In Warsaw, Poland, a significant memorial was unveiled Wednesday, fulfilling the aspirations of Michael Pomeranc, the son of a Holocaust survivor. This long-awaited tribute is located in a forest where countless Jews, including many of Pomeranc’s own family members, were brutally murdered by German forces during World War II.
Pomeranc, an American resident, was joined by family and friends of other Holocaust survivors to honor the victims at the site of the former German labor camp known as Adampol. During the ceremony, he expressed the deep sorrow of growing up without a proper place to grieve for his ancestors who fell victim to the Holocaust.
“We never had the chance to lay flowers for our dearly departed who died here,” he stated as he addressed attendees. “But today, we will mourn them. Their spirits in heaven will forever be with us.”
The memorial event unfolded at the site of a labor camp where Jewish individuals were forced into grueling labor in fields prior to their executions in 1943. Under Nazi occupation during World War II, the area saw extensive use of Jews as slave labor, with numerous mass murders occurring at various locations, including Adampol, which historically have lacked recognition.
The ceremony was marked by Jewish and Catholic prayers and was witnessed both in person by local schoolchildren and via livestream by descendants of Holocaust survivors scattered around the world. The Israeli ambassador addressed the gathering, and a message from the U.S. ambassador was also read aloud. While two surviving individuals from Adampol exist, they were unable to travel to the event as they no longer reside in Poland.
Pomeranc, known for his stature as a New York City hotelier, recounted a poignant visit he took to the site 25 years prior with his father, Jack Pomeranc. Jack was a survivor of the camp who once fought alongside Jewish partisans, sabotaging Nazi infrastructure. Tragically, he lost his entire immediate family, including his parents and younger sisters, to the Nazi regime.
Recalling his father’s internal struggles, Pomeranc shared, “He lived with tremendous anxiety, regrets, and fears until his passing last year.” During their visit, Jack was overwhelmed with emotion, lamenting his inability to save his family. This moment deeply impacted Pomeranc, leading him to seek closure for his father’s enduring trauma.
At the memorial, he declared, “Today, we bring closure to this chapter of our lives.” The dedication featured a memorial listing the names of 73 out of over 600 victims who had been identified to date, as part of an ongoing effort to restore the identities of those lost and to honor their memory.
This commemorative service forms a broader initiative by Poland’s Jewish community to acknowledge the locations of mass executions during the Holocaust that have long been overlooked. Out of the 3.3 million Jews who existed in Poland before the German invasion in 1939, the vast majority were murdered. Recently, efforts led by Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich, alongside a group named Zapomniane (Forgotten), have begun systematically identifying unmarked mass burial sites.
Utilizing non-invasive technologies that respect Jewish law by refraining from disturbing human remains, researchers have been able to faithfully document these sites. According to forensic archaeologist Caroline Sturdy Colls, their research combined with testimonies from Jack Pomeranc and local witnesses has successfully led to the identification of more than 20 potential mass grave locations in Adampol.