THE ABRAHAM J. HESCHEL CENTER FOR CATHOLIC-JEWISH RELATIONS THE JOHN PAUL II CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF LUBLIN

83 years ago, on October 10, 1942, the Germans introduced a total ban on the baptism of Jews in all Christian rites within the territory of the General Government. This order by the occupiers must be seen in connection with the ongoing Operation Reinhardt at the time. Although, under… Read more… »

The Jewish tradition of setting up sukkahs next to residential buildings is returning to Polish cities. It is connected with Sukkot, which began on Monday evening and is known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths. In Poland, the name “Kuczki” has also become popular – it… Read more… »

Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles. Commemorating the exodus from Egypt, during which the Israelites lived in tents in the desert, Jews stayed, prayed, and ate in temporary, hand-built huts for seven consecutive days. Sukkot is one of the three great pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim – Three Pilgrimages), during… Read more… »

88 years ago, on October 6, 1937, Blessed Barbara Ulma, one of the seven children of Blessed Wiktoria and Józef Ulma, was born in Markowa. Her short life, cut short by the German occupiers, became part of a story of courage and solidarity that connects the memory of Poles… Read more… »

On October 2, 1940, the governor of the Warsaw district, Ludwig Fischer, signed an order establishing a “Jewish district” in the capital of occupied Poland. The news was made public only on October 12, on Yom Kippur – the most important Jewish holiday. That day, loudspeakers on the streets… Read more… »

October 1 marks 12 years since the death of Israel Gutman – a boy from the Warsaw Ghetto, a fighter, a prisoner of Majdanek and Auschwitz, and after the war, one of the most outstanding historians of the Holocaust. His life, full of drama, also became a mission to… Read more… »

Day of Atonement – the most solemn day of the year in the Jewish calendar. Dr. Faydra Shapiro, a specialist in contemporary Jewish-Christian relations from the Israel Center for Jewish-Christian Relations in Galilee, speaks about the spiritual and biblical meaning of Yom Kippur for the Heschel Center.On Yom Kippur, everyone… Read more… »

Today, the Brama Grodzka Center NN Theater hosted an international seminar entitled “Shtetl Routes Network Incubator,” summarizing over a year of activities carried out as part of the “Mi dor le dor Europe” project, which brings together cultural and educational organizations in Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Greece, and Germany. … Read more… »

On the occasion of Rosh ha-Shanah, Polish President Karol Nawrocki extended words of support to the Jewish community in Poland, wishing them health, peace, and joy during their family celebrations.… Read more… »

May the immense goodness of the Eternal One be close to your community and accompany all efforts to deepen friendship between us, in the city of Rome and throughout the world, wrote Pope Leo XIV in a telegram to the Chief Rabbi of Rome on the occasion of Rosh… Read more… »

Sienna 82 St. in Warsaw. This is the new address of the headquarters of the Pilecki Institute, whose goal is to research, commemorate, and educate about totalitarian regimes and their victims. The functional modernist building commemorates, among others, the victims and perpetrators of the Holocaust, as well as Poles who… Read more… »

He helped save the lives of at least a dozen people – and according to some accounts, more than 20. Today, the descendants of those saved say that thanks to the courage of the Polish priest, Father Zygmunt Dziedziak, several dozen people representing subsequent generations are still alive. “If… Read more… »

It has been two years since the beatification of the Ulma family from Markowa. This is the first time in the history of the Polish Church that an entire family has been beatified. The anniversary coincides with the National Day of Polish Children of War. A year ago,… Read more… »

Today at 4 p.m. at the Sobibór Memorial Site, on the grounds of the former German extermination camp, a panel discussion entitled "40 Years After ‘Shoah’. The Holocaust in the light of Claude Lanzmann's documentary.“ The event inaugurated an international conference entitled ”Death trains – rail transports to German… Read more… »

The IMAGINE Culture without Borders Music Festival opened on Thursday, August 14, in Kazimierz Dolny with the world premiere of a one-act opera by American composer William Goldstein. The international event, dedicated to fostering dialogue between Polish and Jewish cultures, takes place in one of Poland’s most important historic centers of… Read more… »

“Paper cuttings are a powerful expression of both Polish and Jewish culture,” said Princess Irina zu Sayn-Wittgenstein at the opening of Smoke (Dym), an exhibition of intricate works inspired by Polish and Jewish folk motifs from the Lublin region. The event took place on Thursday, August 14, at the Celejowska Tenement,… Read more… »

Today, on the eve of August 9, the feast day of the patron saint of the Association of Hebrew Catholics, an inaugural ceremony was held, focusing on the life of Edith Stein – a saint of two worlds. The ceremony also included a Holy Mass followed by a prayer… Read more… »

On August 5, Lubliner Festival – Festival of Jewish Culture begins. For six days, residents of Lublin and visitors from other cities will be able to take part in concerts, meetings, and workshops devoted to Jewish culture. The aim of the festival is to bring closer the history and… Read more… »

Although the uprising lasted only a few dozen minutes, its memory lives on and has taken on an international character. The 82nd anniversary of the prisoners' rebellion was commemorated at the site of the former German Nazi death camp Treblinka II. The celebrations were attended by representatives of the… Read more… »

International Roma and Sinti Holocaust Remembrance Day, celebrated on August 2, commemorates the Porajmos – the extermination of the Gypsy population by the Third Reich. On the night of August 2-3, 1944, the Germans liquidated the Gypsy camp, known as the Zigeunerlager, in Auschwitz-Birkenau, murdering approximately 4,300 people.… Read more… »

It has been 85 years since the first transport of prisoners arrived at the German concentration and extermination camp Gross-Rosen. On August 2, 1940, nearly 100 Poles were brought there and began grueling work in the “stone hell.” This marked the beginning of the tragic history of the camp,… Read more… »

When Warsaw rose up against the German occupiers on August 1, 1944, Jews – including survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising – were among the insurgents. Their participation in the Warsaw Uprising is a testament to their courage and solidarity in the face of a common enemy, as well… Read more… »

The town of Łęczna has received over PLN 11 million in funding for the restoration of the Synagogue Complex. The building will be transformed into a museum and educational center in cooperation with the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODŻ).… Read more… »

Another Pole has been recognized with the Righteous Among the Nations medal and diploma. The highest Israeli civilian award given to non-Jews was received in Poznań by Henryk Wierzchowiecki's son, Ryszard. In 1942, his father saved his friend Helena Becher, née Szewa Majer, from the Holocaust. The award ceremony… Read more… »