POTOMKOWIE

"May theirmemory be a blessing”

In memory of the Jews who for centuries lived in my mother’sbirthplace Dąbrowa Białostocka, I have painted an oak tree (Dąbrowa means “oakforest) with the twenty-two letters of the Yiddish alphabet scattered among theleaves. On the horizon are the Dąbrowa synagogue and homes painted in red andorange to symbolize the burning of the town by the Germans in 1941.

I am granting the image’s reproduction rights to Dąbrowa Białostockawith the understanding that the image will be painted as a mural on a Dąbrowaschool outside wall. Moreover, Dąbrowa Białostocka can also use the image anyother way it considers appropriate. The image’s title is "May their memorybe a blessing.”

My artistic imaginings of my Polish roots commemorate a vanishedworld of Jewish shtetl life in pre-World War II Poland – a world that hasgreatly influenced my art, which has been exhibited and published worldwide

The image would have not been created without the inspiring effortsof Dorota Budzińska and the dedication of Forum for Dialogue to raise awarenessof Poland’s Jewish heritage".

Mark Podwal

3 Cricklewood Lane Harrison, New York 10528 USA

May 9, 2021