Sometimes genealogy has the power to turn hard-won data into tangible memory!

Friends of Jewish Heritage in Poland is delighted to recognize the generosity and commitment of the Melamed-Magid-Fisher Families in memory of their CYGIELMAN family. These families supported the restoration of the tombstone of their ancestor Naftali Hersz Cygielman (1755 - 28 Dec 1828) located in the Old Jewish Cemetery in Lublin. The stone had been found derelict on the grounds of this Lublin cemetery and was recorded by the Foundation for Documentation of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland for universal availability in the context of genealogical research. It was also expertly studied and published by Professor Andrzej Trzcynski of the University Marie Curie-Sklodowska, Lublin, in his invaluable 2018 monograph cataloging the tombstones of the Old Jewish Cemetery of Lublin: Swiadkiem jest ta stela. Stary cmentarz zydowski w Lublinie. Using the tools of Polish Jewish genealogy, especially JRI-Poland, the living descendants of Naftali Hersz were able to connect their lineage back two centuries to their ancestor.

When these Melamed-Magid-Fisher Cygielman descendants learned of the neglected status of the stone, they made it their mission to see it restored and re-erected to provide dignity to their ancestor buried in those grounds. Indeed, after so much loss, this is the ONLY known tangible artifact of their CYGIELMAN family history in Lublin. The project took three years of planning and effort by FJHP and the Warsaw Jewish Community that owns the cemetery, but it has yielded a meaningful result! The on-site work was coordinated by Andrzej Jankowski, representing the Warsaw Jewish Community that owns this cemetery, and was carried out expertly by stone artisan Antoni Buhcholtz.

Known leaders buried in the Old Lublin cemetery include Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhak (Seer of Lublin), Rabbi Shlomo Luria (MAHARSHAL) and Rabbi Szalom Szachna. FJHP is grateful for the kindness and dedication of all involved in this project. A photo of the restored tombstone of Naftali Hersz can be seen at https://jewishheritagepoland.org/photo-gallery.html.
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Dan A. Oren