The 2016 School of Dialogue Gala held at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera was preceded by an NGO expo. We are incredibly grateful to all the organizations’ representatives for sharing their knowledge with Gala’s participants. As you can see, the expo was very popular, and it wasn’t just the gadgets and sweets offered at some stands. The NGOs and institutions present at the expo included JCC, Polish History Museum, Jewish Community of Warsaw, Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland Foundation, “Polis” Young Journalists Association, Polin, Jan Karski Educational Foundation, Central Europe Company, Humanity in Action and Rabbinical Commission Cemeteries in Poland

One of the most touching moments of the 2016 School of Dialogue Gala held on Friday was Esther Pinskier’s heartwarming video message addressed to students and screened during the ceremony. We were also honored to have Esther Pinskier with us at the Gala! Since not all of you could be with us to see it in person, we would like to share the video with you.

The 2016 School of Dialogue Gala held at the Polish National Opera was heldo on March 3, 2017. It gathered over 1200 students, teachers, Forum’s educators, as well as representatives of local and national authorities, diplomats and Forum’s friends, including special guests from Australia and the US.

We were honored by the presence of the Deputy Speaker of the Senate Bogdan Borusewicz, the Commissioner for Human Rights Adam Bodnar, Israel’s Ambassador to Poland Anna Azari, Australia’s Ambassador to Poland Paul Wojciechowski, the DeputyMayor of Warsaw, Włodzimierz Paszyński, the Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich, Rabbi Stas Wojciechowicz of the Center for Progressive Judaism, Henryk Wujec, Chairman of the Forum’s Board of Trustees, the representatives of the Polish Association of Righteous Among the Nations, as well as special guests: Samantha Britt and the Pinskier family.

The Gala was made special thanks to Samantha Britt, who performed at the Gala. Samantha Britt, who took part in the interfaith Seder in Radom in April 2016, an American opera singer and actress. She sang two songs in Yiddish, d “Du Shaynst vi di Zun,” “Zol Nokh zayn Shabes” and the aria “Je veux vivre” from Rome and Juliette.
We are also very grateful to the Pinskier family, who came especially for the Gala. Esther Pinskier came here with her son, Henry, daughter-in-law, Marcia, Forum Study Visit alumni, and her grandson, Jake. She is a Holocaust Survivor from Warsaw, now living in Melbourne, Australia, who returned to Poland last year to celebrate her 90th birthday with the Forum. She came to Warsaw once more to show her appreciation for the students participating in the School of Dialogue Program. She was offered flowers and received a standing ovation from the audience gathered at the theatre.

The annual School of Dialogue Gala’s main purpose is to recognize the students participating in the program and the effort they put into the projects created to commemorate the Jewish citizens who once lived in their towns. Each year we award the most elaborate and thoughtful project.

From among 40 participating schools, and 15 finalists, the 1st prize went to Wojciech Korfanty Technical-Vocational and High School Complex no 1 in Chorzów, the 2nd prize went to School Complex in Pilica and Maria Konopnicka Junior High School no 16 in Sosnowiec, while the 3rd prize went to Junior and High School Complex in Drawsko Pomorskie. The two honorable mentions went to John Paul II Junior High School from Sztum and Lajos Kossuth High School no 63 in Warsaw.
The School of Dialogue Gala is organized in cooperation with The Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera. The 2016 School of Dialogue program and School of Dialogue Gala are co-financed by Friends of the Forum, Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, City of Warsaw, and the Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund.

Check out the photos from the event on our facebook page.
Watch the film to learn about students and expert opinions about the School of Dialogue program.

With the School of Dialogue Gala less than three weeks away, we are excited to reveal this year’s poster created by an up-and-coming Polish artist, Dawid Ryski.

There are meetings that cross linguistic and cultural barriers, and connect people with their past and present. In December 2016, a group of Israelis and Americans had a chance to meet with students involved in the 2015 edition of the School of Dialogue program. Any reservations about the meeting vanished the moment people got to talk with one another. Later the students took the visitors on a tour of Skierniewice Jewish sites. Watch the short clip to see the highlights of the tour and hear participants’ reactions.

“800 Jews From Our Town,” a documentary about the School of Dialogue program in Bircza, directed by Filip Luft, will have its TV premiere tonight! It will be shown by a Polish TV channel, Stopklatka TV [LINK].

Each of the School of Dialogue programs outside Warsaw ends with a walking tour following the footsteps of the town’s Jewish community. During the tour students become guides for a local audience of their choice. Each program impacts the local community in its own way. Have a look at a clip documenting the final tour in Pilica which took place in December 2016, and listen to what some of the students and participants thought about the experience.
The project is co-financed by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and Friends of the Forum.