Up until the Second World War, Krakow was home to a large and vibrant Jewish community.
The first Jews were recorded there in the 11th century and, by the 15th and 16th centuries, the city was enjoying a “golden age” as far as its Jewish residents were concerned as artists, scientists, architects and artisans settled in what is today Poland’s second largest city.
Records from 1936 show that 64,348 Jews lived in the city. By the end of the war there were just 2,000 remaining.
Since 1945, Krakow – in the minds of many – has become synonymous with the horrors of the Holocaust, in part owing to the city’s proximity to Auschwitz.
It has become a jumping off point for those wanting to visit the notorious Nazi death camp, while also walking in the footsteps of those who were rounded up and forced into the Krakow ghetto.
Once again this year, thousands of people from around the world descended on the city ahead of the annual March of the Living, which takes place on Yom HaShoah.
But visitors should no longer be focused wholly on the city’s Jewish past, but also be inspired by its present and future too. So says Jonathan Ornstein, executive director of the Jewish Community Centre in Krakow.
The building’s courtyard is decorated with a multitude of rainbow-coloured umbrellas and by the entrance is a large banner that reads: “Come saying Kaddish, and leave saying Shehecheyanu.” The blessing is at the heart of everything about the centre, which has 1,200 members and is growing every day.
“As you see life is continuing here in Krakow, a community next door to Auschwitz,” Ornstein told British March of the Living delegates on Sunday.
“Our community is going in a direction that very few communities in the world are going in.”
They have a lively pre-school – the first Jewish one set up here since the Holocaust – a pantry, a cheder, a Hillel for students and a kosher kitchen, which catered for 400 people on Seder night.
The centre is based in the heart of the buzzing Kazimierz district, which, according to Ornstein, is home to Europe’s best-preserved Jewish quarter. The area is alive with a host of kosher-style restaurants offering everything from hummus to cholent, while tourists and groups of young Chasidic men pile into the Remah Synagogue, which still operates today and dates back to 1553.
“Auschwitz is the place that defines tragedy, and by extension Krakow and by extension Poland,” said Ornstein, adding it was time to look at things differently.
Despite its importance, Ornstein said he believed there was a danger in over-emphasising Jewish victimhood. He said: “My fear is that if we as a people see ourselves as victims then more young people will think ‘You know what, what do I need this for?’”
Originally from New York, Ornstein said he had been living in Krakow for more than two decades and met his wife in the centre, where she discovered her hidden Jewish heritage. Their four-year-old child is now a pupil at the pre-school.
The centre was inspired by the then-Prince Charles after his visit to Krakow in 2002. Patron of World Jewish Relief, he recognised the need for a Jewish centre in the city – and the charity went on to design and fund the building.
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