Royal Opening for WJR Krakow Jewish Community Centre
KEY FACTS
The Krakow JCC has been built by WJR in the heart of Krakow next to the beautiful Tempel Synagogue
All members of the community, young, old, students and families can come together for social, educational and religious programmes. It will also hold exhibitions and will be open to the thousands of tourists who visit Krakow each year
The Krakow Jewish community gathered this afternoon together with dignitaries and guests from around the world to witness the opening of the new Jewish Community Centre (JCC) by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
On a visit to Krakow in June 2002 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales saw the living circumstances of the remaining elderly members of the Jewish community. He was deeply moved by their plight and motivated to change their lives for the better. On his return to the UK, he contacted World Jewish Relief (WJR), the leading London based charity that responds to the needs of Jewish communities at risk or in crisis around the world, and the plans to build the Centre came alive.
The Krakow JCC, opened today by its Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales, has been built by WJR in the heart of Krakow next to the beautiful Tempel Synagogue and is where all members of the community, young, old, students and families can come together for social, educational and religious programmes. It will also hold exhibitions and will be open to the thousands of tourists who visit Krakow each year, Jews and non-Jews alike.
Following the traditional Jewish custom of affixing a Mezuzah on the doorpost of a new home and the ceremonial plaque unveiling, Their Royal Highnesses today met many members of the Jewish community of Krakow including several elderly Holocaust survivors whom The Prince of Wales met in 2002 and to whom he promised his support.
Ryszard Orowski, A Holocaust survivor who chose to remain in Krakow after the war and the loss of all of his family members to the Nazis, met His Royal Highness in 2002 and was today able to thank him personally for making the dream of a Centre for the Jewish Community a reality.
Mr Orowski said:
“No words can describe the gratitude we have for the kindness and generosity of His Royal Highness. Never did we imagine that we would have a centre, a home, for the whole community of Krakow. Many think this community was entirely devastated by the Nazis but there is such life here still. I stand here today remembering the family and loved ones whom many of us lost so tragically in the Holocaust but now I can look to the future with true hope that our wonderful community can again come alive.“
Their Royal Highnesses were also entertained with music and dancing from the community’s children and participated in an enlightening discussion with the Jewish students who will use the Centre.
Nigel Layton, Chairman of WJR paid tribute to Their Royal Highnesses’ generosity. He said:
“Thanks to the vision, dedication and support of HRH The Prince of Wales, we know that this Centre will be valued by all members of the community and make a huge difference to their lives. His Royal Highness’s support of WJR has been truly exceptional and extraordinary. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude. The anticipation of the Centre’s opening alone has already served to begin the rejuvenation of a community that has suffered so much over the years. We hope that the Centre will enable the rich history of Jewish life in Krakow to be rekindled and enhanced.”
Chief Rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich attended the ceremony and affixed the Mezuzah on the door frame at the Centre assisted by HRH The Prince of Wales. Chief Rabbi Schudrich said of the occasion:
“The Polish Jewish Community has suffered unimaginable hardship over the centuries. Once one of the largest Jewish communities in the world, today it is among the smallest. However, thanks to the munificence and grace of Their Royal Highnesses, this community here in Krakow – once a bustling centre of Jewish life – now has a real chance of returning to its former glory.”
Tadeusz Jakubowicz, President of the Krakow Jewish Community spoke movingly, saying,
"Many people come and promise us a future, but The Prince of Wales and World Jewish Relief promised and today's ceremony shows that they also deliver and we are so very grateful for this".
Background Information
About World Jewish Relief (WJR)
WJR provides a crucial lifeline to Jewish people in need around the world helping them overcome appalling poverty, despair and isolation. Moreover, through its commitment to long-term programmes which strive to enhance community infrastructure, people can go on to build a better future for themselves.
WJR is dedicated to fighting human suffering and serving the urgent needs of, primarily but not exclusively, Jewish communities who are at risk or in crisis (outside the UK and Israel). With its Jewish lifeline WJR is helping thousands survive the most devastating hardships.
www.wjr.org.uk
The Jewish Community of Krakow
Poland was once the hub of world Jewry. The first Jew registered in Krakow in 965 AD, and for centuries the community flourished. By 1939, the population numbered 3.3 million, the second largest Jewish community in the world at the time. However, Polish Jewry was devastated by the Holocaust. By the end of the war, 90% of Poland’s Jewish community had perished.
Later, the communist authorities suppressed Jewish culture and most of the remaining survivors emigrated during party-led anti-Semitic campaigns.
But since communism collapsed in 1989, people have felt free to talk about their own Jewish past. Thousands of Poles have begun to discover they have Jewish roots.
It is estimated that there are currently up to 3,000 Jews in Krakow although the current official members are numbered at just 150, the majority of whom are elderly. It is hoped that the many Jews who were forced or coerced to hiding their Jewish identity and whose children have never known of their Judaism because of the post-war political reality in Poland will, through the new Jewish Community Centre, be drawn back into Jewish life.
The Mezuzah Ceremony
A Mezuzah (meaning "doorpost" in Hebrew) is a piece of parchment rolled up and contained in a decorative case inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah. These verses comprise the Jewish prayer the Shema and begins with the phrase "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is One."
A Mezuzah is affixed to the doorframe of Jewish homes and buildings to fulfill the mitzvah Biblical commandment to inscribe the words of the Shema "on the doorposts of your house."(Deuteronomy 6:9)
The Mezuzah is placed on the right side of the door (from the point of view of the person entering the room), in the upper third of the doorpost within approximately 3 inches of the doorway opening.
Krakow JCC – Architecture and Design
The Krakow Jewish Community Centre has been constructed in the grounds of the city’s Temple Synagogue. It is a small plot, which abuts adjoining buildings and an old Mikvah (ritual bath).
The building has a basement and four floors. All the rooms are designed to be as flexible as possible, for multi-use. Certain areas are, by necessity, specific such as consultation room for a doctor or physiotherapist. The building is fully accessible and usable on all floors by the disabled.
The design of the building is modern but uses materials in keeping with the surrounding area and traditional elements of Krakow. Nevertheless care has been taken not to make it a pastiche. It fits in extremely well with the streetscape, while providing a handsome addition to the area.
