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.
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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.
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