EXPLORING POLAND/POLIN. Summer 2016

Transcription

1 EXPLORING POLAND/POLIN Heritage Study Tours Summer 2016

2 THE TAUBE CENTER FOR THE RENEWAL OF JEWISH LIFE IN POLAND FOUNDATION Director Helise E. Lieberman EXPLORING POLAND/POLIN 2016 Program Coordinator Paweł Łukaszewicz Assistant Program Coordinator Aleksandra Makuch Program Staff Aleksandra Engler-Malinowska Jessica Rosenberg Patrycja Rutecka Faculty Advisors Dr. Nicole Dołowy-Rybińska Adam Musiał Evaluation Bartosz Rozbicki Photos Paweł Łukaszewicz Aleksandra Makuch Bartosz Rozbicki Lydia Daniller Map design Urszula Jurkowska Design Maciej Podstolski

3 EXPLORING POLAND/POLIN Heritage Study Tours Summer 2016 Published by A Program of the Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland Foundation, the University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Slavic and Baltic Literatures, and Loyola University Chicago Department of Polish Studies Exploring Poland/Polin is a program created and organized by the Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland Foundation and co-funded by a grant from the Chancellery of the Senate of the Republic of Poland as a part of the Senate s patronage of Polonia and Poles living abroad; and a grant from the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture with additional support from the Michael H. Traison Fund for Poland.

4 ABOUT THE PROGRAM Exploring Poland/Polin allows you to discover a lot more about Poland s history and your heritage. It also provides you with an environment in which to envision Poland s future and your role in shaping this future. E.Z., Northwestern University, 2014 Participants exploring Warsaw s Old Town, August 2016 This program has completely changed my view of Poland. I have never been more proud of my heritage. I am looking for reasons to come back as often as possible. T.A., University of Illinois at Chicago, 2015 Exploring Poland/Polin was created to bring Americans of Polish and Polish Jewish descent to Poland to discover their shared histories, learn about modern, contemporary Poland, and strengthen their Polish and Jewish identities. A growing number of Polish Americans and Jewish Americans are seeking to connect to their heritage and explore the multifaceted society and regions from which their families came - the European world that shaped the identities brought to America. Exploring Poland/Polin offers an intensive twoweek immersion program of travel, workshops, walking tours, lectures, and panel discussions designed to introduce participants to important aspects of Polish and Polish Jewish history and life. 4 Tour members have the opportunity to meet a broad variety of Poles, including academics, entrepreneurs, social activists, and communal representatives. They are introduced to Poles who were raised after the fall of Communism in 1989, and those who survived World War II and lived under Communism. Participants also meet with expats who have made Poland their home. Additionally, they learn about academic and professional opportunities in Poland. Exploring Poland/Polin was developed and implemented by the Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish life in Poland Foundation, in cooperation with the University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Slavic and Baltic Literatures and the Loyola University Chicago Department of Polish Studies. The program is co-funded by the Chancellery of the Polish Senate with additional support from the Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland Foundation, the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, and the Michael H. Traison Fund for Poland.

5 THE FIRST TWO EDITIONS The first edition of Exploring Poland/Polin appeared in summer 2014 and was followed by the second in 2015 and the third in Experience gained from each tour has been applied to improve the next edition. The tours have a dedicated theme each day, a subject that runs through presentations, site visits, and encounters with peers and experts. Faculty advisors and the staff of the Taube Center are available to assist participants and make the tours memorable and meaningful journeys. EDITION ONE: 2014 The pilot edition, Toward a 21st Century Polonia: Explore, Connect, Get Involved, launched in summer 2014 with two groups of participants, one in June and one in August. Warsaw was the base for both tours. The June group focused on the 25th anniversary of Poland s return to democracy. Faculty advisor Dr. Karen Underhill introduced the tour members to contemporary Poland through site visits and meetings in Warsaw. The group discussed the new republic s accomplishments and challenges as conveyed through personal accounts, communal history, national narratives, and tours of historic sites. The theme of the August tour, led by Dr. Emily Finer as the faculty advisor, focused on the struggles of World War II and the Communist era. Participants also joined residents of the city to mark the hour when the Warsaw Uprising started on August 1, Toward a 21st Century Polonia: Explore, Connect, Get Involved was funded in part through a grant from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It received additional support from the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture and the Koret Foundation. The program taught me so much about Poland s rich history and culture, but more significantly, it taught me about myself and my newfound connection to my Polish and Jewish heritage. H.A., Boston University, 2014 Participants of 2014 edition next to Chopin s Monument in Warsaw, June

