I spent today observing the Sabbath in Krakow. I prayed in the morning at the Kupa Synagogue, which was built in 1643, and located in the Kazimierz section of the city, where the Jews of Krakow resided for hundreds of years. There were about 100 men at the service (more upstairs in the women’s section). …
Category: Poland: yesterday and today
Discoveries and reflections during my travels in Poland.
The POLIN Museum
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 …
Poland versus Jews or Poland and Jews
My first afternoon in Warsaw raised an essential question: Am I exploring the history of Jews within Poland and among Poles or vis-a-vis Poland and Poles. At first impression, it seems more the former than the latter. Consider the deep historical similarities between the two peoples. Poland is an ancient land that is located between …
Learning the geography of Poland
One of my tasks in preparing to visit Poland is to learn the location of various places there. Having studied the history of Jews in Eastern Europe, I know that the borders of Poland changed over the years. In fact, when my Zeidy was born in Zambrow in 1900, Poland was not even a country. …
Poland: it’s complicated
I am the first in my immediate family to go back to Poland since my Zeidy (grandfather) left in 1920. My mother had some desire to see Zambrow, but she and my father focused their travels on places they really wanted to see and experience, such as Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada. The idea …