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Poland's Jewish
awakening.

VIVIVAN HENOCH I SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

s Poland on your Jewish Bucket List?
And why not?
Did you know ...
•
Most American and European Jews
on the planet can trace their ancestry to
Poland?
For nearly 1,000 years, Poland was the
epicenter of Jewish civilization and culture
where Talmudic scholarship grew and
Chasidism was born.
By the eve of World War II, Poland had
the largest Jewish population in Europe,
about 3.3 million people, representing
more than a third of the population of
many parts of the country, including the
capital, Warsaw. Nearly 90 percent of
Polish Jewry — more than 3 million souls
were murdered in Nazi death camps. Post-
war pogroms and a 1968 purge (the March
Events coinciding with Prague Spring)
further decimated the population of those
who survived.
Statistics produced by American Jewish
Joint Distribution Committee and the

54

May 28 • 2015

Jewish Agency for Israel vary from an
estimated 25,000 to 100,000 Jews in
Poland — though fewer than 10,000 are
actually registered as Jewish on Poland's
official government census. Numbers aside,
Jewish life in Poland is flourishing once
again.

A Triumph Of History

Though the Jewish people have never come
closer to extinction than in the Holocaust,
Poland's post-Communist reawakening
has sparked a Jewish renaissance in the
country, paying tribute to the rich Jewish
heritage that has contributed to its art,
history and culture.
In Krakow, a city just one hour from
Auschwitz and Birkenau where millions of
Jews died, millions now visit to connect,
share and celebrate the resurgence of
Jewish life.
As Jews around the world are
discovering, a visit to Krakow can be
transformative.

In March, a group of 12 Jewish
Detroiters joined young professionals
from Chicago, Toronto and St. Louis for an
extraordinary opportunity to explore their
Jewish roots on a European Heritage trip to
Poland and Prague sponsored by Partners
Detroit.
"We've organized many community
trips through Partners Detroit before," said
Rabbi Leiby Burnham, who led the group.
"We've been to Israel, to Britain, Panama
and many different places, but we thought
a trip to Poland would be an incredibly
powerful experience. Exactly as planned,
our visit turned into a powerful personal
journey for every participant, reawakening
our Jewish sense of self and pride."
A model of community engagement,
Partners Detroit trips are highly subsidized
but designed for a comprehensive learning
and leadership development experience
before and after travel. Prior to the trip, the
group attended four sessions to discuss
topics of leadership and to learn about

the different sites they were to visit. Upon
their return, they are committed to another
six sessions to reflect on where they have
been. Additionally, each participant is
slated for 10 one-on-one sessions with a
Partners Detroit rabbi.
"Our group dynamic was very strong
and something that put the trip over the
top for us," said Gabe Neistein, alumni
relations director at Tamarack Camps and a
participant on the trip. "We shared a very
powerful and emotional week and had a
great wrap-up session on our final night in
Prague."
Neistein describes "a particularly
emotional day" touring sites in Poland,
including the Krakow Ghetto and a mass
gravesite. "Before dinner, our last stop on
the tour was the Jewish Community Center
of Krakow, where we were very inspired
to return to the present day and hear
about contemporary life in Krakow and the
rebirth of the Jewish community there and
throughout Poland."

Polish Jewish Community

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In fact, Neistein returned home so jazzed
about the JCC Krakow he initiated a
follow-up Skype interview with the center's
founder and executive director Jonathan
Ornstein and development associate
Agnieszka Gi. At the time of the Detroiters'
visit, Ornstein had been in Israel on a JCC-
supported tour with Holocaust survivors,
many of whom had never set foot on an
airplane.
From Queens, N.Y., Ornstein was in his
20s when he made aliyah to Israel. Thirteen
years ago, he moved to Krakow, fell in love
with the city, teaching Hebrew to university
students eager to embrace Jewish culture
or their own Jewish roots. Reflecting on
his work with the JCC, he said, "I often
think about how interconnected we are.
And that's something we see as the whole
world passes through Krakow. Because
we're the community nearest Auschwitz,