On Sunday night, the first night of Chanukah, the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, went to the Nozyk Synagogue in Warsaw. This is the first visit of a Polish president to a Polish synagogue (possibly in history). Kaczynski joined the community for the lighting of the first candle of Chanukah. The president was presented with a prayer specially written by Rabbi Boaz Pash, Rabbi of Krakow, for the occasion of the reestablishment of Poland, 90 years ago on Nov. 11, 1918. The paper cut includes elements of both Polish and Jewish traditional paper cuts and was done by the noted local Jewish artist, Monika Krajewska.
The president and his wife, the First Lady of Poland, Mrs. Maria Kaczynska, were greeted by Piotr Kadlcik, president of the Warsaw Jewish Community; Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland; and Grażyna Mejer, vice president of the Jewish community of Warsaw. The Nozyk Synagogue is the only synagogue of the nearly 400 pre-Shoah synagogues of Warsaw still in existence. For the occasion of the presidential visit hundred of community members, young and old, were in attendance.
Advertisement
