(eng) Jewish Culture in Poland

general courses

Classroom

The aim of the course is to present the heritage of Polish Jews – their fate, the history of their activity in Poland, relations with the Polish population, and their spiritual and material legacy. The course will also cover the following topics: the image of Jews in Polish-language literary texts, ways of commemorating historical events involving Jews, the promotion of Jewish culture in contemporary Poland, and the life of Polish Jews today.

The aim of the course is to familiarize foreign students with the activity of Jews in Poland and their influence on selected areas of Polish culture. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about key events in Polish-Jewish history and understand why the subject of Jewish culture plays such a significant role in interpreting many historical events and cultural phenomena in Poland. The course will also present the achievements of renowned Jewish artists and public figures, texts concerning Jewish issues, organizations that preserve the memory of Jews and promote Jewish culture, as well as information about the contemporary Jewish community in Poland.

Classes will take the form of a seminar and lecture. The instructor’s presentation will include visual and audiovisual materials accompanied by oral commentary. Each session will include a discussion involving students.

All students will have access to the Campus UW platform, where class presentations, materials, and additional information about current events related to Jewish culture in Poland will be posted.

Course Schedule:

1. Introduction to the Topic of the Course and Its Organization.

2. Judaism: Symbols, Rituals, Traditions.

3. Polish-Jewish Relations from the 13th to the 19th Century.

4. Polish-Jewish Relations in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

5. The Holocaust and Places of Remembrance, Part I.

6. The Holocaust and Places of Remembrance, Part II.

7. Jewish Districts and Cities Associated with Jewish Culture.

8. Artists and Scholars of Jewish Descent.

9. The Image of the Jew in Polish Literature.

10. Culture and History of Jews in Polish Film.

11. Jewish Motifs in Painting and Music.

12. Institutions Promoting Jewish Culture. Preserving Jewish Cultural Heritage.

13. Coursework Presentations.

14. The Life of Polish Jews Today.

Buryła, S., Krawczyńska, D., Leociak, J. Polish Literature and the Holocaust (1939–1968), Berlin, 2020.

Designing Transformation: Jews and Cultural Identity in Central European Modernism, ed. E. Shapira, London, 2021.

Jewish Space in Contemporary Poland, eds. E.T. Lehrer, M. Meng, Bloomington, Indiana, 2015.

Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, B., Sztyma, T. Legacy of Polish Jews [ebook].

Krajewski, S. Small Numbers, Big Presence: Jews in Poland after World War II, Berlin, 2024.

Poland and Polin: New Interpretations in Polish-Jewish Studies, eds. I. Grudzińska-Gross, I. Nawrocki, Frankfurt am Main, 2016.

Poles & Jews: History, Culture, Education, eds. M. Misztal, P. Trojański, Cracow, 2011.

The Jews in Poland, ed. A.K. Paluch, vol. 1, Cracow, 1992.

The Jews in Poland, ed. S. Kapralski, vol. 2, Cracow, 1999.

Promotional and educational materials from institutions promoting Jewish culture in Poland, including the POLIN Museum, Jewish Historical Institute, Shalom Foundation, and Jewish Community Center.

Selected texts available on websites, including www.culture.pl/en, www.sztetl.org.pl/en, www.yadvashem.org, and www.tskz.pl/en.

Lecturer's own materials, shared in presentations and via links on the Campus platform.

After completing the course, the student will:

− know the most important facts from the history of Polish Jews,

− be able to name the cities and districts where Jews most frequently settled,

− know the most important sites of memory, monuments, and other forms of commemorating historical events involving Jews in Poland,

− understand how relations between Jews and Poles developed and what they looked like,

− be familiar with the most famous Polish-Jewish creators and scholars,

− know how Jewish history and culture are commemorated in contemporary Poland,

− know facts about the lives of contemporary Polish Jews.

– Active participation in class.

– Your choice: a coursework essay or a presentation.