(During the year there are three kosher eateries in Warsaw – Kosher Delight, which caters to large groups; B’kef, which features low-priced fast food; and Galil, a high end Israeli-style restaurant frequented by tourists.)
For the last days of Pesach I returned to Wroclaw, a vibrant community whose shalichim had gone back to Israel during Chol HaMoed for a short vacation. I was given the honor of leading the services, reading the Torah, giving Torah lessons, and making sure the kitchen was properly maintained for Pesach.
As in Legnica, I was assisted by Kuba Einhorn and a few members of the Wroclaw community. One member, Eliezer, is a chazzan who proudly showed off his voice and said he had once performed with Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, showing me an autographed business card Reb Shlomo had given him.
Yizkor was especially moving as in Wroclaw they have their own nusach and read everything in Polish as well as Hebrew while remembering all the members of the community who perished in the Shoah.
Many people who are not halachically Jewish (having only a Jewish father) but who lost many family members in the Holocaust came for Yizkor. They were there out of respect for our joined heritage, and some of them are even working toward conversion.
After the chag I returned to Warsaw where I met with people to discuss arrangements for a group trip to Lublin for Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur. I hope to bring a minyan to the famous yeshiva Chachmei Lublin. The small community has not had a proper minyan for the High Holidays for half a century. The idea is to bring about 30 people including a chazzan, shofar blower, and Torah reader. During the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we will have a chance to visit the graves of tzaddikim in the area (Kotzk, Lublin, Lezansk, etc.).
Overall the trip was extremely fulfilling. I was glad to help the Jewish community in Poland. I can truly say “livnot ul’hibanot” – I built and was built.
