A Lost Painting Found in an Old Polish Zionist Newspaper

Chanuka

WOW! So I have a story to tell. In April 2012 I learned of an article in Polish all about my great-grandfather. A friend in Finland had a friend in Poland who offered to read it (it was just too long for me to type into Google Translate) and to let me know if it said anything significant. It did. The footnotes mentioned a newspaper, a Polish-language Zionist daily published in Warsaw (1923-1939), titled: Nasz Przegląd (Our Review) and a special insert section called Ilustrowany (illustrated). The article’s footnotes said it contained images of some of Moshe’s works. I tried to find the publication in the States: no luck. A relative in Israel tried to get it: no luck. A year later I gave a talk in Davis. I met a woman who knew a Fulbright scholar in Poland. She said he could help me. He did. I have just received an email with three images from that paper. Two I’ve never seen before. This one is titled, “Chanuka,” and says below it: composition by M Ryneckiego (a Polish conjugation of Rynecki). The title across the top translates (I’ve been told) as: “The Light of the Maccabees.” I have absolutely no idea if this painting survived WW2 and if so where it might exist. It’s the latest example (and reminder) that if I keep searching and keep telling my story, that I will learn more.

In case you’re interested, the publication and reference information found in the footnotes is as follows:

Nasz przeglad . Nasz przeglad Warszawa

The footnote numbers, with the Polish first and the Google Translate following:

9: Przede wszystkim w “naszym przegladzie ilustrowanym” tygodniowym dodatku do ukazujacego sie w Warszawie “Naszego przegladu”

First of all, in “our review of the illustrated” a weekly supplement to Warsaw in August showing “our review”

12. obraz zaginiony, zamieszczony na okladce, “naszego przegladu ilustrowanego” 1937, nr 49

lost picture, posted on the cover, “our review illustrated” 1937, No. 49

13. zaginione, reprodukowane w “naszym przegladzie ilustrowanym” 1937, nr 38, s. 6 i nr 39, s. 5

missing, reproduced in “our review of the illustrated” 1937, No. 38, pp. 6 and No. 39, pp. 5

The footnotes come from the following article:

Piątkowska, Renata. Dzień powszedni i święto żydowskie w twórczości Mojżesza Ryneckiego. Kultura żydowska na Mazowszu. Edited by Zbigniew Kruszewski and Andrzej Kansy. Płock : Towarzystwo Naukowe Płockie, 2004. This journal contains essays from this 2004 conference. An approximate translation of the title is, “Mazovia, the Jews, history, architecture, customs.” The article written by Ms. Piątkowska translates to roughly, “Weekday and feast of the Jews in the work of Moshe Rynecki.” pp. 34-44 contain her article. The piece also includes some black and white images of several Moshe Rynecki paintings.