Jewish Culture Festival 2008 in Krakow

The first festival was organised in 1988. Over the years it has transformed from a modest closed meeting into one of the most important and biggest events of this type in the whole world. The final concert: “Shalom in Szeroka” has become a trademark on its own and is recognised throughout the world due to, among other things, television coverage. The pictures presenting a crowd of around a dozen thousand people hopping in an ecstatic dance attract other supporters of the event.

Every year the Jewish Culture Festival fosters the process of mutual recognition and reconciliation between Poles and Jews. Today it not only enables the wide audience to touch upon the live Jewish traditions, but it also helps them to experience the joy of its co-creation thanks to the conducted workshops of Hassidic dance and song, Hebrew calligraphy or kosher cuisine. However, the Jewish Culture Festival still primarily remains a music melting pot: from the concerts of traditional synagogue music performed by cantors, through the klezmer tradition rooted in Central Europe, up to the avant-garde music which develops the output of the Jewish tradition in a creative manner. The wealth of sounds of the festival may be easily noticed by looking at the programme. Take 30 June. Among other things, the organisers have prepared for this day a concert by Zohar Fresco and Daniel Zamir in the Tempel Synagogue. The former specialises in playing the drums; in Poland he is known mainly thanks to the popular project of Możdżer/Danielsson/Fresco. The latter is a 27-year-old saxophone virtuoso, the rising star of music based on the Jewish scales with traces of jazz avant-garde of the John Coltrane type. When they finish, the synagogue will house a performance by Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI. The Spaniard was recently a guest at the 5th Misteria Paschalia Festival. If somebody wants more, they may go to the night concert of the Jazz Klez Session in Alchemia. We will hear Paul Brody, a trumpeter from Berlin, and the Israeli band Oy Division, who try to connect their works with pre-war Jewish music.

#27 June, Friday
8.44pm – Kabbalat Shabbat – Greeting Sabbath (Tempel Synagogue, Miodowa 24)

#28 June, Saturday
9am – Sabbath Morning Prayer (Tempel Synagogue, Miodowa 24)
Noon – Opening of the exhibition entitled: "Photographs by Ze'va Wilhelm Aleksandrowicz from his journey to Japan between 1934 and1935" (Manggha Museum, M. Konopnickiej 26)
Noon – "Menashe's Dream", a performance according to I.B. Singer's play, (courtyard of Popper Synagogue, Szeroka 16)
1pm – Exhibition entitled: "Jewish artists in Krakow between 1873 and 1939" (Krakow's Historical Museum, Old Synagogue, Szeroka 24)
2pm – Opening of the exhibition entitled: "Made in Israel – posters and photographs from Palestine and Israel", organised together with the Farkash Gallery in Jaffa (Museum of Urban Engineering, Sw. Wawrzynca 15
3pm – Exhibition entitled: "Windows of longing, windows of hope" – Nili Epstein and Szewch Weiss from Israel ("Grodzka" Gallery, Grodzka 42)
3.30pm – Exhibition entitled: "Orphanage". Installation by Debra Pearlman from the USA (Former house of prayer, Meiselsa 18)
4pm – Meeting with authors: Avraham B. Yehoshua from Israel (Kupa Synagogue, Miodowa 27)
4.30pm – Exhibition entitled: "Illustrating the Bible" – a country-wide post-contest exhibition organised by the Jacek Malczewski Art Schools Complex in Czestochowa (Klezmer Hois, Szeroka 6)
5pm – Exhibition entitled: "Watched by the skies" – painting on glass by Alina Towarnicka – Allerhand (Galerie d`Naif, Jozefa 11)
5pm – Screening of a film entitled "Hebrew Lesson" from 2007, dir. by David Ofek (Alchemia, Estery 5)
6pm – Opening of the exhibition entitled: "Non-painted Jew – 19th century wood engravings from the collection of Alicja Schottlas". An exhibition organised in cooperation with Beit Warszawa (High Synagogue, Jozefa 38)
10pm – A concert entitled: “Waiting for the Nightingale: jewels of Yiddish songs and klezmer music", Deborah Strauss, Jeff Warschauer and Michael Alpert from the USA (Kupa Synagogue, Miodowa 27)
10.19pm – Melave Malke – Farewell to the Sabbath (Tempel Synagogue, Miodowa 24)

