Poland’s Jewish community came together this past weekend (Nov. 11) in Warsaw for a Shabbat of unity and resilience hosted by Chabad of Poland in the wake of the October 7 invasion of Israel and massacre of its citizens by Gaza’s Hamas terrorists, and as a response to the huge rise in global antisemitism.
Some 200-plus members of Poland’s Jewish community hailed from Warsaw, Krakow, Katowice, Lodz, and other communities across Poland participated in the event, along with members of the Ukrainian Jewish community now living in Poland.
“It was so heartwarming and inspiring to come together at a time when many within the global Jewish community are feeling so alone in a world of growing antisemitism yet paradoxically watching as the Jewish community coalesces around itself,” said Chabad of Poland Co-Director Rabbi Mayer Stambler.
The weekend, dubbed Even Now, We Come Together featured a roster of speakers who included Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chabad of Poland Director Rabbi Sholom Ber Stambler, Chabad Co-Director Rabbi Mayer Stambler, Israeli journalist Yedidya Meir and his wife, the celebrated Israeli television anchor Sivan Rahav Meir.
The gathering also hosted Israel Defense Forces special operations veteran Amit Moshe, whose personal journey of finding faith after his military service deeply resonated with the audience. His music complemented the event’s uplifting atmosphere, emphasizing the power of faith and unity in times of adversity.
The 200 participants spending Shabbat together also marked a new record for Poland’s Jewish community, one of the first times since the Holocaust that so many Polish Jews spent the weekend learning and growing together since before the war, when the country was home to more than 3.5 million Jews. Following the war just over 380,000 of them remained alive, many of whom left the country or were forced to hide their faith in the ensuing years due to communism and fear of antisemitism.
The Thursday and Friday leading into the event marked the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, seen as the beginning of the Holocaust.
“With everything going on in the world today, we felt it was integral that we, like Jewish communities across the globe, come together to support each other during a time where the global waves of antisemitism that we are watching play out in the news and on social media can make us feel alone,” said Chabad of Poland Director Rabbi Sholom Ber Stambler.
The Jewish community began its revival in the post-communist years through classes and community services offered by international Jewish philanthropies and through the work of Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich who co-sponsored the weekend event in Warsaw.
Since the start of the Russian incursion into Ukraine, Chabad of Poland based in Warsaw has opened its doors to Ukraine’s Jewish community offering refuge, transportation, kosher food, medical aid, financial and material assistance, childcare, educational and social services, communal activities and administrative and legal aid to tens of thousands displaced by the conflict.
