BOUTIQUE MUSEUM

NEW HISTORICAL JEWISH MUSEUM IN WARSAW!
170 MEZUZAH TRACES. DISCOVER THEM

What is MI POLIN MEZUZAH CENTER?

Mi Polin Mezuzah Center is a new, privately owned Jewish museum in Warsaw created by Aleksander Prugar and Helena Czernek.
Mi Polin Mezuzah Center is dedicaded to mezuzah traces and Polish-Jewish history.
The core part of the mini-museum is Mezuzah Trace Archive. The Archive tells the story of 205 mezuzah traces found in 93 localities in 5 countries. This mezuzah trace research journey was started in 2013.

Mezuzah museum display titled “Mezuzah Traces Archive,” showing a wall filled with photographs of mezuzah traces from various homes, a map of prewar Poland marked with locations, and drawers below for catalogued stories and documents

Why did we create
Mi Polin Mezuzah Center?

We drove 60,000 km, visited 5 countries, 160 cities & villages, and discovered
170 mezuzah traces. We spent around 350 days on the road. Why? Back in the day, there were millions of mezuzahs in Poland. Along with the memo­ry of their owners – Polish Jews, they vanished during the war. Mezuzah traces are letters from the past, which we read as follows:


We, who were murdered in the Holocaust and are no longer here, your old neighbors, whom you will never meet, or members of your family, with whom you will not coexist, we leave something behind, a way to find us in the future. We leave you mezuzah traces.
It’s likely our last hope for you to find us.

Wooden archive drawers filled with catalogued cards about mezuzah traces and historic locations

At the MI POLIN MEZUZAH CENTER you will see:

Mezuzah museum exhibit on “The Last Shabbat” featuring historical information, photos, and traces of mezuzahs

Who is behind Mi Polin Mezuzah Center?

The Israeli HAAARETZ called the founders of MI POLIN MEZUZAH CENTER – mezuzah hunters. In 2013, Aleksander Prugar and Helena Czernek founded the MI POLIN design studio, which has been focusing on combining Jewish tradition, history and religion with modern design. Over the course of 11 years, they found 170 traces of mezuzahs and, based on this documentation, they founded the MI POLIN MEZUZAH CENTER – a first historilcal mini-museum dedicaded to mezuzah traces.

Founders of MI POLIN Mezuzah Center – Helena Czernek and Aleksander Prugar

The Collection

At the exhibition, we show part of our collection of door frames with mezuzah traces and the most valuable: original mezuzah scrolls and saved torah scroll fragments.

Display case with a silver Torah pointer and a burnt Hebrew manuscript titled “The Song of the Sea (Exodus)”

Discover mezuzah traces and Polish-Jewish history up close

Welcome to the Mi Polin Mezuzah Center – one of Warsaw’s most remarkable places for anyone interested in Jewish culture, memory, and real stories. This isn’t just another museum. Mi Polin Mezuzah Center grew out of a heartfelt mission by Aleksander Prugar and Helena Czernek, who spent years searching for traces of mezuzahs across towns and villages in Poland and beyond.

What does this mean for visitors? Here, you’re stepping into a space truly shaped by personal passion and discovery. You’ll see more than 170 mezuzah traces, collected from 93 towns in five countries. Each trace marks where a mezuzah once protected a doorway, serving as a silent witness to Jewish family life that vanished during the war. These traces aren’t just museum artifacts – they’re living letters from the past, waiting to be rediscovered.

Dive into the Mezuzah Trace Archive and hear powerful family stories

The center’s heart is the Mezuzah Trace Archive. It’s a rare collection and possibly the world’s largest of its kind. In these halls, you can walk alongside original door frames marked by mezuzahs, view original mezuzah scrolls, and even see fragments rescued from Torah scrolls. If you love finding connections between objects and real people, you’ll find these doors and scrolls fascinating.

Mi Polin Mezuzah Center is home to more than just physical artifacts. It’s about the journeys, memories, and families behind them. The stories told here make Polish Jewish history feel personal and immediate. For anyone researching Jewish heritage, or anyone curious about the everyday lives of Polish Jews before the war, this archive is a goldmine of mezuzah research, insights, and emotion.

Why Mi Polin Mezuzah Center stands out in Jewish heritage

What makes this spot so special? Well, for one, it’s the only Jewish museum in Warsaw entirely focused on mezuzah traces and their role in Polish Jewish life. The founders, known in Israel and abroad as “mezuzah hunters,” have poured a decade of effort into preserving these tiny but meaningful pieces of history. They’ve also created Mi Polin as a pioneering Judaica design studio, blending tradition with contemporary flair.

When you visit, you’re not just observing static displays. You’re entering an active story – one that invites you to reflect, ask questions, and maybe even find a family connection. The center welcomes both casual visitors and those engaged in deep Jewish family history research. And with its warm, friendly team, it makes the world of mezuzah discovery and documentation truly accessible.

Make Warsaw’s Mi Polin Mezuzah Center your heritage stop

If you’d like a powerful introduction to Poland’s Jewish story, Mi Polin Mezuzah Center is an experience you won’t forget. Come, meet the “mezuzah hunters” themselves, see the archive, and explore the importance of mezuzah artifacts and torah fragments in a totally original setting. Whether you’re fascinated by memory, art, or shared tradition, this Jewish heritage museum offers something real to every visitor – a chance to feel the presence of those who came before and to continue their story into the future.