Today we spent three hours at the Polin museum in Warsaw, which opened just over a year ago. (see http://www.polin.pl/en) It is one of the most important Jewish museums, dare I say, the most important, in the world. This museum is remarkable in many ways. First and foremost, it is a Jewish museum in Poland, created by Jewish historians and supported by the Polish government, in itself an incredible notion to contemplate.
But it is the content of the museum that is most remarkable. It presents, in eight separate parts, the sweep of history of Jewish life in Poland, from its origins in the 11th century to the present day. That is to say it presents the central themes of Jewish history from the medieval and modern world, since Poland was the center of Jewish life during this period.
It presents historical information in great depth, relying on a considered selection of primary sources and employing a variety of media: drawings, photographs, projected images, videos, sounds, music and reconstructions. One of the most incredible reconstructions is of the remarkable 17th Century wooden synagogue in Gwozdziec, located in modern day Ukraine.
Another amazing reconstruction is of the cafe society Warsaw of the 1920s, depicting the vibrant intellectual life in Poland between the wars, and whose influences Jewish cultural and political life today, both in America as well as in Israel.
The Museum is also an aesthetic masterpiece. Every room has been thoughtfully planned, down to the doors on the bathrooms:
There doesn’t seem to be any aspect of Jewish life overlooked, including religious, cultural, artistic, political, domestic. There are entire sections devoted to religious education (Cheders and Yeshivas), the origins and growth of Chassidism, and the development of Yiddish literature.
Truth be told, however, Zionists are not going to be happy with the message of this museum, which is that Jews were tolerated and generally flourished in Poland, the land they called Po-lin, meaning “here we stay.” By creating eight different sections, the museum strives to present Jewish life as it was in specific historical periods, without indicating that any particular historical force impelled it to its tragic end or that the the history of the Jews in Poland was destined to be destroyed by the Holocaust.
Moreover, the exhibits emphasize the interconnectedness of Jewish and Polish life. For example, the section on the Chelminski massacre of 1648 emphasizes that this was a Cossack rebellion not only against Jews, but against the Polish nobility, and that Jews were targeted not because they were Jews, but because of the position they occupied vis-à-vis the nobility.
The section on Jewish life in the period of the Polish partition after 1795 emphasizes how Jews fought along with Poles for political freedom from Russian rule. This picture shows Jews and Poles (at least the nobility) “ready to fight for freedom together side by side.”
The museum section on Jewish life during the interwar period emphasizes the general Jewish support of the new Polish state and political participation in it, even while at the same time fighting for Jewish rights within the state structure.
Zionists will also not be happy that the information is presented mostly in Polish with English translations. The only Hebrew to be found is quotes from primary sources. Indeed, this is a museum intended primarily for Poles. We encountered a group of polish school children playing happily but also brought there to be educated about an important part of Polish history.
The museum doesn’t minimize the horror of the Holocaust but presents the history as it happened, first the decrees, ghettoization, life in the ghettos, transport, people in hiding, those who survived and the choices they made after the war. It does not overlook postwar anti-Semitism in Poland, including the Kielce pogrom and the anti-Semitic campaign of 1968. But it does not present the emergence of the state of Israel after the war as the culmination of Jewish history. Rather, it presents Aliyah as a critical movement that many Jews participated in, but not as the be all and end all. Some Jews choose to stay in Poland and others went to America and other Diaspora locations. The museum does not minimize the importance of the state of Israel, but also presents the Polish contribution to the state through the many Poles who helped found it, such as Ben Gurion.
Finally, those who adhere to a strict Zionist outlook will not be happy with its final message in which the current Chief Rabbi of Warsaw, Michael Schudrich, speaks about the renewal of Jewish life in Poland today and how many Poles have recently discovered their Jewish roots and formed a new sub-group within Jewish and Polish society. The museum does not deny the centrality of Israel to Jewish life today, but it does seek to counter the idea that any attempt to revitalize Jewish life in Poland today is too little too late. The museum presents a statement that Poland feels itself to be an important part of western society and acknowledges the vital role that Jews played in Polish history.
I can’t say I’ve ever been to a museum that is more important for Jews to visit to understand medieval and modern Jewish history than the museum my wife and I had the privilege of visiting today. We spent three hours there; I recommend spending more.