6 Instead of the war-torn, barren Soviet enclave many people picture, I saw how Poland has transformed magically into a bastion of economic growth, developed infrastructure, and gorgeous natural beauty. A.F., Vassar College, 2015 EDITION TWO: 2015 The second edition, Exploring Poland/Polin 2015, concentrated on examining the relationship between national memory and personal narratives, the impact of this relationship on contemporary society and on individual identities. The June group s theme was Transforming the Past into Living Identities, which focused on the multicultural and ethnic diversity of Polish history and culture. Faculty advisor Dr. Agnieszka Pasieka started with a four-day exploration of Warsaw, followed by visits to Kazimierz Dolny and Lublin to learn about the cultural and ethnic mosaic of Kresy, the former Polish eastern borderlands. After a stop at Sandomierz, the group reached Kraków, where it spent several days exploring landmarks, museums, and the vibrant cultural life. The tour included a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. The last stop was the resort town of Rymanów-Zdrój, in the Beskid Niski Mountains, the land of the Lemko ethnic minority. The August group explored 1,000 Years of Polish and Jewish History along the Vistula River by following the broad stream that runs from Krakόw all the way to the Baltic Sea. Led by Dr. Agnieszka Legutko, the group began its tour in Kraków, the original capital of the Polish kingdom, and then followed the river through Sandomierz and Kazimierz Dolny to Warsaw. The third part of the tour followed the river to its end in the Tricities area of Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia. There participants were briefed on the transformation of Poland from communism to a liberal democracy. Visiting St. John s Cathedral in Warsaw, August 2015 Overall, this was a great program filled with learning and knowledge each day. We truly were exposed to so much every day, whether it was by going to museums and learning, going to churches and synagogues, exploring on our own, or reflecting on the trip as an individual. Before this trip, I was not very knowledgeable about the impact that Judaism had on Poland in the past, but now after all that I have learned, I have a much better understanding. This program was a very interesting experience, even though I am not Jewish. Since I am Polish, I was eager to learn about Poland s diverse history. I recommend this program to those who are interested in exploring a beautiful country with so much history and culture. N.W., Loyola University, 2015 They also had the opportunity to explore the folk culture of the Kashubian hinterland. The second edition was co-funded by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, and the Michael H. Traison Fund for Poland. 6 During a visit in the castle of Malbork, August 2015

7 EDITION THREE: 2016 The third edition, Exploring Poland/Polin 2016, was focused on Poland s pre-war multiculturalism and its ethnic and religious groups that contributed to the fabric of Polish society prior to The participants engaged in discussions about the challenges of constructing ethnic and national identities. They learned about honoring and preserving tangible and intangible heritage after the World War II and the fall of Communism. In June a group of undergraduate and graduate students representing both Polish Catholic and Polish Jewish diasporas came to Poland to explore the Multicultural Polish Mosaic. Some were first- and second-generation Americans, others were grandchildren of those who had immigrated from Poland decades earlier. The August cohort was comprised of young and mid-career professionals linked through their family backgrounds, personal experience, or jobrelated interests to Poland and Polish or Polish Jewish issues. The main goal of the The Seminar on Wheels Poland Re/constructed was to provide participants with resources and tools, as well as professional contacts, that would enable them to share their experiences and to create programs for their own constituencies. SESSION TOPICS: Exploration of Polish multicultural identities Process of reshaping Polish and Jewish narratives, through discussing Polish American and Jewish American images and impressions of historical and contemporary Poland Similarities and differences in historical communities of Poles and Jews Testimonies and experiences of living beyond the shadows of World War II and Communism Walking to St. Mary s church in Kraków, June 2016 They Were Our Age : discovering experiences of youth fighting for freedom in WWII, the Holocaust, and the Anti-Communist opposition Process and means of transmitting intangible heritages, languages, and literature Connections between landscapes, memory and identities Timeline of destruction and reconstruction of Polish identity and heritage Preservation and resurgence of culture and memory in Poland, cultural regeneration and heritage transmission after 1989 Memory, Space, Art and Innovation discovering Polish entrepreneurship in business, technology, and culture Achievements of 26 years of Democracy in Poland 7

