Interview With Rabbi Michael Shudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland

THE CHIEF RABBI’S VIEW ON JEWS AND POLAND

 An interview with Rabbi Michael Schudrich

August 7, 2006

 

  • At least 20,000 Jews live in Poland. The two leading organizations, the Union of Jewish Communities, and the Association of Cultural and Social Association of Jews have each ABOUT 2,000 members.
  • The subject of Jews and Poland refers to three inter-related matters. The first concerns what is currently happening to the Jews living in Poland. The second is Poland’s Jewish heritage, including its physical remnants: cemeteries, synagogues, communal and private property. The third refers to the nature of Polish-Jewish relations.
  • Poland is still in a major state of flux. Since 1989, official Poland wants to re-examine its relations with the Jews. The main reasons for this are the teachings of Pope John Paul II, Poland’s admiration for the United States, and the rejection among the younger generation of everything their parents and grandparents stood for.
  • Though the main government force, the Law and Justice Party, is not anti-Semitic, the coalition now contains an anti-Semitic party whose leader, Roman Giertych, is deputy prime-minister and minister of education. This poses many dilemmas for the Jewish community, while at the same time Israel is boycotting him.

 

“The subject of Jews and Poland refers to three inter-related matters. The first concerns what is currently happening to the Jews living in Poland. The second is Poland’s Jewish heritage, including its physical remnants: cemeteries, synagogues, communal and private property. The third refers to the nature of Polish-Jewish relations.”

Rabbi Michael Schudrich began working in Poland in 1990. He has been Rabbi of Warsaw and Lodz since 2000 and after 2004 has also been serving as Chief Rabbi of Poland. As often happens, it was an incident which made his name internationally known. He was punched and pepper sprayed on a Shabbat at the end of May 2006 by an attacker in a Warsaw street who shouted “Poland for the Poles.” Despite that, Schudrich does not feel fearful in Poland.

Read the entire interview here: Interview with Rabbi Schudrich

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