Summer seminar for “Hidden Jews” of Poland launches today in Jerusalem
Summer seminar participants arrive at the Western Wall in 2012
Izabella only discovered at age 13 that her grandfather was Jewish. Agata learned she was Jewish when she was 8-years-old, but her mother, afraid of what her daughter’s friends would say, refused to let Agata tell her classmates. Michael took a DNA test, which proved his connection to the Jewish people and helped him connect with long lost relatives in the U.S. Sandra found that her family’s name appears on a list of Jews in the town of Lubraniec some 13 times. Mateusz recently found documents that verify his family’s Jewish roots; his parents have formally converted to Judaism and he is eager to join them.
What connects Izabella, Agata, Michael, Sandra and Mateusz? They are all among the “Hidden Jews” of Poland who arrive in Jerusalem today for the start of Shavei Israel’s annual Polish-language summer seminar in Israel. This year, 16 young Poles (10 women and 6 men) will be participating in the two-week program, which mixes study, travel and home hospitality for what previous attendees have referred to as a “life changing experience.”
The Shavei Israel seminar is packed with opportunities to reconnect with Judaism and learn more about both historic and modern Israel. Every day includes classes with Polish-speaking rabbis and educators. Rabbis Baruch Babaev, Boaz Pash and Yehoshua Ellis (Shavei Israel’s emissary to Katowice, Poland) will be leading the learning. Mornings, as in years past, will be dedicated to Hebrew classes, while afternoons include courses in faith, Jewish Law, and the upcoming High Holidays.. Morning, afternoon and evening prayer services will also be conducted.
The touring part of the seminar includes trips to Masada and the Dead Sea; the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall tunnels in the Old City of Jerusalem; Yad Vashem, Mea Shearim and the Golan Heights.
The group will be in Israel for two Shabbatot and both will be spent “on the road.” For the first weekend, participants will be hosted by families in the community of Dolev near Modi’in. For many, this will be their first time getting to know a religious Jewish family. Shavei Israel’s community Shabbat encounters are consistently cited as one of the highlights of the program. The following Shabbat, the group will stay in the Kabbalistic city of Safed at the Ascent Center.
Program attendees will also spend a full day at a yeshiva and midrasha in Jerusalem – for the boys it will be the Machon Meir yeshiva. The girls will study at the Nishmat Institute.
Shavei Israel sponsors and heavily subsidizes the seminar; program participants pay only a nominal “symbolic” fee. The total cost for the seminar, including lodging, food, touring and instruction, comes to more than $20,000. If you’d like to help defray some of these costs, please visit the Support page on the Shavei Israel website.
Here are some pictures and a video from last year’s seminar. Watch this space for more news as the 2013 session unfolds.