8 INSTITUTIONS REPRESENTED In the June tour: Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, CA Stanford University, CA Trinity College, CT Loyola University, IL Northwestern University, IL University of Illinois at Chicago, IL Iowa State University, IA University of Kansas, KS Amherst College, MA Cornell University, NY Hunter College, NY Portland State University, OR University of Wisconsin, WI Lunch in the Mehoffer s Garden, Kraków, June 2016 In the August tour: The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA Echo Theater Company, Los Angeles, CA Jewish Music Festival in Berkeley, CA Stanford University, CA University of Louisville, KY Williams College, MA Washington University in St. Louis, MO Columbia University, NY Gannon University, PA Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico Rootka Travel Agency, Poland At the POLIN Museum, Warsaw, August

9 ABOUT FACULTY THE AND PROGRAM SPEAKERS FACULTY AND SPEAKERS The faculty advisors, presenters, guides, panelists, and workshop leaders represented an array of disciplines, professions, and perspectives. FACULTY ADVISORS: June Program: Dr. Nicole Dołowy-Rybińska, Polish Academy of Sciences Department of Slavic Studies in Warsaw. Her academic interests are the ethnic minorities of the Polish- German borderland, with a focus on culture and language studies. August Program: Adam Musiał, an experienced educator of Polish Jewish history and the Holocaust, guide, and translator, based in Kraków. SPEAKERS AND PRESENTERS: Dr. Natalia Aleksiun, Associate Professor, Modern Jewish History, Touro College Katarzyna Andersz, co-editor, Chidusz magazine, from Wrocław Krzysztof Banach, guide and educator, Majdanek State Museum in Lublin Rabbi David Basok, Jewish Community of Wrocław Konstanty Gebert, Polish journalist and a Jewish activist, member of the anti-communist opposition in the 1970s and 80s Dr. Michał Jacuński, Department of Political Studies, University of Wrocław Marta Kadłuczka, State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau Dr. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Chief Curator, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw Tomasz Kuncewicz, director, Auschwitz Jewish Center, Oświęcim Romuald Łanczkowski, director, Polonia Office of the Chancellery of the Senate of the Republic of Poland in Warsaw Dr. Agnieszka Legutko, scholar, guide, Columbia University, New York Eugeniusz Tyrajski shares his war experiences, June 2016 Janusz Makuch, director, Kraków Jewish Culture Festival Łukasz Mieszkowski, author and journalist, doctoral candidate at the Friedrich-Schiller- Universität in Jena, Germany Dr. Marcin Napiórkowski, Institute of Polish Culture (IKP), University of Warsaw Jakub Nowakowski, director, Galicia Jewish Museum in Kraków Karolina Ożóg, curator, The Ulma Family Museum of Poles Saving Jews in WWII, Markowa Dr. Michalina Petelska, Emigration Museum in Gdynia Joanna Podolska-Płocka, director, Marek Edelman Dialogue Center in Łódź Agata Rakowiecka, Director, JCC Warsaw Dr. Ewa Węgrzyn, scholar, guide, Department of Jewish Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland Anna Trylińska, Association for Legal Intervention in Warsaw Eugeniusz Tyrajski, veteran of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising 9

10 OUR TOUR THROUGH POLAND JUNE 2016 WARSAW > LUBLIN/MAJDANEK > ŁAŃCUT > MARKOWA > POLAŃCZYK > SANOK > KROSNO > TARNÓW > BIESZCZADY MAP OF THE AUGUST TOUR 10

