Being Jewish is now fashionable and hip in Poland
July 15, 2007 - כ"ט תמוז תשס"ז by:
What a difference a culture makes. In an earlier blog post, Hayim wrote about the challenge of keeping American teenagers involved with their Jewish education. Now, the International Herald Tribune has an article, Non-Jews reviving Poland’s Jewish culture that suggests Jews and Non-Jews are eager to embrace Jewish life.
“At summer camps, thousands of Jewish teenagers from across the former Soviet bloc gather for crash courses in Jewish culture, celebrating Passover, Hanukkah and Purim all in July.
Even in Poland, there are now two Jewish schools, synagogues function in several major cities, and there are at least four rabbis.”
It’s not just the teenagers who are interested in all things Jewish.
“Interest in Jewish culture became an identifying factor for people unhappy with the status quo and looking for ways to rebel, whether against the government or their parents.
“The word ‘Jew’ still cuts conversation at the dinner table,” Gebert said. “People freeze.”
The revival of Jewish culture is, in its way, a progressive counterpoint to a conservative nationalist strain in Polish politics that still espouses anti-Semitic views. Some people see it as a generation’s effort to rise above the country’s dark past in order to convincingly condemn it.”
In writing about the International Herald Tribune article, the War to Mobilize Democracy Blog wrote,
“Human evolution can be pretty intense, horrifying, ironic, and even hopeful. Some Eastern Europeans have not forgotten the concept of atonement woven into their culture by Jews. And the Jewish revival is happening in nearby countries like Lithuania and Estonia, also.”
To watch the New York Times Slide Show on Polish Jews,visit the International Herald Article and look for the Multimedia Photo Gallery.
-Elana, CO-STAR editor
Image Credit: New York Times
