KrakowInformer.com

Jewish Festival in Krakow

Kazimierz, Krakow's Jewish quarter, is one of the liveliest parts of the city – a real den of bars, restaurants and cafes, filled with eaters and sitters in the daytime, and drinkers and dancers at night. But there seems to be something missing between the empty Synagogues and the old, Jewish shops. 

The organizers of the Jewish Festival in Krakow have been trying to fill this emptiness – at least for some time. Each year in late June, Kazimierz once again is filled with sounds of Jewish music, Jewish dance and other performances. During the Jewish Festival Krakow tourists can see many exhibition and participate in numerous events that tell the story of Kazimierz's past as well as presents various aspects of Jewish culture.

  The Modest Beginnings of the Krakow Jewish Festival

The first Jewish Festival took place in Krakow in 1988. It's main event was a symposium concerning cross-cultural relations between the Poles and the Jews. The fall of Communism – hostile to Jewish culture (or maybe culture in general) – and the re-development of the Kazimierz district facilitated the growth of the Festival.

The Jewish Festival Now

Today, the Jewish Festival in Krakow is one of the biggest events of the sort in the world, bringing together people of different nationalities and religions to celebrate – and simply have fun with – their love to Jewish culture. The Krakow Jewish Festival is now week-long and takes place in various places around the Kazimierz, helping to rebuild the good relations the Polish and the Jewish cultures have had for centuries.

The Events of the Jewish Festival in Krakow

The time and place of the events of the Jewish Festival in Krakow changes every year, but each time the general structure is the same. The Krakow Synagogues regain their original role as houses of prayer and many exhibitions are organized in different locations around Kazimierz. The more 'interactive' events include workshops dedicated to Jewish music and dance as well as Jewish food and Hebrew calligraphy. The Jewish Festival also includes numerous concerts and film screenings.

The “Shalom na Szerokiej” Concert

The culmination point of the Jewish Festival is the great concert entitled “Shalom na Szerokiej” (“Shalom on Szeroka Street”), organized on one of the last days of the Festival near the Old Synagogue. Called by the organizers the “Jewish Woodstock”, the concert brings together international stars of Jewish music, and tens of thousands of listeners. The culmination of the Jewish Festival starts and ends with a message of peace, addressed not only to Jews and Poles, but to every nation around the world – many of which are present at the Krakow Jewish Festival.