Thursday, 27 August

Survivors' Day is an annual event accompanying the commemoration of the liquidation of the Litzmannstadt-Ghetto. In a multidimensional way, it nurtures the memory of the past through artistic activities, discussions, and meetings with witnesses to history. This day is a tribute to life, survival, and hope. This year's events will focus on the theme of the tree of life and the figure of the outstanding sculptor Alina Szapocznikow.

All of the day's events will take place in the Survivors' Park.

Detailed programme:

16:00 – Awarding of the Memorial Trees Certificates

Survivors' Day will begin with a moving and symbolic act of awarding further Memorial Trees certificates to the Survivors of the Łódź Ghetto. They will be received by their descendants, who will travel to Łódź from all over the world especially for this ceremony. This year, one of the trees will be dedicated to Alina Szapocznikow.
The ceremony will be graced by performances from the Children's Choir of the City of Łódź and the Clil Jewish Choir.

16:30 – Artistic Activities by Ola Ignasiak

The space of the Survivors' Park will become the backdrop for original artistic activities prepared by Ola Ignasiak, the author of the "Tree of Life" mural on the facade of the Dialogue Center building. The artist – a painter, performer, and creator of permanent and ephemeral public space installations, who runs the Studio of Painting Actions in Public Space at the Institute of Painting and Drawing of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź – will invite the audience to participate in experiencing the tender presence of trees in the Survivors' Park through various artistic means of expression. These will include stop-motion animation, the transformation of a tree into charcoal, and an interactive site-specific installation.

17:00 – Dance Performance: "Expedition for Identity: Shaping at the Crossroads of Cultures"

The event will mark the finale of the "Lato w teatrze" (Summer in the Theatre) project, managed by the Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Warsaw. Youth will present a dance performance inspired by the work of Alina Szapocznikow. Through movement expression, the participants will open up a space for the audience to ask fundamental questions: Who am I? What does my identity consist of? How does the culture we come from influence us, and how does the one in which we mature affect us?

17:30 – The Year of Alina Szapocznikow. Literary Meeting

The meeting will be dedicated to the memory of the sculptor, often described as someone with an extraordinary "appetite for life". The discussion with writers, art critics Weronika Kostyrko and Marek Beylin will be hosted by Iza Adamczewska.

19:30 – "Litzmannstadt Memorial" Concert

The evening will close with a unique musical event created specifically for Survivors' Day by Mikołaj Trzaska – a saxophonist and film score composer who has been deeply connected with the themes of Jewish history, Jewish music, and intuitive music for years.

Performing amidst the lush greenery of the Survivors' Park will be:

• Mikołaj Trzaska – saxophone, bass clarinet
• Olo Walicki – double bass
• Macio Moretti – drums
• The Remont Pomp ensemble

Admission to the event is free.

Survivors' Day accompanies the commemorations of the 82nd anniversary of the liquidation of the Litzmannstadt-Ghetto. Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state purposeful fund. The project is co-financed by the City of Łódź.