewicz, Prior of the Dominican Order in Sejny, joined the rabbi in carrying the image of the Ten Commandments into the newly erected building.

Two schools ¶ In the second half of the 19th century, the famous theolo-gian and philosopher Moshe Yitzhak Avigdor became the town rabbi. He soon founded a yeshivah (Talmudic academy), next to which the community established a Hebrew high school run by Tuvye Shapiro – this school became one of the most important centres of the Haskalah (the Jewish Enlighten-ment movement) in Lithuania, bring-ing renown to the town. Apart from religion, the school offered classes in geography, mathematics, Russian, and other comprehensive subjects that were

rarely found in the curricula of Jewish schools at the time. The most prominent Lithuanian rabbis, followed by students from all over the Russian Empire, came to study at the yeshivah, while many enlightened scholars visited the school or studied there. At the end of the 19th century, the gymnasium was closed, and the building was turned into a post office. The yeshivah, too, was closed by the Tsarist authorities, and Reb Avigdor was banished. Afterwards, the building housed a beth midrash and a cheder, and it may also have served as the seat of the rabbinate. ¶ One of those who studied at the Tuvye Shapiro’s school was Morris Rosenfeld (1862–1923), a poet born into the family of a Jewish fisher-man in the nearby village of Boksze.

The White Synagogue in Sejny, ; collection of the “Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations” Centre (www.pogranicze.sejny.pl)

In , Morris Rosenfeld emigrated to the United States, where he became one of the so-called “sweatshop poets.” He published poems about the difficult fate of the workers. Written in Yiddish, they were translated into English, Pol-ish, Russian, Spanish, German, and French. His poem My Little Boy became a popular folk song. Rosenfeld was called a “millionaire of tears.” He died in poverty, but his funeral in New York was attended by more than , people.

Hard times ¶ At the turn of the 20th century, most inhabitants left Sejny because of difficult economic and social conditions. They emigrated mainly to the United States. As a result, the town’s population fell from more than 4,500 in 1895 to 3,412 in 1931, and the percent-age of Jews decreased from 75 to 24 percent (817 people).

Bakers’ strike ¶ In March 1930, bak-eries in Sejny stopped working. Boruch Dusznicki, the owner of the largest local bakery, as well as his competitors, Wal-ter Epsztejn and Michel Borowski, went on strike to protest against the govern-ment’s decision to lower bread prices. After a few days, they were forced to resume work – it is not known whether or not they succeeded in negotiating

The Furmański family in front of their house in Krzywa Street, Sejny, s; collec-tion of the “Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations” Centre (www.pogranicze.sejny.pl)

Sejny. A view of the town from the tower of the Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ; collection of the “Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations” Centre (www.pogranicze.sejny.pl)

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for higher prices. ¶ The Jewish organi-sations functioning in Sejny at that time included trade unions: the Jewish Merchants’ Union and the Jewish Crafts-men’s Union. A Sejny branch of the Jewish Sports Association “Maccabee,” with Joel Mącznik as chairman, was well known in the entire region. Its sports field was located where the municipal hospital now stands.

World War II and the Holocaust ¶ On September 24, 1939, Soviet troops entered Sejny. They retreated after less than three weeks, only to be replaced by German occupying forces on October 13, 1939. As early as November 1939, the Jews of Sejny were deported to “the strip of no man’s land” between Poland and Lithuania, and from there they

spread to nearby towns on both sides of the border, and shared the fate of other Jewish inhabitants. Most of them were murdered after the outbreak of the German-Soviet war (June 22, 1941).

Jewish cemeteries ¶ There is no trace left of the old Jewish cemetery, which was founded in the 18th century on what is today Zawadzkiego St. But off the road to Augustów, just outside Sejny in the neighbouring village of Mar-ynowo, there is another Jewish cemetery, founded in 1830. All its gravestones were destroyed during or after the war. In 2002, a plaque was erected there, with an inscription reading: “In memory of the Jews of Sejny – from the residents of Sejny.”

„ It is a miracle that I am alive. It is a miracle that I came back to Sejny. It is a miracle that I am standing at this stone and saying the Kaddish. I am so grate-

ful that I am here with you and that together we are honouring the memory of those who can’t come back. ¶ Max Furmański

Morris Rosenfeld, before ; collection of the “Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations” Centre (www.pogranicze.sejny.pl)

On the other side of the street, the Museum of the Sejny Land ( Piłsudskiego St.) features a collection of Judaica from Sejny. Photo by Krzysztof Bielawski, ; digital collection of the Virtual Shtetl (www.sztetl.org.pl)

Present day ¶ Today, the county town of Sejny has a population of 6,000, mainly of ethnic Poles and Lithuanians; there is no Jewish community. There are several small hotels and restaurants in town, and thanks to the picturesque location among the lakes of the Suwałki Lake District, agritourism accommoda-tion is easily available in almost every nearby village.

