In a sign of the growing revival of Polish Jewish life, a new Jewish Community Center is set to open in Warsaw on Oct. 27.
The new JCC, which will be the second in the country after the JCC in Krakow, is funded by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture, the Koret Foundation, and other private donors. It will serve as a hub for the growing array of Jewish cultural, educational, and community programs as well as activities in Poland’s capital.
“The opening of the JCC is yet another chapter in the remarkable story of the revival of Jewish life in this country,” JDC CEO Alan Gill said in a statement. “It’s a testament to the perseverance of Polish Jews that they are continuing to rebuild their institutions after surviving near annihilation followed by decades of oppression. JDC is delighted to have teamed up once again with the Jews of Warsaw and esteemed funding partners and passionate activists like Tad Taube to help facilitate this new flagship for Polish Jews to be empowered, innovate, and create their own brand of Jewish identity.”
Once home to Europe’s largest Jewish community before the Holocaust, more than 25,000 Jews reside in Poland today. Since the end of communism, there has been a revival of the Polish Jewish community and greater recognition of Poland’s Jewish past.