Shabbat in Poland

The steps up to the Synagogue in Beit Warshawa

When we were in Poland, we had the opportunity to celebrate Shabbat with the local Reform synagogue in Warsaw called Beit Warshawa. When we were seated, we were greeted by the Rabbi and president of the synagogue, along with the rest of the congregants. At the beginning of the service, Ariella was invited up to light the Shabbat candles, and we were introduced to the community in both Polish and English. When the service was starting, I got nervous because maybe I wouldn't know any of the tunes. However, I soon realized that I knew the majority of the tunes from my Havurah (synagogue) at home. We were alsp told that there were 9 new congregants who had just been at the Beit Din earlier that week in order to convert to Judaism. This was an amazing surprise and opportunity to be able to help welcome these 9 Jews into the Jewish community and to watch them join a really special kehillah. Each of them recited the Sh'ma while holding the Torah, and after, the congregation would say a special phrase that meant "You are our brother/sister".

Kiddush at Beit Warshawa

Following the service, we joined the community in kiddush and ate a meal with them, including traditional Polish dumplings, or pierogi. At my table, one of the men who had just converted to Judaism sat with us. His name was Max and my table was lucky enough to hear about him and his story. Max told us that he became Jewish because there was something missing in his life and that he just connected to Judaism. He said that his family was very supportive of this. More about his regular life, he is a lawyer for entrepreneurs. He also said that the nine of them had no idea that we were coming, so when they were reciting the Sh'ma, it made them a little nervous, and they still did great. After a really yummy dinner, with some coaxing, we danced and sang Hebrew songs with the community. As more people joined and the group got louder, even more congregant joined. It was so fun and even though there was a language barrier, it didn't feel like it because we were able to be connected through our Judaism and the language of Hebrew. 

Dancing and Singing at Beit Warshawa

 Organizing warm and Fuzzies at the Hotel

On Saturday, we got to sleep in and relax and we had a really chill creative service that I thought was extremely meaningful. Dani, Logan, Kate and I led it, and integrated warm and fuzzies (cute and meaningful notes) into the service. We also had a bunch of different secular songs that connected to the core meaning of each important prayer.

The whole program with Wladislaw Hostickzo

Later on, we got to meet Wladislaw Hostickzo, who is of the Righteous Among the Nations, or somebody who risked their life in order to save a Jew/s. Wladislaw told us about how him and his family were able to save a girl, named Edcie. During the time, he lived in East Poland, which was taken over by the Soviets. His father was a soldier in the Polish army and they owned a farm in a village that they went to for vacations and holidays. He told us about how Edcie was friends with his sister, and her family had previously owned a grocery store in the town. Edcie's family was Jewish, however she did not look Jewish by race and was able to pass as Polish. When the Nazi's began creating and rounding people into ghettos, her family was brought to one in Alexandria where she worked for the commandant, and therefore was given better treatment. One day, the Nazi's told her that she could run away and they wouldn't look or punish her. She went to her family, who were not allowed to escape, and they told her to go and live, so she ran away back to her village where she went from house to house looking for shelter. During this time, a Ukrainian soldier stopped her and informed German soldiers that she was a Jew, but they were fighters and not Gestapo, so she was able to convince them that she was not a Jew. After this, she was able to escape to a different village, which is where Wladislaw's small family farm was and goes to their house, where his mom opens the door and lets her in. They kept her in their house where they made a dug out behind the wardrobe where she slept and stayed in during the day in order for her to stay hidden. A little later on, the family arranged for her to stay and work at a larger farm and taught her christian prayers so that she would fit in. This is when Wladislaw was only 13 years old and walked her through the fields and forest to this new farm. She stayed at this new farm until 1943, when Polish people were being attacked , but she survived and in 1944 when the Nazi's were pushed west, she miraculously was abkle to meet up with her only living relative, a sister who fled before the war started. After she survived the war, Edcie lived in warsaw and was a law student and in 1955 married a Polish officer. However, her hardships did not stop there, because in 1968 a new wave of antisemitism arrived, and in turn, her Polish citizenship was taken away, and she and her husband moved to England. She stayed in London for the rest of her life, where Wladislaw was able to visit her in the 1980s for the first time in about 40 years. In the 1980's, both her sister and husband died, which is when she also went to memorialize her family at the Yad Vashem institute, and said that she "Never would be able to repay what his family did for her" which is how they were recognized as Righteous among the nations. She died in 2007, but her story lives on through Wladislaw and those he tells his story to.

Wladislaw Hostickzo's Medal for being a Righteous Among Nations

So Kitat Maayan, my question for you is: if you were living during the shoah, or a a time of major persecution, would you help someone who is being persecuted against, even if it might endanger yourself?