11 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JUNE TOUR WARSAW Dinner with representatives of the Polish Senate I believe this program was a steppingstone in my journey to discover my Polish heritage. I still have much to learn but I am glad I learned what I did and it is a starting point for the future. V.R., University of Kansas, 2016 Exploring Poland/Polin is an amazing and unforgettable experience. Learn about Polish and Jewish culture! M.S., Loyola University, 2016 The June tour began with walking workshops in Warsaw s reconstructed Old Town, down the Royal Route and Nowy Swiat, and through the former heart of Jewish Warsaw and the ghetto. Visits to POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews and the Warsaw 1944 Rising Museum brought participants face to face with Polish history. Panel discussions, meetings with political and communal leaders, and conversations with Polish peers helped to integrate the academic background with on-the-ground experiences. Tour members met with a veteran of the Warsaw Uprising, who recalled his personal experiences during a meeting at the Warsaw 1944 Rising Museum. During a dinner session the participants met with representatives of the Chancellery of the Polish Senate and discussed Polish history and their experiences with the Polish diaspora in the United States. With Ola Engler-Malinowska, POLIN Museum, August

12 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JUNE TOUR LUBLIN The group explored the city of Lublin, where they came to understand how Jewish communities prior to World War II were integrated into Polish political, cultural, and social life. They learned about the complicated ethnic and religious demographics of the former Polish Kresy (eastern borderlands). They also visited the Brama Grodzka Teatr NN, which archives the memory of pre-war Jewish Lublin. This program has been pivotal in both consolidating and contesting my convictions regarding contemporary Poland, its complex history, and its future. J.M., Hunter College, 2016 A meeting with a representative of the Reconciliation through Difficult Memory association addressed Polish-Ukrainian relations, including the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. The Lublin part of the tour concluded with a visit to Majdanek Museum at the site of the former German Nazi concentration camp. Panoramic view of Lublin s Old Town This trip was an excellent survey of Polish history, culture, and contemporary issues presented in an informative light and a critical lens. N.N., Cornell University, 2016 In Brama Grodzka, discovering pre-war Jewish Lublin 12

13 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JUNE TOUR ŁAŃCUT & MARKOWA The group next to the Palace in Łańcut I learned from the Polish experts on the ground, and from hearts of my fellow classmates. I came to Poland imagining a place of darkness and death, the image in my mind from Poland under Nazi and Soviet control. I left seeing bright colors, optimism, and a rising Jewish future in Poland. B.S., Amherst College, 2016 I found my roots and began to consider what it means to be not just a Jew, but a Polish Jew, and the compilations of that phrase interest me. M.W., Stanford University, 2016 The group traveled to Łańcut and toured the palace and park of the Lubomirski and Potocki families and visited an 18th-century synagogue. In the village of Markowa they toured a museum commemorating Polish Righteous Among the Nations. It is erected close to the site where the Ulma family together with the eight Jews they were hiding were killed by the Germans in March The Museum in Markowa 13

14 Poland is forever in my heart. This is my country. E.P., Iowa State University, 2016 Discovering local delicacies Hiking in Bieszczady HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JUNE TOUR BIESZCZADY In the Bieszczady Mountains the group met members of the Lemko ethnic minority. Field sessions led by the faculty advisor, combined with a hike around the mountain town of Lutowiska, introduced different approaches to understanding Polish heritage and traditions. Participants met with activists from the Lemko Youth Association and folk band members, who performed for them. During a workshop in Polańczyk the participants enjoyed preparing and tasting local delicacies from Polish, Jewish, Ruthenian, and Lemko cuisines. Exploring Poland/Polin gave me an incomparable opportunity to see, learn about, and experience Poland from an innumerable amount of perspectives and walk away with unforgettable friends and memories. V.S., Amherst College 2016 Close encounters of the third kind 14

15 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JUNE TOUR SANOK, KROSNO & TARNÓW An incredible journey into the heart of not just a nation and its history, but nationhood and its narrow meanings and entanglements. A unique, unflinching, and utterly transformative look into what it means to be Polish, to be Jewish, and to be a Polish Jew. Forward-looking, honest and hopeful. - M.W., Stanford University, 2016 Icons of the castle of Sanok A visit in Sanok provided the opportunity to see the largest gallery of painted icons in Poland and works by the painter and graphic designer Zbigniew Beksiński. The tour stopped in Krosno for a glass-making workshop. Before reaching Kraków, the group briefly visited Tarnów and its Renaissance market square. They learned about the economy of pre-partition Poland and the relations among townsfolk, nobles, Jews, and peasants relations that had important historical consequences in Poland. A walking workshop through the Old Town included the site of the Old Synagogue of Tarnów, where an original bimah serves as a reminder of the residents who perished in the Holocaust. Learning making glass showpieces 15

