This project is addressed to people of Jewish origin visiting Poland, especially Krakow. The aim is to broaden the perception of the Jewish heritage and the Jewish presence in Poland, beyond the context of the tragic events of the Holocaust.

The traces of the 1000-year-old Jewish heritage in Poland can still be found in cemeteries, abandoned synagogues and the mezuzah or its traces left in the jamb of front doors. It's also found in elements of Polish culture – in borrowed words and folk customs, the origins of which nobody remembers. Jews were active co-creators of the Polish culture, leaving behind valuable contributions to its literary, artistic and intellectual heritage.

The traumatic events of World War II have dominated the world's memory of Polish Jews. Their 1000-year-old legacy was shamefully submerged in the unspeakable tragedy of the Holocaust.
Testimony about Jewish history in Poland, however, will be incomplete without an awareness of this tremendous heritage. Polish-Jewish relations cannot be confined to the years of war, as this would be so harmful to the Poles and the Jews.

Understandably, the image of Poles that Holocaust survivors have passed on to their children and grandchildren are heavily weighted with painful experience.

Jews of the Diaspora come to the country of their ancestors mainly to pay homage to those who are absent, and touch traces of their history.

But as Poles of Jewish origin, we are also eager for them to meet the living components of Jewish life in Poland, which, although small-scale, exist and are still developing.
We want the project "Mifgashim be Polin" to create the space for foreign visitors to Poland to meet Polish Jews and exchange experiences, to contribute to overcoming Polish stereotypes and to widening the outside world's perspective on the Jewish community in Poland.
The practical side of the project is meeting with individuals and groups of school and university students from Israel, USA, UK, France. We offer guests forums such as film screenings, lectures, multimedia presentations and discussions, as well as meals in common, which provide the possibility of talks on a less formal level.

We try to provide knowledge about the history of Jews in Poland, information on the current situation of the Jewish community and to share our experience with the modern, global dilemmas related to identity.

Coordinator: Klaudia Klimek
Donator: The Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture