Katarzyna Łaziuk

The 4th Days of Jewish Culture organised in Mińsk Mazowiecki to answer the question: Who is man? took place on 24-26 November, 2018. The question was asked by Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the greatest Jewish philosophers, the descendant of  Jakub Perłow, a local zaddik from Mińsk Mazowiecki. The presence of a special guest – Susannah Heschel, his daughter, a professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College in the USA, commemorated this famous descendant of Mińsk Mazowiecki’s Jews.

On 24th November kids were invited to the Museum of Mińsk to participate in workshops “Child. Fish. Human being” organised by Renata Płotczyk from the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Teenagers attended photography workshops “What is there behind old photographs?” conducted by Marek Łodyga from the Association of Mińsk Mazowiecki Friends. Last but not least, families participated in the popular tour of the city “In the search for a human being. Discovering the traces of Jews from Mińsk Mazowiecki” organised by a history teacher Ewa Borkowska from the local primary school.

On 26th November, teenagers from local secondary schools attended workshops on reading philosophical texts, conducted by Tomasz Femiak, a philosopher and founder of Philosophical Academy of Self Development Ego Eimi. The teenagers had a chance to work with the text by Abraham J. Heschel as well as to talk with his daughter Susannah.

At noon the same day we had the historic walk again, conducted by Ewa Borkowska. This walk was a tribute to Abraham J. Heschel, who together with Martin Luther King Jr. walked in a famous march from Selma to Montgomery, to oppose to racial discrimination.

At 6 p.m. all Mińsk’s citizens and their quests were invited for a meeting with professor Susannah Heschel around the history of the Heschel family and their connections with Mińsk Mazowiecki in the Municipal Public Library. The meeting was accompanied by a concert „Do not be afraid my little brother” prepared by secondary school students and followed by some refreshments. The participants got specially prepared set of postcards presenting the history of the Heschel family and their connections with Mińsk.

2018 Days of Jewish Culture were also accompanied by open library lessons for high school students devoted to asking important questions and seeking answers to them, ie. philosophizing, led by Magda Mól in the Municipal Public Library. Teachers were invited for a seminar hosted by Renata Gryz, an English and ethics teacher at the Middle School in Pustelnik and Elżbieta Smater, a teacher of Polish language and ethics. The participants of the seminar discussed the existence or non-existence of values worth dying for. The seminar prepared teachers to lead lessons in ethics, philosophy, Polish language, and religion around these issues.

Another activity that prepared young people for the Days of Jewish Culture events were lessons devoted to the history and ideas of the Civil Rights Movement and its leader Martin Luther King Jr. The lesson plans prepared by English language teachers Magdalena Zygnerka, Jowita Stusińska and Katarzyna Łaziuk were sent to primary and secondary schools of the Mińsk District.

Contributors

Project co-financed by the Ledor Wador Foundation.