16 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE JUNE TOUR KRAKÓW In the Royal Wawel Castle This program is an unforgettable experience I will always be thankful for. It was everything and more than what I expected. N.B., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2016 In 12 days, one can only scratch the surface of what s to see there, but this tour made me feel that I have to go back. A.W., Loyola University, 2016 The tour concluded in Kraków, the original capital of the Polish kingdom, which contains seven synagogues, the oldest dating back to the Middle Ages. A walking workshop took participants from the Barbican through the Planty Park, St. Mary s Church, Main Market Square, and the Cloth Hall, toward Wawel Royal Castle. The tour included a visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral, with the tomb of Tadeusz 16 Exploring Jewish Kazimierz with Dr. Agnieszka Legutko Kościuszko, a national hero in both Poland and the United States. The group took walking workshops in Kazimierz, for centuries the center of vibrant and diverse Jewish life, where they learned about the revitalization of the district during the last 30 years. The trip ended with a visit to Nowa Huta, a development created by the Communist authorities that retains its Socialist Realism style and is filled with symbols of a bygone epoch.

17 OUR TOUR THROUGH POLAND AUGUST 2016 WARSAW > ŁÓDŹ > WROCŁAW > KRAKÓW > AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU > KRAKÓW MAP OF THE AUGUST TOUR 17

18 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AUGUST TOUR WARSZAWA I realized that I could see myself working in Poland. Before this trip, I struggled to define my relationship with Poland but now I understand how I could fit into this culture. K.D., Portland State University, 2016 With Marta Eichelberger Jankowska by the tomb of Szmul Zbytkower, Jewish cemetery at Okopowa Street One of the monuments commemorating the 1944 Warsaw Uprising With Helise Lieberman at the Jewish Historical Institute The Seminar on Wheels Poland Re/constructed started in Warsaw. Faculty advisor Adam Musiał introduced participants to themes of Polish history, identity, culture, and Jewish influences. Author Łukasz Mieszkowski led a walking workshop through the Old Town and the Royal Route and discussed Warsaw s destruction during World War II and its subsequent reconstruction. Participants also viewed artifacts retrieved from the Warsaw Ghetto at the Ringelblum Archive, 18 housed in the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute. In addition to an in-depth visit to POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and a walking workshop through the district of Muranów, they met with representatives from the academic, social, and cultural sectors. Meetings with community members and institutional leaders helped familiarize them with today s Jewish Warsaw.

19 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AUGUST TOUR ŁÓDŹ This was truly a life-changing experience. For most of us, this was the first opportunity we had to openly discuss Jewish life in Poland in a way that doesn t privilege the Holocaust at the expense of many other dimensions of the long history of Jews in Poland. I was incredibly impressed with emphasis placed on multiculturalism, coexistence, and nuance. In more ways than one, my journey of exploration has only begun. M.K., University of Louisville, 2016 Walking through Poznański s Factory grounds The next stop was the factory city of Łódź Manchester of the East. During the 19th century, when it was in the Russian partition, it became the center of Poland s textile industry and grew to be the second largest Polish city. Its jobs and businesses attracted Poles, Germans, Jews, and Russians. The tour focused on these four cultures and how the complicated religious and ethnic mosaic was gradually disassembled during the troubled 20th century. The visit began at the Marek Edelman Center for Dialogue and then continued with a short tour of the factory complex of the Poznański family and a stroll along the mansions and apartment houses on Piotrkowska Street. The group visited the site of the former train station in Radogoszcz district (Radegast). It was from this station that cattle cars filled with Jews departed Łódź destined for Nazi death camps. Memorial at the Radegast station 19

