The (Jewish) Future begins with… leadership. Over the last 25 years, much has been written about the phenomenon of the so-called “Jewish Revival of Poland.” Some Jews, particularly those from Israel and America, still vehemently oppose the idea that Jewish life can exist in Poland today, perceiving it as the biggest existing Jewish graveyard and a place populated by fervently antisemitic Poles.
Others view the reemergence of Jewish life in contemporary Poland as a miracle or even an ultimate victory over Hitler. Regardless, the revival of Polish Jewish community is portrayed mostly by stories of people who discovered their Jewish roots and decided to reconnect with their Jewish heritage. The community as a whole, as an organism providing structure and opportunity to its members, does not feature prominently in the narrative of Jewish Revival in Poland.
Perhaps, the process of revival is simply more interesting than mundane challenges and struggles of maybe unusual, small, but growing Polish Jewish community from a point of view of a person, who only learns about the fact that there are Jews living in Poland in 2016. Contemporary Polish Jews are more occupied with a different task: ensuring continuity of the community. To that aim, Cukunft Jewish Association, an NGO bringing together Jewish activists mainly from the region of Wroclaw and Lower Silesia, decided to organize a seminar focusing on leadership skills, inspiring and creating together future activities for different age groups within the Jewish community and, looking for funding to make all Jewish communities in Poland more self-sustainable.
Over thirty participants, representatives of Jewish communities of Wroclaw, Lodz, Lublin, Krakow and Warsaw attended an intensive seminar ‘Shabbat of the Future – Jewish Leaders in Action – Cukunft Hasmonea Sports Shabbaton’ in Lodz between November 10 and 14, 2016. Beside its main focus, they had a chance to spend and experience Shabbat together, have fun together in the Jewish environment, get to know the monuments of Jewish Lodz and learn how to bake challah at first and then how to lead Challah Baking Workshops for children and adults as a part of the international Shabbat Project 2016.
The event would not have taken place if it wasn’t for the great inspiration of Rabbi Warren Goldstein and The Shabbat Project and generous support of ROI Community, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, hospitality of the Jewish Community of Lodz and Marek Edelman Dialogue Centre in Lodz and great educators. We learned a lot during the event and will definitely repeat it in other small Jewish communities in Poland. At the beginning of 2017 we are going to visit the Jewish community in Lublin and help its leaders to implement socio-cultural projects that we discussed during Cukunft Hasmonea Sports Shabbaton in Lodz.
The event was possible through the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation’s Grassroots Initiative Program. Thank you for Making It Happen. #MakeItHappen
More: Shabbos Project Lodz 2016
PROGRAM:
THURSDAY 10/11/2016
18.00-18:30 Opening meeting, program introduction – Aleksandra Wilczura
18.30-19.00 Jewish Leadership in Action in Poland – Jewish organizations
– Jan Kirschenbaum, Aleksandra Wilczura
19.00-20:00 Dinner
20.00-20:30 Jewish sports activities and organizations – Makabi – Michał Samet
20:30-21:00 Preservation of the Jewish Heritage in Poland – Monika Krawczyk
21:00-22:00 Introduction to Autopresentation – Robert Chmielewski
22:00-24:00 Integration activities
FRIDAY 11/11/2016
7:00-9:00 Breakfast
8:00-9:00 Integration – Jewish sports activities (optional) – Jarosław Szydłowski, Julian Jeliński
9:00-10:30 BHP Obligatory training
10:30- 11:30 Kosher challah baking workshops – Shabbos project – Rabbi David Szychowski, Motti Nowakowski
11:30-13:00 Kosher challah baking workshops – Shabbos project – Aleksandra Wilczura
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-16:00 Jewish Humanism and Humanistic Judaism- Włodzimierz Zylbertal
16:00-16:15 Break
16:15-17:00 Informal education in Jewish NGOs and institutions (1)
17:00-17:15 Break
17:15-18:00 Informal education in Jewish NGOs and institutions (2)
18:00-18:30 Break
18:30-19:00 Kabbalat Shabbat – Rabbi David Szychowski and Miriam Szychowska
19:00-20:00 Dinner
20:00-21:00 Project – Jewish Leader – Jan Kirschenbaum
21:00-22:00 Autopresentation Skills – Introduction – Robert Chmielewski
22.00-23:30 End and Informal integration – Irena Kokusz
SATURDAY 12/11/2016
7:00-9:00 Breakfast
8:00-9:00 Integration – Jewish sports activities (optional) – Jarosław Szydłowski, Julian Jeliński
9:00-12:15 Shul Services (optional)
9:00-9:30 What is the project? The life cycle of the project – Justyna Kanczukowska – Unesco
9:30-10:20 How to write a good project? Presentation and common passage through a sample request eg. Ministry of Culture, EU grants, local grant
10:20-10:30 Break
10:30-11:00 How to create a good budget?
11:00-12:30 Types of grants, deadlines for submitting them
12:30-13:30 Lunch
14:00-14:30 Raising funds from other sources, donations, collection, 1% sponsorship
14:30-15:00 Special projects, social media and their role
15:15-15:30 Break
15:30-16:00 The role of volunteers in the organization. European Voluntary Service. What is it and how to do it prepare?
16:00-16:40 Group work on his own project group of 2-3 persons
16:40-17:20 Havdalla & Break
17:20-17:40 The exchange projects between groups and evaluate each other
17: 40: 18:20 Projects Discussion
18:20-18:30 Summary of the day
18:30-19:30 Dinner
20:00-23:00 Group Night Out in the City – Irena Kokusz
SUNDAY 13/11/2016
7:00-9:00 Breakfast
9.00-10:00 Presentation Skills – Introduction – Robert Chmielewski
10:00-10:45 What makes a successful communicator – contacts with media – Robert Chmielewski
10.45:11:00 Break
11.00-11:45 Jewish networking – challenges, opportunities – Aleksandra Wilczura
11:45-12:15 Conclusion – What’s next? What I will bring back my local community? – Robert Chmielewski, Jan Kirschenbaum, Aleksandra Wilczura
12:15-13:15 Lunch
13.30-16:00 Sightseeing of Jewish Lodz
13.30-17:00 Sports shooting training (optional)
16.00-17:00 Check out / Departure
PRESS RELEASES IN POLAND AND ABROAD:
The Shabbos Project 2016 – CUKUNFT HASMONEA SPORTS SHABBATON – SZABAT PRZYSZŁOSCI
The Jerusalem Post – Shabbat Project poised to break new records in some 1,000 cities
Foundation for the Presevation of Jewish Heritage in Poland – FODZ
FODZ – Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland 2
Gazeta Wyborcza Łódź z dn. 11.11.2016
FILMS:
Mega Babka – Aleksandra Wilczura – przygotowania do warsztatów pieczenia chałek
PHOTOS:
