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Kraków: The Cradle of Ashkenazi Jewish Culture with Malgorzata Fus

Kraków: The Cradle of Ashkenazi Jewish Culture with Malgorzata Fus


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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

Jews have lived in Poland for nearly a millennium. Expelled and persecuted in many other European countries they flocked to Poland in the Medieval Ages. By the mid-sixteenth century, Kraków was one of the most significant centers of Jewish life in the world. During the seminar, we will virtually walk through the cobbled streets of Kazimierz, the historical Jewish district of Kraków. As we discover the area we will talk about the history, traditions, language, and cuisine of Polish Jews. The ideas that in many ways shaped the Jewish world we know today.

In the Middle Ages, Poland became known for its religious tolerance and gave Jews an unprecedented degree of social and religious autonomy. One of the centers of a new promised land for Jews expelled from many European countries was Kraków where Jewish culture and learning flourished. This is where Moses Isserles is known as the Rema, one of the greatest rabbis of all times lived. We’ll learn about this scholar who codified the very basis of Ashkenazi Jewish laws. By the mid-sixteenth century, Kraków was the center of Jewish rabbinical thought, learning, and culture.

Today, Jews from all over the world travel to Poland and Kraków to find their family, cultural and spiritual roots. We’ll also discuss how visitors come to appreciate Kazimierz, the unique historical Jewish neighborhood of Kraków, that has not been destroyed during the Second World War like so many other Jewish places in Europe. This conversation offers a virtual exploration of Kazimierz’s cobbled streets which today is a cultural heart of the city of Kraków. A place where a small but thriving Jewish community lives among seven ancient synagogues. As we learn about the area we will discuss the essence of Polish Jews, from their history, language, cuisine, and traditions. We’ll discuss how many of these ideas have influenced the modern Jewish world.

Led by an expert on the Jewish history of Poland, Małgorzata Fus, this interactive seminar will bring participants closer to the roots of Ashkenazi Jewish culture. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with increased knowledge on the history and culture of Polish Jews.

Małgorzata Fus has a degree in Jewish Studies from Jagiellonian University, where she specialized in Jewish culture and Yiddish theater. Following her studies, she joined the Galicia Jewish Museum in Kraków as a member of the education department. There she was responsible for creating exhibits, designing educational programs, and guiding visitors. Building on her passion for educating about Polish Jewish history, she later became an official tour guide. She now runs her own tour company which cooperates with a number of Jewish institutions (Jewish Community Centre in Kraków, Forum for Dialogue, and the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews). She also coordinates commemoration projects, among them the Jewish orphanage in Kraków's former ghetto.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 10 reviews
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J
Jon Roseman (Bedford, US)
Best Seminar I have every watched with Context

Malgorzata Fus was so interesting and engaging, and covered Jewish Polish history and culture (a very big topic) extremely well.

C
Charlene Posner (Chicago, US)

Guest did not leave comment

R
Rhoda, Silver Spring MD (Silver Spring, US)
Terrific historical & cultural overview with wonderful photos

Malgorzata is a wonderful spokesperson for a city she clearly loves. She does a wonderful job distilling centuries of history and includes important cultural contributions of Jewish people. Although we have studied this subject before, we still gained new knowledge and especially enjoyed the photographs of historic religious sites.

T
Thea (Minneapolis, US)
Deeply insightful

Malgorzata brings both expertise and contagious enthusiasm to her presentations on Krakow. This one was no exception. It was a whirlwind introduction to so much history of the Jewish “heartland” in Europe. Truly an opportunity to be stunned by how much I didn’t know that I didn’t know!

J
John (Washington, US)

Guest did not leave comment

Customer Reviews

Based on 10 reviews
100%
(10)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
J
Jon Roseman (Bedford, US)
Best Seminar I have every watched with Context

Malgorzata Fus was so interesting and engaging, and covered Jewish Polish history and culture (a very big topic) extremely well.

C
Charlene Posner (Chicago, US)

Guest did not leave comment

R
Rhoda, Silver Spring MD (Silver Spring, US)
Terrific historical & cultural overview with wonderful photos

Malgorzata is a wonderful spokesperson for a city she clearly loves. She does a wonderful job distilling centuries of history and includes important cultural contributions of Jewish people. Although we have studied this subject before, we still gained new knowledge and especially enjoyed the photographs of historic religious sites.

T
Thea (Minneapolis, US)
Deeply insightful

Malgorzata brings both expertise and contagious enthusiasm to her presentations on Krakow. This one was no exception. It was a whirlwind introduction to so much history of the Jewish “heartland” in Europe. Truly an opportunity to be stunned by how much I didn’t know that I didn’t know!

J
John (Washington, US)

Guest did not leave comment