In the spring of 2013 I was given an Excel spreadsheet detailing the holdings of Moshe Rynecki work at the Emanuel Ringelbaum Jewish Historical Institute (Żydowski Instytut Historyczny) in Warsaw, Poland. I would like to be clear that this spreadsheet was given to me by a Fulbright Scholar who was studying in Warsaw and who managed to get ZIH to give him this information. I have been asking ZIH for years for information about their holdings of my great-grandfather’s works. I have requested pictures and information in regards to the provenance of the Rynecki paintings they hold and really have yet to receive an official reply from the museum except for an email from a former curator who informed me the museum held 52 of his works. When this spreadsheet arrived in my email, it only had dates and words. I want to emphasize: it contained no images. Over the last several years I have managed to find photographs of a number of my great-grandfather’s paintings from a variety of sources (e.g., exhibition catalogs, books, articles, Polish auction websites, Polish stock photography sites, etc.). I have put together this document below using the ZIH inventory number along with the description (ZIH wrote it in Polish, I’ve used Google Translate to put it into English), and the dates appearing on the paintings. There are several pieces about which I am unsure if I have made a correct match. I have indicated these with the word “unsure.” As for a number break down, it is this: There are 52 pieces listed in this spreadsheet. I have photographs (if they are correctly matched) of 34 of these pieces. There are 18 pieces for which I have no photograph.
**Note: On 18 November I received digital photographs of 17 of the Moshe Rynecki works for which I had no image from ZIH. This means I am now only short the photograph of just a single piece. I am trying to determine which piece I still need. I am presently writing on a new blog to show all 17 images **
[This paragraph existed in the blog written 12 November 2013. I am leaving it here, but with the understanding that I now have 17 of the images I was previously missing: Given the recent success of petitioning the German government to be transparent about the information they have in regards to the Gurlitt collection of art recovered in Munich, I am hoping that my own pleas will be heard in Poland. Dear Jewish Historical Institute – You hold my great-grandfather’s paintings in your possession. They are part of on original collection of 800+ works. You cannot hold these paintings hostage and hidden from the world. You must share them – for the sake of history, because it’s the right thing to do, so that scholars may learn more about his body of work, and so that my family may know what else you’ve got. These paintings that you hold are not yours alone. They belong to a story larger than you. I call upon you, I plea with you, please let me see all the work and information that you hold about my great-grandfather.]
Note about the chart:
ACQ = Date ZIH acquired the piece
# = ZIH inventory number
subject = translation of Polish description of painting
Dated = Date on painting
DO NOT HAVE = [19 November 2013: Elizabeth Rynecki now has photographs of 17 of these images and is preparing a new blog with this information.]
| ACQ. | # | subject | Dated | |
| 1946 | A-110 | Blacksmith Jews by the fire |  (unsure) |
|
| 1946 | A-188 | A blind beggar at synagogue | 1936 |  |
| A-189 | Jewish musicians | 1936 |  |
|
| 1946 | A-207 | Women Embroidering | 1935 |  (unsure) |
| 1946 | A-209 | Chess players |  |
|
| 1946 | A-222 | Jews with candles |
 Zydzi przy swiecach (Jews with Candles). Held by ZIH. |
|
| A-262 | A woman handing out gifts |  (unsure) |
||
| A-263 | Women at the table | 1935 |
DO NOT HAVE |
|
| 1946 | A-302 | Old Jew reading a book |  |
|
| A-332 | The locksmith’s workshop |  |
||
| 1946 | A-372 | The spinning mill | 1931 |  |
| 1946 | A-473 | Magid | 1937 |  |
| 1946 | A-773 | Jewish shoemakers at work |  |
|
| 1946 | A-774 | Painting toys | 1934 |  |
| 1946 | A-775 | Doing Jewish Family Toys |  |
|
| 1946 | A-776 | Jews reader in Bet hamidraszu | 1932 |  |
| 1946 | A-777 | Jew violinist | 1934 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1946 | A-778 | self-portrait | 1931 |  |
| A-779 | Two Jews on the street a small town | 1932 | DO NOT HAVE | |
| 1946 | A-780 | Sewing women | przed 1939 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1946 | A-781 | A young woman at the piano | 1926 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1946 | A-782 | Jewish Carpenter | przed 1939 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1946 | A-783 | Jews of Books | przed 1939 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1946 | A-784 | Three Jews of Books | przed 1939 |  |
| 1946 | A-785 | Tailor the machine | 1935 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1946 | A-786 | The street musicians | 1932 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1946 | A-787 | Jews at beit-midrash | przed 1939 |  |
| 1964 | A-1043 | Jews praying | DO NOT HAVE | |
| 1964 | A-1044 | tailor | 1929 |
 Jewish Tailor Family |
| 1964 | A-1045 | Day of Atonement | 1929 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1964 | A-1046 | turner | 1929 |  |
| 1964 | A-1047 | The game of soccer | przed 1939 |  |
| 1964 | A-1048 | upholsterer | przed 1939 |   |
| 1964 | A-1049 | Kazimierz on the Vistula. market | ||
| 1964 | A-1050 | turner | 1929 |  |
| 1964 | A-1051 | In the pub |  |
|
| 1964 | A-1052 | Portrait of Scholar | 1931 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1964 | A-1053 | Chess players |  |
|
| 1964 | A-1054 | In the family circle |  |
|
| 1964 | A-1055 | tailor | 1934 |  |
| 1964 | A-1056 | Market Kazimerzu on the Vistula | 1937 |  |
| 1964 | A-1057 | The locksmith’s workshop | 1939 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1964 | A-1058 | The forge | DO NOT HAVE | |
| 1964 | A-1059 | At the market | DO NOT HAVE | |
| 1964 | A-1060 | At the market | 1937 | DO NOT HAVE |
| A-1061 | Kuznia | DO NOT HAVE | ||
| A-1248 | Prayer Day of Atonement |  (unsure) |
||
| 1949 | A-1356 | Jew at work |  |
|
| A-1357 | Smith Jewish |  |
||
| 1984 | A-1400 | Portrait of a young girl | 1935 |  |
| 1984 | A-1425 | The book of czytanin | 1924 | DO NOT HAVE |
| 1984 | A-1496 | The furnace | 1927 |  (fairly sure) |