Carolynn and I visited Dukla in 2002. We went there one day away from our land tour of Eastern Europe. Our guide was Irek Ostrowaska.

We arrived at Dukla at 1:30 PM. Our guide asked for a restaurant, and was told it was the best one in town. It was on the Town Square, and it appeared to be the only one on the square. It was small, plain décor, with a bar. We had potato pancakes with sour cream, which was a very tasty lunch of good food.

The town square is about 2 square blocks in size, with small buildings located along the 4 sides of the Square. There were only a few people and a few small automobiles there. Surrounding the Square were small homes on narrow roads, with only a few people walking in the center of the road.

We went to the City Hall, a long narrow one story building, which appeared to be closed. We saw a man there, who kissed Carolynn on both cheeks, and then gave us his email address.  He spoke Polish, and our guide translated.

He gave directions to the old Synagogue. We drove there, about 2 blocks from the Square. The remains of the Synagogue are 4 brick walls, parts broken off from the top of the walls. The Synagogue was located in  large wooded lot. There was no roof, and empty inside. It was built in 1758, destroyed by the Nazis.

Across the street a woman in front of her house was using a hand pump for water.

We went to the Jewish cemetery, a few blocks away from the Square. There was no sign. I walked up a gentle hill, through tall weeds, and found gravestones in a field of tall grass and weeds. It was badly in need of maintenance. Later I read that it was mowed in 1013, and there was a plan to renovate the cemetery, and a desire to renovate all the Jewish cemeteries in Poland.

We left and drove 7.5 miles to Zmigrod. That was the home of Jack’s mother Rachel        Pinsler nee Zimet. It was starting to get dark at dusk. We saw there was a central Square, about 2 square blocks in size, surrounded by small one story buildings.

We imagined Dukla and Zmigrod, as they were before World War II, traditional Shtetls, rich and lively with orthodox Jews and their culture.

We left and drove through Jasto, to Tarnow, to Krakow. Back at our hotel we thanked our guide,  payed him, and said a fond goodbye.

 The total population in 2006 was Dukla  2,122, and Zmigrod 6,773.