Poland –

Jewish Revival

For decades Poland has been synonomous with Jewish persecution. But
today rising from the ashes of the Holocuast and the grey years of
communism is a small but growing Jewish community.

UPSOT: Rabbi Michael Schudrich: “One can certainly say there is a resurgence of Poles with Jewish roots wanting to reconnect to the Jewish people and there are thousands more today than there were three years ago. How many thousands nobody knows.”

Its Friday prayers at the Warsaw Synagogue and the faithful are
preparing to celebrate one of the most important holidays on the Jewish
calander - Yom Kippour.

New freedoms have encouraged many young people to search for their
roots. Judaism has become fashionable. But it's brought unforseen
difficulties.

When this couple discovered their Jewish blood, they found there was
no-one left to guide them through the intricate rituals.

UPSOT: Tagnieszka Jusczynsu: “I remember our first sabbath which we tried to prepare ourselves and we did not know what is first, candles, blessing, how to say it. We did it in a little room, we prepared food, but how… We had a thousand questions and we did not have Michael, our rabbi.”

The rabbi was flown in by American Jewish philanthropist Ronald Lauder
to fill the void.

He's charged with passing on Jewish traditions to the new members of the
congregation. He also has to teach the wider community tolerance.

In this country anti-semitism is never far from the surface. The front
of the synagogue has been vandalised. And just a few months ago the
entrance was firebombed, demolishing part of the structure.

UPSOT: Rabbi Michael Schudrich: “There is antisemitism in Poland, it is not as obtrusive as many people outside of Poland believe. However it does exist. The greatest problem with antisemitism is not that I can’t walk on the streets or that they will throw eggs at me. It happens rarely. The real problem is the social element that is if I tell my classmate, my colleague, that I’m Jewish, is he going to stop being my friend?”

That's not a dilemna faced by children at Warsaw's new Jewish elementary
school. But many of their parents are reluctant to openly display their
background.

UPSOT: Helise Lieberman, headteacher Lauder Morasha School: “I think that there are people who are still fearful of saying that they are Jewish or have Jewish roots. When people come here to inquire about the school it takes them a long time to get around for them saying they are Jewish and this is a very safe environment to me. Look around, Hebrew on the walls, there is an ambience of Jewish culture throughout the building. And when people are still reticent. Then I’m reminded that it takes a very long time to heal the wounds.”

For just that reason, the school accepts non- Jewish students. It keeps
the door open for those who want to give their children a Jewish
upbringing without revealing their own roots.

The school is another Ronald Lauder project, to spread Jewish culture.
Classes are taught in Polish but everyone learns Hebrew.

UPSOT children saying words in Hebrew and Polish.

UPSOT Helise Lieberman, headteacher Lauder Morasha School: “In a sense we have 92 little ambassadors of Jewish culture, who can say I go to Jewish school. I think that in Poland that is very important to offer.”

Demand for places at the elementary school has surpassed even the
teachers expectations. It opened four years ago with just one class, now
it has six. The Jewish kindergarten has just moved to bigger premises
and there are plans for a secondary school.

UPSOT children singing

The Jewish community in Warsaw is thriving. But to discover the evidence
of the long history of the jews in Poland , it's necessary to travel to
Krakow.

The jewish quarter of Kazimierz survived Hitler's final solution by a
stange twist of fate. The thousands of occupants were herded into a
ghetto on the other side of Krakow, leaving the empty buildings
unscathed. They've remained virtually untouched ever since.

UPSOT Chris Winiewicz, American tourist: “Walking through it now you can maybe get a sense for what happened here a little bit.  You can see the buildings around here are pretty decrepit. If they were to restore it I think they would lose that.”

But Krakow has big plans to attract tourists. There are virtually no
Jews remaining in the city, but there's plenty of opportunities for a
Kosher meal. Even on Yom-Kippour, a day when fasting is obligitory, it
was business as usual at the Ariel restaurant. Polish entrepreneurs have
discovered that Jewish culture sells.

Film director Stephen Spielberg is partly responsible for that. His
Oscar winning movie Schindlers List was filmed in Kazimierz. He was a
regular at the Ariel during the making of the film.

UPSOT (Polish): Owner of restaurant “Ariel” Bodgan Tatach: “I’m very happy with the fact that Steven Spielberg was here and he made his famous film in Szercka Street. And since then this part of Krakow is very alive and that is thanks to Spielberg.”

Tourists can follow in the footsteps of Schindler's Jews. The factory
that provided a haven for them, away from the death camps is still
operating.

Stone memorials dominate the fields where Nazi prison camps once stood.
It was from here that the Krakow Jews left for the death camps of
Auschwitz.

The concentration camps draw more tourists than any other place in
Poland.

Auchwitz remains the most potent symbol of the Holocaust.

UPSOT

No tourist leaves the death camps without being moved by the reminders
of one of the darkest pages in human history.

UPSOT Jewish tourist: “You have to understand today is Yom Kippour holy day for Jewish people. And we were in Auschwitz today to see the camps where thousands of thousands of Jews were killed. Very emotional day for anybody. And if you are Jewish, even more so.

UPSOT Tour guide Simon Butler-Madden: “This is the fourth time I’ve been to Auschwitz. I think it impressed me more. It’s not something you become blasé about, it hits you harder each time.”

Just five thousand Jews survived the death camps. It's their
grandchildren who are leading the revivial of Judaism.

UPSOT Helise Lieberman, headteacher: “People come to Poland for many reasons and often it is a pilgrimage to the deathcamps, to Auschwitz, to Treblinka. And that is a very important part of Jewish history. I try to explain to people if you see that but don’t see the flickers of life here at the school then you are missing the point. If the strength in the Jewish spirit could be found in Auschwitz, then this is also a sparkle of that Jewish spirit.”

It's been a long and painful journey, but Jews are now free to practice
their faith in poland. And the numbers are growing. ENDS