Poland Day 3 - Krakow

We began our first day in Poland after a very long overnight bus ride from Prague to Krakow. A well needed rest and refreshment was had on the Czech – Poland border before the final leg to Krakow. The first stop we went to was the Rama Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter, a beautiful shule built in the 1500’s by the Rama. We learnt from Shira about his life and how he built this private shule in memory of his wife, who died aged only 20. 

The Rama was a great figure in the city of Krakow as well as in the Jewish world as a whole. He received smicha aged only 13 and wrote a book that codified Jewish Law for the first time in nearly 500 years. However, after he finished this work after 7 years, he learnt that Rav Yosef Karo had in fact just finished the Shulchan Aruch (lit. ‘Prepared Table’) so he promptly got rid of his work, satying that the Jewish people only needed one set of laws in one book, thus displaying great humility. Instead, he wrote his famous work, the Mapa (lit. ‘The Tablecloth’) to give any points of difference between the Ashkenazic and Sepfardic communities. Throughout his time as Rabbi of the city, he showed great qualities and made rulings based on a combination of Halacha and human dignity. He was truly a great man. 

We then went to the cemetery at the back of the synagogue which has graves dating back over 500 years. On the wall of the cemetery, there is a mural of broken tombstones. These were recovered from the surrounding areas of Krakow after the war and were the remnants of tombstones which the Nazis had destroyed and used as stone for roads.

The next shule we visited was the Izaak Synagogue, an amazing building with stunning murals of different tefillot on the walls inside the shule. We heard the famous story of how the shule came to be built.  The founder of the synagogue is the hero of a well-known legend deriving from the Tales of 1001 Nights. Izaak Jakubowicz, a pious but poor Jew, dreamed that there was treasure hidden under the old bridge in Prague. Without delay, he made his way there. On arrival, it turned out the bridge was guarded by a squad of soldiers and that digging was out of the question. Izaak told the officer about his dream, promising him half of the booty. The officer retorted, "Only fools like Polish Jews can possibly believe in dreams. For several nights now I have been dreaming that in the Jewish town of Kazimierz there is hidden treasure in the oven of the home of the poor Jew Izaac Jakubowicz. Do you think I am so stupid as to go all the way to Cracow and look for the house of this Isaac the son of Jacob?". Izaak returned home immediately, took the oven apart, found the treasure and became rich. After this it was said: 'There are some things which you can look for the world over, only to find them in your own home. Before you realise this, however, you very often have to go on along journey and search far and wide.' This was certainly a lesson we could all take to heart.

We were very lucky to have come to Krakow now as we got to view the Maccabi exhibit in the Altshule which closes in only a couple of weeks. In it we read and saw the history of Maccabi in Poland. What was particularly interesting was the number of Jewish athletes to represent national squads as well as their significant achievements at the first two Maccabiah Games in Israel. 

After having lunch, we walked over the river to where the ghetto was situated during the war. We spoke about the history of the Jewish people in Krakow and where they traditionally lived, and how they were forced to move across the river, away from the centre of the city. The empty chair in the square was a particularly moving exhibit. We learnt about the Pharmacy on the edge of the ghetto boundary and how Tadeusz Pankiewicz used to help the Jews inside the ghetto, whether by giving them medicine and supplies, passing on letters or hosting meetings with the Polish Underground. 

Finally we made our way to where some of the ghetto wall is still standing. There, Derek told us the story of his Grandfather during the war which was particularly moving.  

Having finished looking through the Jewish history of the city, we went to the City Square which was really huge and magnificent. We saw the various buildings in the area and learnt about their fascinating history, before going to the local Jewish Community Centre for a sumptuous dinner. On our way to the accommodation for the evening, we drove past Schindler’s factory to have a look.  

This was another amazing day where we learnt so much and we look forward to the second half of the trip, beginning with Auschwitz – Berkinau.  

Dion