Ecumenical prayer at the Jewish Cemetery, a symposium at the Marek Edelman Dialogue Center, a central service of the Word of God in the Old Market Square in Łódź, an exhibition of works by Artur Szyk and an evening of culture entitled "Women in the Bible" – all this took place in Łódź on the occasion of the Day of Judaism.
The main celebrations of the 22nd Day of Judaism began with the Kaddish prayer at the largest Jewish cemetery in Central and Eastern Europe, at 40 Bracka Street in Łódź. Residents of former and current Jewish Łódź, as well as martyrs of the Litzmannstadt Ghetto, are buried there. The prayer was led by Łódź Rabbi Dawid Szychowski and Bishop Rafał Markowski, Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference Committee for Dialogue with Judaism.
During a panel discussion at the Marek Edelman Dialogue Center, Professor Paweł Śpiewak, speaking about how a Jew reads the Torah, emphasized that the Torah is part of every Jew's life. " God created the world with words. The word is the substance of life. Man, created in the image of God, also possesses the power of creation through words. A discussion about the Bible is a discussion about speaking, about understanding, " Professor Śpiewak added.
Is a Jewish reading of the Bible necessary for Christians? – Father Dr. Arnold Zawadzki addressed this question, emphasizing from the outset that Christian identity would be incomplete if it separated itself from the Jewish people from which Jesus and his disciples came. – Without Judaism, we Christians cannot understand ourselves. While Judaism can exist without Christianity, Christianity cannot exist without Judaism. Just as children cannot exist without their parents – said Father Dr. Zawadzki.
The second panel discussion on Christian-Jewish relations, moderated by Joanna Podolska, director of the Marek Edelman Center, featured Nili Amit and Brother Krzysztof Fronczak OH.
Brother Krzysztof is a Brother of God. For many years, he served in a hospital in Nazareth, where he ministered to both Jews and Arabs. " I can speak here of difficult situations when an Orthodox Jew turned his back on me in Jerusalem, but in the hospital where I served, I never encountered such a situation; on the contrary, I often heard a request: pray for me. After such a request, I didn't even ask the question: 'What do you mean, you're Jewish? I'm supposed to pray for you?' It was incredible! " Brother Krzysztof emphasized.
" As an Israeli, I found myself in Poland because my husband is Polish and I've been living here for 20 years, " Nili Amit said during the panel. " Israel and Poland are two worlds that don't clash, but rather need to find their own language. The answer to this problem is mutual tolerance and respect for the different cultures and values of each person. This has to work on both sides. Although my husband and I aren't religious, the traditions we grew up with are incredibly important to us. I learned how to prepare Christmas Eve dinner and read the New Testament, and my husband attends Passover with me and reads the Haggadah on Passover, " Amit added.
On the occasion of the 22nd Day of Judaism, the "Man of Dialogue" exhibition opened at the Łódź Basilica, featuring the work of Artur Szyk, a Łódź-born illustrator and caricaturist. He is known primarily for his caricatures of the Axis leaders Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito, created during World War II. More about the author can be found on the Marek Edelman Dialogue Center website: https://www.centrumdialogu.com/ebooks/szyk/mobile/index.html#p=64
At the Marek Edelman Dialogue Center you can also see the exhibition "Lodzer Miszmasz" - a story about the Jews of Łódź: religion, language, culture, famous and lesser-known artists, writers, industrialists, important dates and places in history, holidays celebrated regularly every year, joys and tragedies, the history of the Łódź Ghetto and the lives of Łódź Jews today.
The Day of Judaism in Poland has existed since 1997. It was established by the Polish Episcopal Conference, setting the date as January 17, the day before the Catholic week of prayer for Christian unity.
