Upamiętnienie deportacji pomorskich Żydów w roku 1940. Szczecińskie praktyki komemoracyjne

The deportation of Jews from the German Province of Pomerania (Ger. Provinz Pommern) to occupied Poland occurred in February 1940. This marked the first organised and methodical deportation of Jews from the Old Reich. Most of those displaced were killed during Operation Reinhardt in 1942. Until the early twenty-first century, this event remained relatively unknown in Western Pomerania, despite significant research by both German and Polish historians. It was only through the efforts of individuals, associations, and institutions committed to fostering Polish-Jewish and Polish-German dialogue that this tragic chapter became more prominent in the historical consciousness of Szczecin’s residents. This article aims to achieve two objectives: first, to analyse how this Second World War event is currently discussed and remembered in contemporary Szczecin, with a focus on selected commemorative practices; and second, to find an interpretation key for these practices through the lens of memory studies, particularly the concepts of mediated memory and prosthetic memory. The article is based on extensive archival research, as well as library and press surveys. It also incorporates statements and materials from key contributors to the commemoration of the deportation of Jews from Szczecin during the winter of 1940.