• Polish/Israeli Leadership Initiative

Polish/Israeli Leadership Initiative is the first program of its kind between Poland and Israel. An initiative which builds people to people connections is a platform for cooperation for a growing community of Polish and Israeli public opinion leaders. It was envisioned as an opportunity for these leaders to create lasting relations, partnerships, and friendship.

The program involves annual Reunions, which in 2018 took place in Poland and in 2019 brought the group to Israel. During each reunion the international group of leaders participates in an intense program addressing common issues and concerns related to democracy and civil society.

We hope to create opportunities for Poles and Israelis to share their perspectives on the situation in their respective countries, which in turn will strengthen trust between them regardless of political or diplomatic situation. The experiences of 2018 Reunion in Poland showed us how important it is to
talk, bond, and challenge each other. Now, we’re taking another step towards a more comprehensive and complex understanding of the past, present, and future.

photo: J.Szkarłat and H.Gospodarczyk

June 7th, 2019

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Begun in 2019, the „Shared Heritage” program, is a Forum initiative born out of a conviction that a real change in Polish/Jewish relations must include leaders of Polish Christian communities and entail a deep reflection on the shared heritage of history and religion that unites us.

“Shared heritage” is a phrase used repeatedly in “Nostra Aetate 4”, a document of Vatican II, to denote the connection between the Christians and Jews resulting from Christianity’s rootedness in Judaism. In the Polish context, we also consider the historical heritage of Jews and Christians who lived on this land side by side. This is a bittersweet history, and is remembered thus. The Holocaust is another level of the heritage we share because it happened on Polish land and was the experience of the today’s grandparents and great-grandparents’ generation. This is a difficult heritage, one that requires more processing and consideration on the level of faith.

The participants of the program face the complicated issues of the Judeo-Christian religious heritage, as well as the difficult co-existence of Jews and Christians in Poland, including the Holocaust, which have continuous impact on Polish/Jewish relations. Our program is an ecumenical space to learn about these issues and discuss ways of addressing the challenges of this heritage in our local communities and Poland overall.

2019

The program is not only facts, but an insight into history from the perspective of the person, dignity, right to life, dreams. This difficult truth often moves you to the bone. It also fortifies your respect for the victims, calling evil for what it is, and refuses to excuse anyone. The process of forgiveness requires truth.

Michał Senk, Director of The Centre for the Thought of John Paul II in Warsaw

photo: M.Sokołowska

In 2019 we organized three seminars for 21 participants of the pilot edition of the Shared Heritage program: in Warsaw, Jerusalem, and Łódź. We’ve invited leaders from various Christian communities in Poland: lay activists, clergy, journalists, and scholars. The program was conceived of as a year-long process, which not only introduced the participants to the complexities of Christian/Jewish relations and a offered a  direct insight into the Jewish perspective on theological, historical, and social issues, but, more importantly, also made them sensitive to the need of raising these issues among the communities which they can impact.

The inaugural meeting in Warsaw focused on Polish and Jewish discourse on the Holocaust and the history of the Polish research of the Shoah. The participants considered how the memory of historical events that are difficult and oftentimes not fully understood translates into personal narratives.

During the weeklong stay in Israel the participants met with Yad Vashem Institute experts, including Professor Yehuda Bauer, to listed about prewar Jewish life in Poland, as well as the history of antisemitism and the Holocaust.

These meetings turned into deep discussions of historical, philosophical and theological issues, which incorporated both the Polish and Israeli narratives of the past. The program included also a study visit of Jerusalem, Shabbat dinners with members of the Kehillat Yedidya synagogue, and encounters which enabled the participants to glean the perspectives of Survivors or members of the second generation. This personal dimension of conversations enabled  a constructive confrontation of the official Polish and Israeli narratives about Polish/Jewish relations.

The program finished with a seminar in Łódź hosted by Łódź Archbishop Grzegorz Ryś, and centered around the institutional approaches of Christian churches to Judaism since World War II till today. The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss, on the basis of knowledge gathered so far, the conditions of Christian/Jewish dialogue in Poland via a series of three questions guiding the entire program: where do we come from, where are we, and where are we going?

Conversations about the state of our mutual relations, addressing real problems gave me a sense of a real dialogue of Jews and Christian. It was an incredibly important experience for me, which allowed me to break through the superficiality of dialogue of handshakes that change nothing.

Anna Siemieniec, Coordinator of Day of Judaism in Catholic Church at the Edit Stein House in Wrocław

2021

Due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic, in 2021 the program took on a new form. Aimed at reaching a broader audience with its interesting program, it took on a more accessible format.

