History

In Summer 2021 I traveled to Poland to visit my grandfather’s hometown, Kaluszyn. I wanted to learn about his experience as a young man displaced by the Holocaust, and the family we lost in WWII. Plans were open upon landing, and through good fortune and the kindness of strangers, I was driven to Kaluszyn the next day.

Local sixth graders and a Pole I had befriended the day prior served as translators between myself and school Principal Marek Pachnik, who led us on a walk throughout town and provided historical context. I was the first Jewish person the students had met, and I quickly realized the value of these connections.

When I returned to Warsaw, I visited the old Jewish Cemetery and stumbled upon a group sweeping leaves from a mass grave - part of the Warsaw Ghetto. I asked who was in charge and was directed to Aleksander Schwarz: founder of Zapomniane Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to memorializing WWII mass graves. I told him of my dream to help preserve Kaluszyn’s cemetery. We remained in collaboration since the chance encounter.

In Spring 2022 I returned to Poland, aiming to revisit the elementary school and meet with political officials to discuss working within WWII “protected sites.” To ensure that plans would be in compliance with Jewish Rabbinical Law, we commissioned an extensive research report that surveyed the cemetery. With a more comprehensive understanding of the land, we received permission to work within the space from Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich.

During a tea-fueled planning session with anthropologist Ola Januk and landscape architect Natlia Budnik on a snowy Warsaw afternoon in Winter 2023, this project was given a name. Projekt Sadzonki - Seedling Project - was named in memory of Toby Seed, a good friend gone too soon.

Projekt Sadzonki highlights that which links us: to our environment, to our ancestors, to our shared humanity. This project was developed and refined over the past several years. It started as a small idea, transformed through conversation, and with the support and guidance of the aforementioned contributors, it has taken shape. It is our hope that this work within Kaluszyn is only the beginning.

Thank you for reading.

With love,

Tori