Beit Warszawa Location: 7 Jasna Street, Warsaw, Poland // Ground floor entrance across from the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall
sustaining progressive judaism in poland
AN OVERVIEW OF WHO WE ARE
Working Together to Renew Judaism in Poland
"[w]e learn history not in order to know how to behave or how to succeed, but to know who we are" (Leszek Kolakowski)
Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland and Beit Polska are proud to initiate a series of popular conversations in Polish, Hebrew and English, “Freighted Legacies.” Using the multi-channel opportunities of zoom we will present experts in the fields of history, religious thought, drama, and music on the legacy of Polish Jewish heritage. Much of that Polish Jewish legacy is alive in current Jewish communities in Diaspora freighted with complex issues of memory, anger, confusion, nostalgia and uncertainty.
The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), established in London in 1926, is the international umbrella organization of the Reform, Liberal, Progressive and Reconstructionist movements, serving 1,200 congregations with 1.8 million members in more than 50 countries.
The EUPJ works to foster and stimulate the growth of Progressive Judaism throughout Europe because we believe that Progressive Judaism, with its combination of respect for Jewish tradition and openness to modernity, provides the blueprint for Jewish continuity in the 21st century.
RELIEF FOR REFUGEES
SHABBAT IN A BAG
Beit Polska organized sending some of the foods, medicines and money to its sister congregation, TEYVA across the border into Ukraine. Together with Beit Polska the local Jewish group, Teyva, created a program to help feed people called Shabbat in a bag.
OUR SYNAGOGUES IN POLAND
The flagship congregation of Progressive Judaism in Poland
Three cities, one Beit: Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot
NOTEWORTHY NEWS + INFO
The foundation for a Modern Jewish Library
Jewish life in Central & Eastern Europe – Poland – continues even in the face of many challenges. We again seek your help in creating the foundation for a modern Jewish library for Poland with the publication of a new text, which complements our Polish prayer book.
Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland and the national umbrella organization of Progressive Jews in Poland, Beit Polska, are proud to publish the Polish translation of an engaging exposition of Judaism today: Rabbi Walter Rothschild’s The Honey and the Sting: Study Guide for Conversion to Judaism (Miod i Zadlo). The translated text is now in the final stages of copy editing.
In Poland, we are blessed with a steady stream of people seeking trustworthy knowledge about Judaism. The Honey and The Sting presents an overview of all the movements, and a Progressive approach to living a Jewish life.
Special Preface & Polish Editor
Please note that this Polish edition is augmented by two of our “own” Polish born rabbis: Rabbi Mati Kirschenbaum, recently ordained at the Leo Baeck College, London, and Dr. Menachem Mirski, a third year rabbinic student at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, Los Angeles. They are writing a special preface to the Polish version of this 450-page book. Dr. Lena Magnone read The Honey and the Sting in preparation for her process of joining Judaism. We are proud that she is its Polish editor.
YOUR financial support
Many of you were sponsors of our Polish language prayer book which achieved much acclaim. We anticipate a similar response to The Honey and the Sting as its final preparation requires YOUR financial support.
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Warm Regards,
Rabbis Haim Dov Beliak, Boris Dolin, Mati Kirschenbaum, Gil Nativ, Burt Schuman, Anne Brener, Avraham Havivi, Alan Iser, Bruce Kadden, and Allan Maller; Rabbi Sergio Bergman, President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
Rabbinic Students: Dr. Menachem Mirski and Miriam Klimowa; and Cantor Anna Silverman, Dr. Lena Magnone,
Marek Jezowski, Chair of Beit Polska, and Dr. Dominika Zakrzewska, Coordinator for Beit Polska
Beit Polska is proud to inform our various publics of the publication in Polish translation of Louise Steinman’s path-breaking book, The Crooked Mirror: A Memoir of Polish-Jewish Reconciliation. The narrative of the book forces us to recognize the many levels of complexity in the relationships of Polish Jews and Polish Christians.
Direct tax-deductible payments may be addressed to: Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland, P.O. Box 5438, Beverly Hills, CA 90209
Things are changing rapidly as we face the threat to life and the many dislocations caused by the coronavirus. Normally we would be seeking help to sustain our large public Seders but this year we offered our Seders online. This was not only for the Progressive Jewish communities gathered under the umbrella of Beit Polska: Beit Warszawa (Warsaw), Beit Trojmiasto (Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot) and Beit Konstancin (Warsaw suburb) but also for people all over Poland who tuned in on their computers in Krakow, Bialystok, Lublin, Katowice, Lodz. This is a teachable moment.
Our renewed Polish Jewish communities emerged after the fall of communism in 1989. During those years we helped to create a miracle: Progressive Jewish life in three synagogues and several Havurot. They are the continuation of the once 300,000 strong community that supported over 45 impressive synagogues and Temples in Poland. Those synagogues were part of the one-third of Poland’s Jews that embraced Zionism.
The umbrella group Beit Polska is in the midst of an unprecedented step toward our maturation. We must sustain the effort of our five Polish-speaking young Jewish professionals currently in training for an on-line teaching outreach.
We prepared classes to be taught on Zoom by Matti Kirschenbaum who will be ordained a rabbi at London’s Leo Baeck Institute Rabbinic Program in July 2020, and also by rabbinic student, Menachem Mirski, who studies at the Ziegler school and will spend his fourth year of studies in Israel.
Another rabbinic student, Miriam Klimowa, is currently completing her second year at HUC-Jerusalem and was an inspirational teacher during a visit this past February. We are proud of Cantor Anna Silverman (JTS ’19), who is working in Germany and could telecommute to teach and inspire. Finally, in this time of unique stress we recognize the part-time work of our coordinator, Dr. Dominika Zakrzewska, and her leadership role as a Jewish professional.
The current backbone of our work are the prayer leaders who have led first Friday evening services and Saturday morning services in person and now, on-line. Henryk Kowalski, Alina Antonszewska, and Rivka Foremniak have sung, taught, and inspired people through their presence.
We must sustain all their work and build for the future. The monthly costs of rent, salaries, supplies, and our many other projects are very real. We hope that you will sustain us during this time of conflicting priorities because we believe in a better future that includes a proud and informed Jewish world. Please donate today.
B’Shalom,
Rabbi Haim Beliak (Director)
Marek Jezowski (President – Beit Polska)
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