Mission to Orla in Poland

The Foundation helped to organise a mission by Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank to the 17th-century Baroque Orla Synagogue project in Poland. The many-centuries-old Jewish community that the synagogue once served, which once made up 75% of the town’s population, was brutally extinguished during the Holocaust.

The mission came about after Orla was selected for Europa Nostra’s "7 Most Endangered Sites of Europe" programme. This recognition was achieved while the Foundation for Jewish Heritage was assisting with a Feasibility Study, funded with generous support from the Vindobona Trust, to explore repurposing the Synagogue as an educational and arts venue.

Piotr Puchta, the Foundation’s representative in Poland, organised the mission programme in close liaison with Marek Chmielewski, an Orla resident and leading local champion for the project. The mission involved a series of meetings with project leaders as well as local, regional, and national government officials to assess the current state and future plans for the synagogue.

The highlight of the mission was visiting the remarkable synagogue itself. Positioned in the centre of Orla, it stands as the town's primary historic landmark. Members of the delegation were deeply impressed by the local passion for the building, most strikingly demonstrated by Marek himself. It is hoped that this joint Europa Nostra and European Investment Bank mission will represent another significant step forward for the synagogue, ensuring its survival and successful repurposing to once again play an important role in Orla and the wider region.