We meet culture and religion of Polish Jews

– trip around Cracow’s Kazimierz

 

On 17^th December a group of teenagers from our school, class IIc  LO and II Te had an opportunity to look closely at the Jews culture. We followed the traces of history of this nation, visiting one of the most popular administrative district. First we visited the Old Synagogue, then we stopped at the Synagogue of Wolf Popper, which nowadays  serves as an exhibition house, with artists in residence.  On the wall there were presented canvas showing well-known facts connected with artistic life of Jewish artists. The most interesting was the visit in Remuh Synagogue-located at the heart of the historic Jewish quarter Kazimierz,  the smallest but the most interesting because the only active synagogue, used for religious purposes. According to Jewish tradition every man before entering a synagogue or a cemetery  should put on a hat. Our students, of course, followed these rules.

The Jewish Cemetery was very interesting too. There are vertical tombstones (so called macew) with beautiful ornaments on the surface. There are no flowers or candles and visitors leave only stones.

 The stroll along narrow streets of Kazimierz let us feel the climate of this place, in the past area so densely populated by Jews and at present visited by so many tourists.     (see pictures → 12.2.B )

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