#29 June, Sunday
9am – "The Synagogues of Kazimierz" – guided tour in Polish with Anna Kiesell (beginning: Old Synagogue, Szeroka 24)
9am – "The Synagogues of Kazimierz" – guided tour in English (beginning: Remuh Synagogue, Szeroka 40)
10.30am – Open Meetings "A bridge between generations". Workshops run by: Anna Dodziuk (High School no. 6, Waska 7)
10.30am, – Krakow Poetry Salon (J. Slowacki Theatre, pl. sw. Ducha 1)
11am – Workshops: The Yiddish language – taught by Przemysław Piekarski, Julia Makosz and Urszula Makosz (Kupa 18, 1st floor)
11am – "Menashe's Dream", a performance according to I.B. Singer's play,  (Courtyard of Popper Synagogue, Szeroka 16)
Noon – Concert: "Classic at noon" Kaja Danczowska from Poland, Jeremy Findlay from Canada and Ellen Braslavsky from the USA (Tempel Synagogue, Miodowa 24)
Noon – "Protecting memory" Honorary Diploma Award Ceremony for Poles who contributed to saving Jewish monuments in a special way. An event organised by the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (Galicia Jewish Museum, Dajwór 18)
Noon – "In the footsteps of Krakow's rabbis" – a tour of Kazimierz (in Polish)
Noon – Visiting the collection of Jewish exhibits of the National Museum in Krakow (National Museum in Krakow, al. 3 Maja 1)
Noon – visiting the collection of Jewish exhibits, Artistic Handicraft Gallery (National Museum in Krakow, al. 3 Maja 1)
12.30pm – A walk through the former Krakow Ghetto, a guided tour in Polish (beginning: The Eagle's Pharmacy Museum, pl Bohaterow Getta 18)
1.30pm – "Jerusalem" – opening of a photo exhibition (Isaac Synagogue, Kupa 18)
2pm – "Haman's Ears – On how the Jewish Nation was miraculously saved" – workshops for children run by Marta Sztwiertnia (National Museum in Krakow, al. 3 Maja 1)
3pm – Opening of a photo exhibition entitled: "Tzadiks' Graves" – Sara Farenheimer and David Ben-Uzeil from Israel (Center for Jewish Culture, Meiselsa 17)
4pm – Lecture: "Israel – 60 years". A meeting with David Peleg, Ambassador of Israel to Poland (Kupa Synagogue, Miodowa 27)
5pm – Film: "Song of David” dir. by Oded Turgeman (20 min., 2007) and “Orthodox Stance” dir. by Jason Hutt (82 min., 2007) (Alchemia, Estery 5)
7pm – A concert by cantors: Itzchak Meir Helfgot from Israel, Azi Schwartz from Israel and Benzion Miller from the USA, accompaniment: Daniel Gildar from the USA and Neimah Choir from Great Britain, conductor: Marc Temerlies from Great Britain (Tempel Synagogue, Miodowa 24)

#30 June, Monday
9am – "The Synagogues of Kazimierz" – guided tour in Polish (beginning: Old Synagogue, Szeroka 24)
9am – Workshops: The Hebrew language, run by Maciej Tomal (Kupa 18, 1st floor)
9am – "The Synagogues of Kazimierz" – guided tour in English (beginning: Remuh Synagogue, Szeroka 40)
10am – Klezmer Basic – klezmer workshops for beginners run by Sanne Moricke from Germany and Deborah Strauss from the USA (High School No. 6, Waska 7)
10.30am – Open Meetings "A bridge between generations" (high School No. 6, Waska 7)
11am – "Israel" – Workshops for children (Popper Synagogue, Szeroka 16)
11am – Workshops: The Yiddish language (Kupa 18, 1st floor)
Noon – Lecture: "The basic issues of Judaism" – Rabin Boaz Pash (Kupa Synagogue, Miodowa 27)
Noon – Drum workshops with Shlomo Barem from Israel, accompaniment: Menashe Sasson and Ilan Ben-Ami from Israel (High School No. 6, Waska 7)
12.30pm – Workshops: "Jewish Dance" – run by Steven Weintraub from the USA, accompaniment: Jeff Warschauer, Deborah Strauss and Stuart Brotman from the USA (Srodmiescie Youth Cultural Centre, ul. Wietora 15)
12.30pm – A walk through the former Krakow Ghetto (beginning: The Eagle's Pharmacy Museum, pl Bohaterow Getta 18)
1pm – Workshops: "Jewish cut-out" (Kupa 18, 1st floor)
1pm – Workshops: "Chassidic singing", run by Benzion Miller, a cantor from the USA, accompaniment: Daniel Gildar from the USA (Center for Jewish Culture, Meiselsa 17)
2pm – a guided tour of the Nowy Cemetery in English with Anna Kiesell (beginning: ul. Miodowa 55)
2pm – Lecture: "Mayer Kirshenblatt and Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett from the USA, "Jewish childhood in Poland before the Holocaust in images and words" (Kupa Synagogue, Miodowa 27)
3pm – Workshops: "Jewish cuisine" (Eden Hotel, Ciemna 15)
3pm – Workshops: "Hebrew calligraphy" run by Ewa Gordon (Kupa 18, 1st floor)
3pm – Genealogy Workshops, run by Anna Przybyszewska and Yale Reisner (Galicia Jewish Museum, Dajwor 18)
3pm – "In the footsteps of Krakow's rabbis" – a tour of Kazimierz (in English)
3.30pm – Workshops: “A Klyamke Mit A Tir” – Yiddish singing, run by Jeff Warschauer and Deborah Strauss from the USA (High School No. 6, Waska 7)
3.30pm – "Exploring Kazimierz – Towards Israel" – art workshops (Popper Synagogue, Szeroka 16)
4pm – Lecture: "Israel – 60 Years" Eli Barbur from Israel (Kupa Synagogue, Miodowa 27)
4.30m – Workshops: "Chassidic dance", run by Jill Gellerman from the USA, accompaniment: The Festival Hasidic Dance Band (Srodmiescie Youth Cultural Centre, ul. Wietora 15)
5pm – Film: “Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead” dir. by:. Stuart Urban (83 min., 2007) (Alchemia, Estery 5)
5pm – Meeting with authors: Ellen Ruth Gruber from the USA (Tempel Synagogue, Miodowa 27)
5.30pm – "Among Synagogues" – a concert: Benzion Miller, a cantor from the USA, accompaniment: Daniel Gildar from the USA (Ciemna 15)
7pm – Concert: Zohar Fresco and Daniel Zamir from Israel (Tempel Synagogue, Miodowa 24)
10pm – Concert: „La Diaspora Sefardi” – Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI from Spain (Tempel Synagogue, Miodowa 24)
Midnight – Jazz Klez Session: Paul Brody from the USA, Oy Division from Israel (Alchemia, Estery 5)