On this dark day, February 24, 2022, when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in a brutal fashion, I, along with many others, have yet another reason for sadness: Our friend and colleague Tadeusz Przystojecki has died.

When I first met Tadeusz in 2007 in Lublin, I referred to him as a young historian. For some reason, that name stuck, even as he got older, but I told him he would always be the “young historian” to me.

Tadeusz was greatly influenced by his grandfather who was an amateur historian.

Tadeusz was known by many as THE genealogist from Lublin. He helped countless Lubliners of Jewish origin trace their families, sometimes back centuries. In my own case, he discovered my ancestor, Rosa Jenta, who was born in 1789—Tadeusz shared my joy at finally having gone beyond the 19th Century in my family search.

Tadeusz was the one who took me to the archives to get my mother and my grandmother’s birth certificates.It was an emotional moment for me that I will never forget, and over the years many people have told me about how integral his help was to their genealogy research and their efforts to connect to the past.

Tadeusz accompanied two of my Bridge To Poland trips and the participants adored him.

The last time we spoke was when I was preparing this interview of Tadeusz for the Brama Grodzka English newsletter. I made sure to include a reference to him as a “young historian.” When I asked him if he had noticed, he said, “Of course!” (Here also is a video interview of Tadeusz).

Blessings to Tadeusz’s friends and family. You are missed, Young Historian.