The Enigma
Of Poland

Polish interest in

Jewish culture is on the
increase, but finding actual
Jews is another matter.

PHOTOS AND TEXT BY CHARLES A. BUERGER PUBLISHER

34

Thus, the enigma of Poland.
A little over 50 years ago, there
were 3 1/2 million Jews living in
Poland, at the time the second
Left: With a unique
largest concentration of Jews in
eagerness and
the world. One-third of the resi-
excitement that
dents of Warsaw were Jewish.
There were 304 synagogues in
would make any
the Kazimierz district, the small
Sunday school
stately area where Jewish cul-
teacher proud, this
tural life once flourished in
group of
Krakow. Before World War II,
all non-Jewish
56,000 of the 300,000 of Krakow's
inhabitants were Jewish.
students learns
Now, only somewhere between
Hebrew in a public
7,000 and 30,000 Jews, mostly
Polish school.
over age 60, remain in all of
Poland. And there is much con-
Below: Janina Gorz,
cern over whether or not the
country can sustain even this
a non-Jew, keels
small number.
with pride over her
Jewish Poland today is the tiny
class' success in
indistinguishable form of what
mastering Hebrew.
once was a great ice sculpture;
the hellish flames from the Holo-
caust have practically vaporized
Jewish life here.
Sadly, many of the
Jews who had re-
turned to Poland af-
ter the war again
became victims. In
1946, in the small
city of Kielce, 42
Jews were killed. In
1968, in a Commu-
rakow — As
nist-inspired reac-
we enter the
tion to both internal
classroom, the
economic problems
students jump
and Israel's stunning
to their feet
1967 Six-Day War
and sing. The
victory, there was a
room had been
purge of Jews from
freshly paint-
the government. Un-
ed blue and white and Israeli
derstandably, most
posters were neatly taped to the
of the remaining
walls. Jania Gorz, their teacher, and the Polish director of tourism. Jews left for Sweden, Israel or the
beams proudly at her well-be-
Ms. Gorz, a warm, friendly United States.
haved, enthusiastic 16-year-olds. woman with a smile framing her
Journalist and one-time gov-
A typical visit to a well-run Pol- rosy cheeks, is not Jewish. A bi- ernment spokesperson Malgo-
ish Jewish day school? Hardly.
ologist by training, she started rzata Niezabitowska, who wrote
There are no Jews in this pub- the course because she is "fasci- Remnants, a book about 'the last
lic school, the European equiva- nated by the richness of Jewish Jews of Poland," believes she may
lent of an American junior college, culture."
have been premature.
or this Hebrew language and cul-
"But is there a revival?" she
A member of a touring group
ture class. In fact, the only Jews of journalists asks the children asks herself. "Well, there may
that anyone in the class has ever why they would take Hebrew and have been 24 involved 'young'
met are the occasional Jewish vis- want to learn about Israel. Shy- Jews a few years ago and now
itors from Israel and the United ly, in halting English, they say there are 75. That's three times
States, including a group of Jew- they like to study Jewish histo- as many, but it really doesn't
ish journalists on a recent tour ry, that it is a new course, or that mean too much."
arranged by Joseph Jacobs Inc., they want to learn tolerance. The
But, she believes Jews can and
the New York-based Jewish me- Hebrew course is an elective and should return to Poland to ex-
dia rep firm; LOT, Polish Airlines; quite popular.
plore their roots and culture. Or

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