The series of nine sessions entitled Shared Heritage: Conversations about Christian/Jewish Relations, gathered an audience of over 300 participants interested in the subject. We invited experts in this field from Poland and abroad to discuss the complexity of Christian/Jewish relations and the Jewish perspective on theological, historical, and social issues. Stanisław Krajewski, a philosopher and member of the Forum’s Scholarly Advisory Board, was the first speaker of the series with an introductory talk on Christian/Jewish dialogue. Rabbi David Rosen offered insight into the challenges of interfaith dialogue from a Jewish perspective. The conversation with rabbi Jeffrey Fox focused around the questions presented by the modern times, such as if a woman could be a rabbi, while Aliza Kline continued this theme with a presentation on making Jewish rituals relevant in the modern world.

All sessions that took place are available on Forum’s YouTube channel.

We believe strongly that a real change in Polish/Jewish relations must also involve the leaders of Christian communities. That is why we addressed a separate Shared Heritage educational offer to the students of the Theological Seminary in Łódź. In December, we co-hosted an online lecture by Amy-Jill Levine, a Professor at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, who discussed common mistakes in the Christian understanding of Judaism.

In 2021, the program is co-financed by the Dutch Humanitarian Fund and the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion.

June 6th, 2019

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100

meetings

67

places

Forum’s School of Dialogue students and Leaders of Dialogue go to great pains to learn about and preserve what is left of the Jewish communities of their small towns, but they rarely have an opportunity to interact with representatives of contemporary Jewish community. It is important that these people, dedicated to the Jews of the past, meet Jews of the present. The Jews who come to Poland often do not have a chance to talk with the residents of Poland, focused on a usually demanding itinerary, but their image of contemporary Poland is incomplete without contacting people on the ground. That is why, since 2010 Forum has been organizing Meetings between participants of our programs in Poland and Jewish visitors from abroad, often with familial connections to Poland. Thanks to these meetings the students and the Leaders see that people with an investment in Jewish history of Poland recognize and value their efforts, while the visitors have interested and sympathetic guides to navigate the often-alien landscape of contemporary Poland.

List of places

Contributors

The program is co-financed by Malka and Pinek Krystal Scholarship Fund.

April 23rd, 2018

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Since 2012 Forum for Dialogue has been cooperating with one of US’s most important educational organizations, Facing History and Ourselves. Founded in 1976 in Boston, FHAO aims to work for a better, more open and just society by fighting xenophobia, anti-Semitism and other discrimination. FHAO works with teachers, helping them use history, social sciences and psychology to help their students become ethical human beings capable of critical thinking.

Initiating our cooperation, the Forum team took part in program consultations with Facing History and Ourselves in 2012. In 2014, we had an opportunity to help plan a visit to Poland for Facing History staff and board members, who got to meet students of five School of Dialogue schools. In 2016 Forum representatives were invited to the annul seminar on teaching about the Holocaust organized in Brookline, MA and New York. So far the most important element of our cooperation, started four years ago, have been annual study visits organized by the Forum for Jewish-American teachers working with Facing History and Ourselves. The week-long program focuses on the past and present of Polish/Jewish relations. The experience gathered in Poland is later used by the teachers in their classes devoted to teaching about the Holocaust, Jewish identity or Judaism.

For most Facing History participants, this visit is their first time in Poland. The week spent with the Forum in Poland is an opportunity to examine various ideas and notions they may have in a new way. The visit, which is often a very moving personal experience, impacts the way the teachers structure and teach their classes. The participants are obliged to use some of the knowledge gained in Poland in their work with students, but it is up to them what they will chose and how. The class may concern the post-1989 transformation, Polish literature, memory, the Holocaust, Yiddish writers and their connections to Poland, or the Warsaw Uprising. In this way, the visit affects the work of teachers who take part in the program.

I feel privileged to be part of the Forum team through Facing History and intent to use my new found learning to design a different and more nuanced trip to Poland for my students – one that engages the narratives that we explored this week.

Shoshanah Zaritt, head of Junior and Senior Programs, Gann Academy in Waltham, Massachusetts

fot. M.Kirschenbaum, E.Bartosik, I.Meyza

February 6th, 2017

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The Polish/Jewish Exchange Program is a result of the long-standing collaboration between Forum for Dialogue and one of the most important Jewish organizations in the United States, the American Jewish Committee. Through the program, each year a group of Polish public opinion leaders gets acquainted with American Jewish communities, while in Poland we host delegations of AJC leaders from different regions in the US.

The program offers a unique opportunity for Polish opinion-leaders – journalists, scholars, artists, businessmen and non-governmental sector leaders – to get acquainted with the American Jewish Committee, understand its activities and – most importantly – to gain a Jewish-American perspective on Polish/Jewish relations. In the course of a week-long program, delegates visit Washington, Boston and New York. Participants deliberate on Polish/American relations with politicians, study the image of Poles in the US and how history and the Holocaust are taught and discussed in US schools. They speculate on the future of Polish/Jewish and Polish/American relations and what can be done to make them the best possible. Each year, a group of AJC leaders also makes a fascinating trip to Poland. We try to broaden the scope through which Poland is perceived in Jewish circles in the US, which is often limited to the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. We want to present an honest image of Poland– without embellishments, but without indulging in the dark tones either.

