Secrets of our foundation house
When we received the foundation house 4 years ago, we knew only that it was built before World War II, in the 1930s. At the time, our house was in complete disrepair and in need of general renovation.
Recently, thanks to financial support from the SHOM (Spouses of Heads of Mission) Association , we began the final stage of renovation – the renovation of the attic. We started it by ripping the boards off the floor to pick out the deposits of sand, clay and other traces of the past more than 90 years ago underneath.
In addition to learning from the simple, economical technologies used to build the house nearly a century ago, we came across traces of the past that gave us shivers and a sense of intimacy with those associated with it at the dawn of its construction. In the last layer of the floor, we found scraps of decaying old newspapers in Hebrew and with photographs of Jews of the time.
This is strong, tangible evidence of the past….
…not only of our house, but of the entire Warsaw pre-war culture, which was steeped in Jewish culture. This is also further proof that there was a Jewish settlement in our part of Grochow. How do we feel now? First of all, we feel that although the house belongs to us today, it is a second home for us and our children, we are new homeowners here and the history this house carries is long, complicated and difficult as our history. We are impressed by its roots and hungry for more discoveries.
Do you know the history of Omulevskaya Street?
We would like to learn as much as possible about the family that built and lived in our house, what their wartime fate was. What our Groch neighborhood looked like a century ago. To get to know the people of that time and take in the atmosphere of those times. Thanks to such discoveries, we feel a closeness and a bond with the past, which remains alive through memory.
Many thanks to SHOM Association and Ms. Daige Bondare (SHOM Charity Coordinator) for the financial support received for the renovation of the attic. We are in for a warm winter this year.
The SHOM (Spouses of Heads of Mission) Association annually organizes the International Charity Bazaar, integrating diplomatic circles from around the world. All proceeds from the event go to the needs of NGOs. Thanks to the financial support of the Association, we are able to begin work on insulating the roof of the Foundation’s house. Thank you!
