Katarzyna Łaziuk

The aim of this event was to restore the memory of Mińsk Jews and to make the town’s residents aware of the fact that Jewish residents have contributed to the local social, cultural and political life. The organizers aimed to contribute to shaping an open society that would respect its history, be aware of Poland’s past multiculturalism and abandon prejudice.

The celebrations were kicked off by a literary event that involved students of the local schools. A photo exhibition of the interwar Jewish Mińsk was prepared with the help of Mińsk Mazowiecki Appreciation Society. Its curator Mariusz Dzienio, a local history buff, penned the descriptions accompanying the photos. The space of the library room that served as the venue for most of the events was arranged to be reminiscent of the main exhibition at POLIN Museum of History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, an institution that was the main sponsor of our event. The forest and bird sounds were to remind visitors of the lost – given historical fate –safety of the Jews. The evening ended with the screening of “In Silence”, a Czech-Slovak production made available to Mińsk audience with the support of Jewish Motifs International Film Festival. The second day offered predominantly workshops – on the history of shtetl for the youngest participants, the story of Shabbat for those a bit older and kosher cooking classes for adults. An urban game was also held on the second day of the festival, taking players through sites connected with what once was Mińsk’s Jewish life and having them solve riddles and word games connected to the town’s Jewish community. Adults, on the other hand, could explore Jewish cuisine during the almost 2-hour long workshop led by Ms. Jagna Kofta from POLIN museum.

They learned about kosher traditions but also cooked a few dishes together. The concert “The Sun Rises and Sets” performed by Mińsk youth under the supervision of Mr. Daniel Gałązka brought the first edition of Jewish Culture Days in Mińsk to a close.

Thanks to this event, Mińsk Mazowiecki residents gained the experience of exploring the similarities and differences between communities that are close yet separated, but nevertheless inseparable from each other. It is up to us how much of our Jewish neighbors’ heritage will remain and how much will be passed on to posterity.

Many individuals and institutions were involved in preparing the Jewish Culture Days. Among them were MBP, MZM, TPMM, UM, Polin Museum, middle schools no.1, 2 and 3 and high school no.1, Jewish Motifs Festival and Elitmat Educational Publisher. Media patrons for the event included Lokalnie TV station, Strefa Mińsk [Mińsk Zone] and minskmazowiecki.com website.

The event was organized under the honorary auspices of town mayor Mr. Marcin Jakubowski. All of these people show they are not indifferent. Sites of Jewish suffering in Minsk are now more and more often well-maintained, the tragic events of the Holocaust are remembered, but Jewish Culture Days also presented how Jews have contributed to Polish culture. It is my belief that culture can become a space in which Poles and Jews can overcome mutual distrust.