20 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AUGUST TOUR WROCŁAW Before this trip, I associated Poland primarily with persecution and suffering. The trip complicated that by introducing me to a living, breathing country struggling with many of the same challenges as my own. Seeing the renascent Jewish community deepened my understanding of, and commitment to, a Jewish world with multiple centers. D.S, Stanford University, 2016 The itinerary included a visit in the Polish recovered territories. Prior to 1945, the western parts of today s Poland belonged to Germany, although historically they were once Polish lands. After World War II the victorious Allies agreed to shift Poland s boundary westwards. Wrocław (Breslau), the capital of Silesia, was repopulated with Poles repatriated from eastern lands ceded to the Soviet Union. The tour s lectures and panels addressed issues of mixed identities coming from forced migrations and struggles with the legacy of previous inhabitants. A tour of the old town included a stop at the White Stork Synagogue, the center of Wrocław s Jewish community. As the visit in the city fell on Friday, the group spent the Sabbath meal discussing the Jewish revival and its challenges with Rabbi David Basok and his wife Daniella. In the old mikvah of the White Stork Synagogue Strolling through Wrocław s Solny Square This trip was a unique opportunity and a tremendous learning experience for me. I m so grateful to have been a part of this cohort, and I m excited about bringing what I ve learned into my work. S.Z., Columbia University,

21 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AUGUST TOUR KRAKÓW Adam Musiał guiding through the streets of Krakow s Old Town This seminar was a life changing experience. I cannot imagine a better way of getting to know the country where my ancestors used to live and the territory that I have been researching for the past 6 years. The trip was inspiring, the faculty taught us a lot about the past and present of the country, and we had the chance to interact with different activists of the Jewish Polish arena. - T.G.F., Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2016 Seminar on Wheels ended in Kraków, one of the main centers of Ashkenazi Jewish culture. Today it is a place of renewal where institutions committed to Jewish history and culture are thriving, including the JCC Kraków, Galicia Jewish Museum, and Jewish Culture Festival. Several discussions focused on the regeneration of the Jewish Kazimierz district, increasingly a tourist destination, and its impact on the city and the Jewish community. Participants had walking workshops in the Old Town, the Wawel Royal Castle, Oskar Schindler s Museum in Podgórze, and Nowa Huta. The program included a visit to the town of Oświęcim, site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp, and then to the Auschwitz Jewish Center. The program ended with presentations by the participants based on their tour experiences and reflecting personal observations and feelings. In the Tempel Synagoge, Kraków, June

22 Life changing! Truly an experience of a lifetime. During these 12 days I laughed, I cried, I felt sorrow and I fell in love. X.D., Loyola University, 2015 Meeting Rabbi Schudrich in Warsaw, August 2016 This program is an unforgettable experience I will always be thankful for. It was everything and more than what I expected N.B., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2016 This experience was powerful, stimulating, and personally enriching J.B., Gannon University, 2016 With Justyna Tomaszewska and... Julian Tuwim, Łódź, August 2016 Thank you Taube Center for opening the arch-shaped renaissance shul windows into life in Poland for me - S.V., Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, 2016 A friend in need is a friend indeed, Bieszczady, June

23 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland Foundation would like to thank the Senate of the Republic of Poland, the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, and the Michael H. Traison Fund for Poland for their generous financial support. We are grateful to Dr. Karen Underhill, University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Slavic and Baltic Literatures; Dr. Bozena Nowicka McLees, Loyola University Chicago Department of Polish Studies; Dr. Ari Kelman, Stanford University; Shana Penn; JCC Warsaw and JCC Kraków; Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute; POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews; Brama Grodzka Teatr NN in Lublin; State Museum at Majdanek; State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau; Auschwitz Jewish Center; Stacja Muranów; Menora InfoPunkt; Wrocław Jewish Community; Marek Edelman Dialogue Center in Łódź; Warsaw Jewish Community; Kraków Jewish Culture Festival; Cheder Café; Galicia Jewish Museum; and our partner organizations for their continuous support. We thank all of the program s presenters, guides, and facilitators for contributing and sharing their experience, expertise, and time with the participants. We would like to thank Xenia Dyląg and Taylor Jordan for their invaluable assistance in the participants application process. Special thanks go to former coordinators of the program, Szymon Gebert and Bartosz Rozbicki, for their support and suggestions.

24 Coming soon: Exploring Poland/Polin Heritage Study Tours Summer 2017! For more information about Exploring Poland/Polin please visit or the profile on Facebook: Publication of: Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland Foundation 3/5 Tlomackie St., Warsaw Tel.: