Leaders of Dialogue

The Local Leaders of Dialogue Conferences were introduced at the request of the Leaders themselves, who wanted to both showcase and witness the activism of their peers on the ground. Forum was only too happy to oblige.

This year’s Local Leaders of Dialogue Conference focused on the Chassidic tradition in Małopolska province. In Nowy Sącz and Bobowa the group of over 30 Leaders from all over Poland was generously hosted by local Leaders working in the Sądecki Sztetl project. From there, the group traveled to Tarnów where Leaders from the Antyschematy 2 Foundation took over as hosts. During the busy weekend program, the local Leaders took their peers all over Jewish sites of Sącz and Tarnów. In Bobowa they visited both the incredible synagogue and the spectacularly located Jewish cemetery. Famous for their Art Nouveau architecture and once-vibrant Jewish life, both Nowy Sącz and Tarnów offered incredible insight into both the diversity of Jewish life in Poland, but also, thanks to our Leaders of Dialogue, diverse perspectives on commemoration, restoration and preservation of Jewish memory and heritage.

Local Leaders of Dialogue conferences could be described as a combination of a school trip and a family reunion, as in the 6 years of the program, the Leaders have begun to consider themselves a community of activists with almost familial ties. This year, the already incredibly inspiring event was made even more special, as the Leaders in Sącz organized a meeting with a Sącz native Survivor of the Holocaust, Anna Kępińska, and Józef Jarosz, a son of the Righteous Among the Nations who helped save her. Hearing the important testimonies was an important lesson of courage and perseverance important to all dedicated to the Polish/Jewish dialogue.

photo J.Szkarłat

Project co-financed by the Ledor Wador Foundation.

In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this educator training program. Through recovering the assets of the victims of the Holocaust, the Claims Conference enables organizations around the world to provide education about the Shoah and to preserve the memory of those who perished.