Rebirth of Jewish Life in Poland After 1989
After 1968 and the wave of emigration that
occurred at that time, just three thousand Jews remained in
Poland, for
the most part older people. They were grouped around two
organizations,
the Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland and,
in the
Communities, in the Religious Union. Young and middle-aged
people did
not openly claim their Jewish background and did not take
part in either
religious or cultural life.
This state of affairs arose from a variety of factors,
the most
important of which was the post-March trauma associated with
the fear of
losing either one's chance to study or one's job, and with
the
hostility of one's acquaintances. Another reason for the
absence of
young people in those organizations was because the
Association had been
heavily infiltrated by the Ministry of the Interior. People
knew that
joining the Association meant a file would be kept on them.
As a result, the Association was engaged in activities
that were
geared only toward older people, which discouraged young
people from
having any interest whatsoever in taking part. A
breakthrough of sorts
occurred in the late 1980's, when the Association began
organizing
Yiddish courses and lectures about the culture and history
of the Polish
Jews. Young people increasingly began to participate in
these
activities, interested in things that had been taboo for
nearly two
decades. As a result, the Association's board organized the
first summer
camp for young people in the Srodoborowianka villa near
Otwock for the
first time since 1968. It took place during the summer of
1988,
gathering nearly thirty people from all over Poland. For
many of them,
this was their first contact with Jewish culture, their
first
observation of the Sabbath, and their first discussions
about national
and religious identity. Above all, it was their first
meeting with other
Jews of their own age. After this summer session, many of
them began
participating in Jewish organizations, forcing the
Association's leaders
to admit that young Jewish people did exist in Poland. They
insisted on
their right to have a free hand in organizing activities. In
many
branches, youth sections were founded that organized their
own
discussions, meetings and observations of religious
holidays. It must be
stressed that this cultural revival occurred during a period
of
political change in Poland, when it became possible to
sponsor such
activities without political supervision, with freedom to
express one's
beliefs and, most importantly, when it was already possible
to emphasize
one's Jewish background.
|
In 1991, the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation
launched its activities in Poland. For the most part, it is
involved in
educational activities for the Jewish community. The Foundation
also
seeks to aid those who wish to return to the faith who had not
had the
opportunity to do so previously. For this purposes, the
Foundation runs
religious education camps. The first took place in the Warsaw
suburb of
Komorow. Guests from the United States taught participants the
foundations of Judaism, basic prayers and blessings, as well as
the
principles of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) and the proper way
of
running a Jewish home. The first Lauder camp had about twenty
participants. Because of the large number of applicants-120
people-the
next was held in Zaborow; the camp was later moved to the
holiday center
in Rychwald, near Zywiec. Since that time, summer and winter
sessions
have been organized regularly.
The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation runs several cultural
centers in
Poland. They are located in Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz and Gdansk, and
serve
as centers for individuals interested in becoming acquainted
with Jewish
culture and religion. With time, a Jewish preschool was
organized, as
well as elementary and middle schools. Poland today has two
Jewish
schools funded by the Lauder Foundation in Wroclaw and Warsaw.
In
Krakow, the first Jewish religious school, the Pardes Lauder
Yeshiva,
has been opened as well.
Important changes have taken place in the field of publishing as
well. Three publications for the Jewish audience are published: Dos
Yidishe Vort/Slowo zydowskie, a bilingual, Polish-Jewish magazine
published under the auspices of the Jewish Social and Cultural
Association; the cultural and literary magazine Midrasz, and
Szterndlech, which is for young children. For a time, Yidele was
also
published for young people of high school and college age.
This image of contemporary Jewish life in Poland would not be
complete without a mention of the Festival of Jewish culture,
organized
yearly in Kraków. It includes lectures and concerts, as well as
courses
in Yiddish and dance, and workshops on calligraphy and traditional
paper
cutouts. For several years, a several day series of events and
concerts
known as "Meetings of Four Cultures"-including Jewish culture-has
been
organized. In Warsaw, a Jewish Book Fair is held during which
meetings
with authors are held. In addition, various cities also organize
film,
theater and music reviews.
(kw/cm)
|
|