 TORONTO — Since the fall of Communism 20 years ago, thousands of people in Poland who were brought up as Catholics have discovered their Jewish ancestry, says the country’s chief rabbi.
Rabbi Michael Schudrich
“Thousands of Poles who did not know they had Jewish roots have found them,” said Rabbi Michael Schudrich, who will deliver a speech in Toronto on Poland’s Jewish revival on May 11 at Congregation Habonim.
Invited here by the Polish-Jewish Heritage Foundation of Canada, the rabbi said that such Poles have voiced an interest in “learning about their Jewish heritage and expressing it in some positive manner.”
Rabbi Schudrich, who has played a pivotal role in Poland’s Jewish renaissance, said that Jews who were once afraid to tell their children or grandchildren about their Jewish origins have spoken up since the advent of democracy in Poland.
“We have only begun to reach out to those who are now discovering their true Jewish identity,” he said in an interview.
And much remains to be done in consolidating the ongoing Jewish revival. As he put it, “We need more rabbis and teachers to teach and share [Jewish knowledge] with more people.”
He singled out the Ronald Lauder Foundation for having supported this revival. Funded by American businessman Ronald Lauder, the foundation has built Jewish schools, community centres and summer camps throughout Poland and eastern Europe.
Rabbi Schudrich added that the major funder of Poland’s Jewish renaissance today is the U.S.-based Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture.
In his judgment, the Polish Jewish community is dependent on philanthropy.
“It is essential for two reasons. First, it provides material help that is so necessary. Second, it shows we are not forgotten.”
Rabbi Schudrich, an American of Polish Jewish descent, praised the Polish government for supporting the revival.
“There is an understanding that Jews have lived in Poland for almost 1,000 years, have been part of this country for centuries and have contributed. The desire is not to let this die out.”
Rabbi Schudrich, who was appointed to his position by the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland, said there are no firm figures as to the number of Jews living in Poland today.
“The estimate is usually somewhere around 30,0000 to 40,000, but no one really knows, since people are still discovering their Jewish roots.”
Asked what challenges face the community at present, he replied, “The main ones are to help Poles of Jewish descent return to their Jewish identity, to build a Jewish community with people who were not brought up as Jews and to balance the needs of the present with the memory of the past.”
Asked if anti-Semitism is a serious problem, he said, “Anti-Semitism exists in Poland, as it tragically exists throughout Europe. There is little physical anti-Semitism in Poland, and it is certainly a lot less problematic than in places like Paris. Having said that, now is the time to fight anti-Semitism before it grows.”
The rabbi added that both the Polish government and the president have been “very, very strong” in fighting it.
In closing, he said the Polish government has yet to resolve the Jewish private property issue.
Jewish community property seized by the Nazis and Communists has been returned, but not so private Jewish property.
Urging Poland to act on this matter, he said, “The government has a responsibility to all those who lost property. They should receive something for their properties.”
Rabbi Schudrich, born in New York City in 1955, is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Yeshiva University.
From 1983 to 1989, he served as rabbi of Japan’s Jewish community.
He began working for the Ronald Lauder Foundation in 1992 and resided in Warsaw until 1998. Returning to Poland two years later, he was appointed chief rabbi in 2004.
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