For AJC members, the week in Poland offers an opportunity to explore the modern face of the country and to better understand Polish/Jewish relations.

This is done through numerous meetings with dedicated experts as well as tours of Warsaw, Lublin, Kraków and Rzeszów and visits to memorial sites in Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bełżec. The new monument and museum in Bełżec were created through cooperation between AJC and the Polish government. Forum for Dialogue introduces AJC guests to Jewish community leaders in present-day Poland, imparts knowledge about the history of Polish Jews and presents institutions that are dedicated to preserving Jewish memory and developing Polish/Jewish relations.

Visits of the Polish delegation in the US as well as that of AJC representatives in Poland present opportunities for informal meetings between delegation members and program alumni. Over two decades since the launch of the exchange program, around three hundred people from both countries have participated in this unique project. Through it, we are building a bridge of understanding between community leaders in Poland and the US. We believe that Polish/Jewish dialogue is significant in modern times and we are creating a human connection between two important organizations.

fot. A.Chrabołowska, M.Halaczek, Z.Radzik

This study visit was a fountain of knowledge about many topics, such as successive lobbying for promoting one’s interests. You can learn so much about the attitudes of American Jews, and thereby learn to be tolerant towards those who often view us in a negative light. Our task can be to have them understand us and like us.

Katarzyna Kolenda-Zaleska, reporter at TVN 24, program participant in 2009

I am very glad to have participated in this program. I was most impressed by social activism of American Jewish Community secular leaders and by the fact that notable businessmen devote so much of their precious time to pro bono serve their community and support issues important to Jews.

prof. Dariusz Stola, POLIN Museum of History of Polish Jews director, program participant in 2012

I was impressed how much contemporary Poles are fascinated by Jewish histories. I will strongly encourage others to visit Poland and I will share with my friends in the United States my positive impressions from this trip.

Bruce Lane, member of the National Board of Governors of the American Jewish Committee, program participant in 2011

Events

January 20th, 2017

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Since 2006, Forum for Dialogue has been organizing study visits to Poland for Jewish community leaders from the US, Canada, Australia, Great Britain and Israel. In the course of a one-week stay, participants get acquainted with modern Poland, the subtleties of Polish/Jewish relations and the renascent Jewish community. Aside from meetings with experts, the study tours provide an opportunity for informal meetings with Polish public opinion leaders, School of Dialogue students and Leaders of Dialogue – local activists from smaller towns.

Such visits to Poland open our guests’ eyes to a reality entirely new to them and thus – as they often say – completely transforms their outlook on Poland.
Study tour participants meet experts on Polish/Jewish matters, history, democratic transformation and economy – journalists, politicians, scholars and businessmen. On the one hand, they learn about the past, but at the same time they are informed about contemporary Polish life and organizations that work to develop Polish/Jewish relations.  They hear about the rebirth of Jewish life in Poland from representatives of the local Jewish community. They also have a chance to conduct informal meetings over guest dinners held in houses of Friends of Forum for Dialogue. Aside from these informal sessions, participants most value meetings with school students and local activists, who are genuine proof that Poland is changing at every level.

The image of Poland we present is honest – without any embellishments or sugarcoating. We acknowledge the difficult family memories that our guests often bring with them. The study visits allow for a broader perspective when looking at one’s own family history and confront guests with their own emotions and often prejudice. Oftentimes, the visit results in guests returning with their families to explore sites connected to their roots. Many guests wish to continue exploring Poland with us, as evidenced by the popularity of the reunion event we organized in June 2015, which included attendees from ten years ago as well as those who had visited Poland just half a year earlier. For most participants, the study tour to Poland is a beginning of a renewed relationship with the land of their ancestors.

If you want to see what a new Poland thinks, feels and behaves about its Jews, come to Poland… You will be surprised, you will be deeply moved.

Sam Lipski, Chief Executive
The Pratt Foundation, Australia

fot. O.Kaczmarek, M.Usiekniewicz, M.Halaczek, Z.Radzik

I came on this trip to Poland with a mostly cynical attitude, as part of which ‘being thrown out of Poland’ in 1968 as a 5 year old had become the core of my identity. As I turned 50, I felt a need to repair my relationship with Poland, and this trip helped tremendously. I saw the new, free Poland, very different than my childhood memories. Having had such a deep, emotional experience, I had my Polish citizenship reinstated. Our family decided together to honor our 20 generations of Jewish ancestors who lived in Poland by having our youngest son’s Bar Mitzvah in Poland.

Eva Wisnik, New York

January 19th, 2017

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October 12th, 2016

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October 11th, 2016

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October 5th, 2016

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