Star of David band, siddur found under attic floorboards in building from Bedzin's Jewish Ghetto

A Star of David armband and a 1934 siddur, or Jewish prayer book, have been unearthed during excavations in the attic of a building in Będzin, Poland, near the site of the former Jewish Ghetto. The discoveries were announced by the Cukerman’s Gate Foundation, which is overseeing the ongoing work.

“

Someone had prepared a special place for it in the attic. Behind a separately partitioned space. Under a constructed hatch. Alone. Without other objects. Without rubbish. Without rubble.

The artifacts were found hidden within the attic's floorboards, a space previously known to contain fragments of World War II-era documents. The foundation described the meticulous, multi-stage excavation process, involving careful removal of debris and sifting through materials centimeter by centimeter to preserve any historical finds.

The siddur, discovered in a specially constructed, isolated compartment, bore the name Moses Merin, who was the head of the Sosnowiec Ghetto's Judenrat. While there is no confirmed link between the name in the prayer book and the historical figure, the discovery adds a poignant layer to the find.

“

As if someone had wanted to protect it. As if someone believed that one day, someone would find it.

The faded gray armband, marked with a Star of David, was found by Marcin Doś, who is documenting the project. The foundation expressed the profound emotional impact of finding an item worn by someone during the Holocaust, stating, "Someone once wore this armband. Someone was marked by it. Someone left it here, or hid it."

“

It was a moment that cannot be described in words alone. Someone once wore this armband. Someone was marked by it. Someone left it here, or hid it.

Smaller relics, including photo fragments, newspaper scraps, medicine bottles, and documents in Hebrew, were also recovered. Excavations are expected to continue for several more weeks, with the foundation emphasizing that the "House of the Ghetto Fighters is still speaking" and its memory can be drawn out from beneath the dust.

“

These [excavations] will continue for several more days, perhaps even a few weeks. We do not know what else we will find. But we know one thing: the House of the Ghetto Fighters is still speaking.