Currently there are over a dozen Jewish institutions and organizations in Wroclaw, which direct their initiatives to both Jews and non-Jewish residents of the city and the region. The scope of their activities is varied, owing to which people interested in history, culture and languages can choose interesting events from the rich educational offer. Although many Jewish organizations were established in Wroclaw after the fall of communism, not all of them have stood the test of time.
The Jewish Community of Wroclaw is the heir of the pre-war community and comprises not only Wroclaw, but also the south-western part of Poland. The offices are located in the same place as before the war – in the building at Włodkowica Street designed by brothers Paul and Richard Ehrlich. One of the main functions of the community in Wroclaw is the organization of the religious life of its members – by employing a rabbi, maintaining the White Stork Synagogue and the shul, as well as the New Jewish Cemetery at Lotnicza Street. In the commune, it is also important to provide social assistance to older and less wealthy members as well as to maintain a kosher canteen and organize educational events, holidays and anniversaries. In 1996, the commune initiated the renovation of the White Stork Synagogue, which was successfully completed owing to numerous national and international donations. The renovation was managed by the Bente Kahan Foundation starting from 2007. The only synagogue choir in Poland is also active in Wroclaw. The Choir of the White Stork Synagogue under the direction of Stanisław Rybarczyk began functioning in 1996.
Włodkowica Street (Daniele Liberati)
The Żydoteka Foundation is responsible for the popularization of Jewish culture and history. Its activities focus primarily on presenting Jewish literature and the Jewish history of Wroclaw in new media. The Foundation organizes literary events and Jewish Book Club, it also provides wide range of educational activities – such as lectures and workshops on Jewish history and culture.
The Simcha Jewish Culture Festival has been organized since 2002 and is the largest and oldest event of this type in Wroclaw. Every year, the festival program includes not only concerts, lectures and film screenings, but also meetings with authors, Hebrew and Yiddish lessons, learning traditional dances and cooking Jewish dishes. The attractive presentation of diverse Jewish culture attracts many people, also from outside the city. Every year, an important part of the festival program are events that showcase Wroclaw’s Jewish identity.
Since 2005, an important educational activity has also been developed by the foundation Mutual Respect District of Four Confessions, whose aim is to conduct intercultural dialogue and integrate the inhabitants of Wroclaw, regardless of their religion and nationality. The foundation includes representatives of four confessions: Jewish, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Evangelical-Augsburg.
In Wroclaw, it is possible to study Jewish studies at the University of Wroclaw. Tadeusz Taube Department of Jewish Studies provides first and second level degree studies, as well as doctoral studies in the field of Jewish languages, history and culture. The academic community organizes cultural events promoting Jewish culture and languages not only for its students. There is also Jewish school in the city, where students learn Hebrew and Jewish customs. The Etz Chaim primary and high school are operating in the building where the pre-war Jewish school was located.
The Wroclaw branch of the Jewish Social and Cultural Society has been operating since 1950. The aim of the organization is to cultivate secular Jewish culture, organize special events, conduct lectures and language courses, and commemorate important anniversaries and the life of Jews after World War II. On the other hand, an organization for people who survived the war includes the Wroclaw branch of the Association of Jewish Combatants and Victims of the Second World War – it brings together Polish citizens of Jewish nationality who fought with the occupiers during the war. There is also a branch of the Children of the Holocaust Association in Wroclaw, a self-help organization that conducts cultural and educational activities.
A new organization working to commemorate the Jewish cemetery, which was once located at Gwarna Street, is the Urban Memory Foundation. The organization also aims to popularize history of German Jews, for example holding an exhibition about their material heritage.
The thought of Ferdinand Lassalle, a pre-war Wroclaw politician and founder of the first workers’ party, is continued by the Social Thought Center named after Ferdinand Lassalle. The Edith Stein Society commemorates the activity of the saint, who came from the family of Wroclaw Jews. In the Edith Stein House on Nowowiejska Street, you can learn about the history and traditions – also Jewish – of her family.
The City Museum of Wroclaw looks after the Old Jewish Cemetery, which functions as the Museum of Cemetery Art, and cultivates the memory of pre-war Wroclaw Jews, as well as organizes guided walks around the necropolis and outlines the history and culture of Jews living in Wroclaw before the war. The City Museum also organizes exhibitions devoted to Jewish history and art. The National Museum in Wroclaw has valuable collections of pre-war Jewish artists, including Clara Sachs and Heinrich Tischler, which today are considered extremely valuable and important art not only on the Silesian but also European scale.