Children and Grandchildren of Klodawa Rediscover Their Lost Community

Two web sites help to memorialize and research the lost Jewish community of Klodawa, Poland. The sites have attracted second and third generation members from the United States, Europe, Israel and Australia. Those with roots or an interest in Klodawa are invited to contribute content.

The Jewish community of Klodawa, Poland was decimated during the holocaust, leaving only a small number of survivors to carry on the memories of what once was.

Now, however, through the power of the Internet, second and third generation descendants from around the world are meeting one another and sharing the memories and experiences of their ancestors.

Two web sites offer the best known resources for those investigating their Klodawa roots. They are www.klodawa.org and www.klodawatribute.com.

Both web sites are anxious to find additional Klodawa descendants to share their stories and help preserve the memories of their ancestral hometown.

Unlike many larger towns and villages that were the subject of Nazi persecution, Klodawa does not have an official memorial book, also known as a Yizkor book. As such, these two sites serve as 'virtual' Yizkor books for the town.

Several active participants in the web sites have visited modern-day Klodawa and share their photos and experiences on the web sites. Volunteers from the United States, Europe, Israel and Australia have contributed content to the site.

"The Jews of Klodawa are symbolic in many ways of thousands of similar communities that were once homes to good, honest, peaceful people and now are but a vague memory," says one of the web site's organizers. "As the last of the actual survivors disappear, the second, third and all future generations have an obligation not to let the world forget."

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