Hello everybody!

My name’s Patrick and I’m 20. In recent months, I’ve witnessed a terrifying rise of antisemitism, both online and in person, and it deeply disturbed me. My mom, as the history buff that she is, did her best to try and educate me throughout my childhood on many topics, and that included the Jewish-Polish connection, as well as the Jews’ plight before, during, and after WW2. Thus, as a Polish non-Jew, I felt not only disgusted by the recurrence of ideas and sentiments I thought to have long been abandoned by the civilized society, but also compelled to learn more about Jewish culture, partly out of a desire to stand in informed solidarity against the sudden outpouring of hate, but also to be able to appreciate and celebrate the rich traditions that have, after all, influenced so much of the world throughout history, including my own country.

That’s the main reason for me making this post. Even if completely insignificant in the larger scheme of things, by sharing my personal experiences I hope to at the very least bring some counterbalance to all the negativity I’ve encountered and surely will continue to encounter.

Now, with that out of the way…

1. Music

I’d like to start with something very close to my heart, which is music. It’s one of the greatest joys in my life and I honestly can’t imagine what I’d do without it haha One of my favorite bands of all time for a while now has been Silver Mt. Zion, a sister project to the (I suppose quite legendary) Godspeed You! Black Emperor, whose music I also adore.

Cover art for GY!BE’s EP “Slow Riot for New Zerø Kanada” containing the phrase Tohu va-Vohu.

While it didn’t connect at first for me, as quite evident by the name the former band includes a lot of Jewish symbolism, and after digging into it a bit I found out that, sure enough, both bands’ frontman, Efrim, as well as several members over the years are Jews. The recording of Silver Mt. Zion’s first album in particular was described by Efrim in an interview as a “Jewish experience” due to him, at the time, reconnecting with a small Jewish friend circle in Montreal. This resulted in Jewish imagery being injected into many of the songs’ titles and lyrics. While neither band is particularly mainstream, you might’ve actually heard one of the songs from the album, as it has been enjoying renewed popularity on the internet as of late, mostly thanks to TikTok.

After realizing this I began looking into other Jewish influences in the music I already enjoyed, as well as Jewish music as a whole, and nigh-immediately fell in love with folk and klezmer in particular – I just simply love how vibrant and expressive it is! Some of my favorites that immediately started filling my playlists are Galicianer Tanz, Fun Tashlach, Latviyska… Not to mention that ever since first listening to Tumbalalaika I’ve found myself humming it again and again. The Barry Sisters’ performance of it is so awesome!

Lastly, and a bit more contemporarily, I’ve been exploring the work of Israel’s “prince of rock,” Berry Sakharof, as well as my current favorite, Algeir. Their song קיטש has been stuck in my head for days, and I’m actually glad it is because it’s (I hope) helping me practice my Hebrew pronunciation! “אולי אולי אם אעצום עיניי…”

2. Cuisine

I’ll start this part off from a perhaps a bit non-standard angle, but I’d like to first mention… donuts. As I only recently learned, this type of pastry is actually extremely popular in Israel, so, led by curiosity I decided to study its history a bit, not at all expecting it to hit as close to home as it did!

Polish bakeries during Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday), the doughnut holiday in Poland

So, as it turns out the jelly donut recipe that originated in 1485 Germany, gained popularity in Poland around 1532, when the German cookbook Kuchenmeisterei was translated into Polish, and this type of donut was subsequently named pączek in Poland. Over the years pączki turned into one of the most popular pastries here, and Polish Jews began to make them too, calling them ponchik in Yiddish, as well as frying them in shmalz instead of lard, in order for them to be kosher.

Thus, ponchik quickly became the favorite Hanukkah dessert in many parts of Poland, and eventually Polish immigrants brought ponchiks to Israel, along with the custom of eating them on Hanukkah! They ended up being renamed to sufganiyah, but there’s still diaspora Jews around the world, who continue to refer to jelly donuts as ponchiks, for example some Australian Jews! Awesome!

Next up is chałka! One more food I had no idea was yet another common point in Polish-Jewish history, which I absolutely adore. Originating as Challah or Cholla bread in Ashkenazi cuisine of Central Europe this is a type of braidead bread that seems to have been adopted for the Polish cuisine by being made slightly sweeter than its Jewish progenitor (which, as I’ve read, is more salty).

Polish chałka with crumble topping. Delicious with butter!

3. Jewish heritage in Poland

As I was discovering and exploring Jewish culture online, I thought it could be a great experience to try and connect with it in person. Unfortunately, since Poland’s Jewish population has tragically shrunk to only about 4,500 people it is extremely hard to do so without going abroad. However, the Kazimierz district in Kraków has, tankfully and despite all odds, remained home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in Poland. And so I went!

First, I decided to visit the Old Synagogue, dating back mostly likely to the early 15th century this is one of the oldest, still standing European synagogues.

Old Synagogue on Szeroka street with a WW2 memorial in front

Before it got desecrated by the Nazis, it was one of the city’s most important synagogues as well as the main religious, social, and organizational centre of the Jewish community of Kraków. In 1794 General Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish national hero, spoke from the synagogue to gain the Jewish support in the Kościuszko Uprising. He said:

“I desire nothing for myself; I am concerned only with the grievous state of the homeland and the happiness of all its denizens, whom the Jews I consider to be.”

And:

“The Jews proved to the world that whenever humanity can gain, they would not spare themselves.”

The latter quote is inscribed on a plaque in both Hebrew and Polish at the entrance.

Next I went to the beautiful, beautiful Temple Synagogue. The synagogue was destroyed by the Nazis during WW2 and repurposed into an ammunition warehouse, but after the war a large inflow of financial contributions from private donors around the world allowed it to undergo a vast renovation from 1995 until 2000. When I came, it was undergoing yet another, minor renovation, as visible on the left side of the photo. The synagogue is still active today, although formal prayers are held only a few times a year.

Synagogue Temple, interior. Restoration work visible on the left.

Synagogue Temple, exterior. Beautiful building in a beautiful district!

Next I visited the Jewish Museum Galicja, which is a photo exhibition that portrays the history and culture of Galician Jews, commemorates the victims of the Holocaust and presents post-war attempts at retaining the memory of Jewish Heritage in Poland.

At this point in the evening live klezmer music was already beginning to resound throughout the Szeroka street, which was quite magical. I wanted to try a traditional Jewish dish and went to one of the many restaurants there. I ended up opting for kugel, which was delicious! The restaurant itself had an amazing, cozy vibe and bookshelves filled with Jewish literature, which you could pick up and read. The restaurant connected to a bookshop, where I ended up buying a book on “Israel’s Polish Roots”. Can’t wait to get reading!

My kugel!

I look forward to learning more about Jewish culture, learning Hebrew and someday visiting Israel as well as many other places connected with Jewish history. If you read this far – I’m astounded and most grateful! I hope you found some enjoyment in me recounting these experiences!

Thank you and שבת שלום!