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, 85% of Poland’s Jewish community had perished. Today, just 15,000 remain.

For many years, WJR focused its efforts on the immediate physical needs of Poland’s Jewish community, mitigating the effects of the Holocaust and the collapse of communism. However the recent resurgence of Jewish communal life in Poland has allowed a welcome expansion of our involvement there. We funded the renovation of the Jewish kindergarten, as well as supporting and helping the community prepare a diverse range of social and educational programmes. We are trying to put in place the self-sufficient communal structures that will allow this once flourishing community to become strong again.