Oswiecim synagogue reopened after standing in disuse since World War II

The only synagogue to have survived in Oswiecim since World War II has been officially reopened. Next to it stands the Jewish Cultural Centre. Yesterday's ceremony gathered Jewish and Catholic priests side by side with Poles, Americans, Jews, prince El Hasan bin Talal of Jordan, Polish authorities and the American ambassador. Letters from, US president Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek were presented. In his address, Michael Lewan, the head of the US Commission for the Preservation of American Heritage Abroad said, "Today the eyes of the whole world are looking at Oswiecim. Today Oswiecim has come to terms with history." The synagogue was given back to the Jewish community in Bielsko-Biala as a part of Jewish property restitution in 1997. The money for the renovation came from the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation in New York. (Rzeczpospolita, page A5)