Shavuot with its message is one of my favorite holidays. This year was especially moving for me. This is the first time that I am the president of BEIT POLSKA and I feel responsible for each and every person returning to the Great Jewish Family.

There were about 40 of us. We started with a talk with the president of TSKŻ (stands for The Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland) Mr.Artur Hofman, the director and editor-in-chief of the “Życie Żydowskie”(Jewish Life) monthly, who explaine how multidimensional the notion “Jew” is. Rabbi Mati Kirschenbaum and cantor Henryk Szmuel Kowalski led the prayers. We not often have a rabbi present in person, so the joy was all the greater. The last time our rabbi, Rabbi Haim Beliak was with us was in December 2022 for Chanukah. In June however, thanks to Rabbi Beliak’s efforts, we will have two rabbis visiting our two congregations: in Warsaw and in Gdansk, and we are looking forward to their visits.

We ate and studied until late at night. There was no end to conversation and emotions. For many people, it was their first Shavuot in their Jewish life.

Please let me send our HUGE thank you all those, near and far, thanks to whom we could celebrate in such a beautiful way.

Yours,
HGS.