Borderland ¶ In 1990, a group of young artists looking for a place to hold meetings and events stopped in front of Sejny’s abandoned Shoe Manufactur-ing Plant – the building that had once served as a yeshivah – and the empty, newly-renovated White Synagogue nearby (used in the past as a fertilizer warehouse and a depot for municipal vehicles). It was here that they set up the “Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations” Centre. This has evolved into an experimental cultural centre

combining reflection on identity and memory issues with hands-on cultural activism in the local community of the borderland. ¶ Founded by Krzysztof Czyżewski and his associates, the Centre has become one of the most important places in Poland that encourages reflec-tion on Polish and Polish-Jewish history. Together with local children, members of the Center created a performance piece entitled The Sejny Chronicles, an evocative theatrical portrayal of life in old multicultural Sejny, based on the memories of local residents. They also formed the Sejny Klezmer Band, whose musicians include young residents of the town. The publishing wing of the Bor-derland Centre was the first in Poland to publish Jan Tomasz Gross’s book Neighbours, which describes the murder of Jews in the town of Jedwabne by their Polish neighbours. These and other activities by the Centre have inspired continuing public debate on Polish-Jewish relations.

Max Furmański at the commemorative matzevah at the Jewish cemetery in Sejny, ; collection of the “Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations” Centre (www.pogranicze.sejny.pl)

The performance of Sejny Chronicles, ; collection of the “Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations” Centre (www.pogranicze.sejny.pl)

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Krasnogruda (8 km): a manor house (17th c.), the venue of cultural events organised in the summer by the Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations Centre. ¶ Krasnopol (13 km): a former synagogue, currently a shop (1850); a Jewish cemetery located on a hill, about 8 km southeast of the village. ¶ Puńsk (23 km): a former wooden synagogue, currently a dwelling (19th/20th c.); the rabbi’s house in Mickiewicza St.; the former Lithuanian Culture Centre (20th c.); a Jewish cemetery (19th c.); the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1877–1881); a parish granary (2nd half of the 19th c.); a cemetery chapel (1820). ¶ Suwałki (30 km): a former prayer house, a cheder, a Hebrew school and a rabbi’s house (next to residential buildings); a former Jewish hospital and a nurs-ing home (the building of the former Municipal Community Centre); a Jewish cemetery surrounded with a memorial wall of matzevot (1825); the wooden All Saints’ Orthodox Church (1891–1892); the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity (1838–1841); St. Alexander’s Co-Cathedral (1825). Suwałki is the birthplace of Abraham Stern – a national hero of Israel. ¶ Wigry (38 km): a Camaldolese monastery (1667); Wigry National Park (42 lakes, forests with a network of water, hiking, and biking trails). ¶ Jeleniewo (42 km): a Jewish cemetery

Surrounding area

In , the “Borderland” Foundation opened the International Centre for Dialogue in the nearby village of Krasnogruda. Located in the former manor house that belonged to the family of Czesław Miłosz, a Nobel Prize laureate in Literature, it brings together people from around the world. Collection of the “Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations” Centre (www.pogranicze.sejny.pl)

Sejny, buildings of former Hebrew school, jeshivah and synagogue, . Photo by Krzysztof Bielawski, digital collec-tion of the Virtual Shtetl (www.sztetl.org.pl)

(18th c.); the wooden Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1878); a wooden bell tower (2nd half of the 19th c.). ¶ Augustów (44 km): the former beth midrash (next to the Tax Office); a Jewish cemetery (1800); the Old Post Office (1829); a house at 28 Rynek Zygmunta Augusta (1800); barracks (1890s); the Augustów Canal (1824–1839). ¶ Bakałarzewo (49 km): a Jewish cemetery (1850s) south of the town, near Lake Szumowo; St. James the Apostle Church (1936). ¶ Szczebra (49 km): a plaque commemorating the Jews executed in the Suwałki region; mass graves of victims. ¶ Filipów (54 km): a Jewish cemetery (2nd half of the 19th c.); a Mariavite cemetery (1906); the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1841–1842). ¶ Przerośl (57 km): a Jewish cemetery (early 20th c.); a wooden bell tower (1790). ¶ Bridges in Stańczyki (67 km): one of the highest railway bridges in Poland (1912–1918). ¶ Augustów Forest: one of the most extensive virgin forests in Poland, straddling the borders of Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus. It boasts approx. 100 species of vascular plants, 2,000 species of animals, and trees that are more than 200 years old. The most precious part of the forest is protected by the Wigry National Park. Another attraction is the 102-km-long Augustów Canal connecting the basins of the Vistula and the Neman Rivers.

Former White Synagogue (1860–1870), now exhibi-tion hall, 41 Piłsudskiego St., tel. +48 87 516 27 65, sekretariat@pogran-icze.sejny.pl ¶ Former yeshivah (Talmudic academy) (1860s), 39 Piłsudskiego St. ¶ Former Hebrew gymnasium (high school), now the seat of the Borderland of Arts, Cultures, and Nations Centre (1850s), 37 Piłsudskiego St. ¶ Jewish cemetery, 1 Maja St. ¶ Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, former Dominican church (1610–1619), 1 Św. Agaty Sq. ¶ Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa,

former Evangelical church (1844), 4 Zawadzkiego St. ¶ Bishops’ Palace, now housing the Museum of the Sejny Land (1850s), 28 Piłsudskiego St.,+48 87 516 22 12 ¶ Town Hall (1846), 25 Piłsudskiego St. ¶ Lithuanian Cultural Center, 9 July 22nd St., +48 87 51 62 908

Worth seeing

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