Page 25 - Centrum Dialogu im. Marka Edelmana w Łodzi. Time of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. Film images.

Staromiejski close to the place where a synagogue was
once located.
From that time on, the topic of the ghetto was con-
stantly discussed in Łódź, but it was not until Mayor
Jerzy Kropiwnicki decided to organize the commemora-
th
tion of the 60 anniversary of the liquidation of Litz-
mannstadt Ghetto on an international scale, that
various educational, cultural and commemorative ac-
tions were undertaken which changed the cityscape of
Łódź and its world image.
It was a real revolution. A memorial to the victims of
the ghetto was erected at Radegast station, the Sur-
vivors’ Park, where since 2004, trees have been planted
to symbolize the people and families who survived the
Holocaust, and commemorative plaques were placed
on former ghetto buildings to inform people of the func-
tion they performed in the ghetto. Numerous publica-
tions, special exhibitions and educational programmes
for young people emerged. Commemoration cere-
monies were attended by guests from all around the
world, including several hundreds survivors and their
families. They were moved and grateful for the memory
of their presence in the history of Łódź and their tragedy
during the Second World War.
Additionally, the Mayor of Łódź commissioned several
films concerning the ghetto; documentaries about
Radegast station, the history of Litzmannstadt Ghetto
and the Gypsy Camp were produced. In 2009, a 3D film,
Likwidacja 08.1944 [Liquidation 08.1944] directed by
Michał Bukojemski was produced on the initiative of the
City Hall. The screenplay writers, Michał Bukojemski and
Marek Miller, created a feature story about the last mo-
ments of the ghetto; the staged scenes with actors and
extras were shot using stereoscopic technology and
combined with 3D-processed archival photographs from
the ghetto. A Dolby Digital soundtrack was added, cre-
ating an unusual film about the tragic events of the last
days of the ghetto. Its premiere took place on August
27, 2009, during the commemoration ceremony of the
th
65 anniversary of the liquidation of the ghetto. At the
same time, a Righteous among the Nations Memorial
was unveiled in the Survivors’ Park to honour the Poles
who had rescued the Jews during WWII.
The next stage was creation of a new place – The
Centre for Dialogue, which would remember the history

e memory of the Łódź ghetto 23