Nearly two dozen young Poles who who recently discovered their Jewish roots will arrive next week in Israel to learn more about the Jewish People, Israel, and their heritage. They will participate in a special educational seminar for Poland's "Hidden Jews from the Holocaust," organized by Shavei Israel in Jerusalem.
The unique trip to Israel will begin this coming Sunday, July 27, and will feature three weeks of Polish-language trips around the country and seminars.
The participants, most of whom are in their 20's, come from an array of cities in Poland, including Krakow, Lodz, Lublin, Wroclaw (Breslau), and Warsaw. They will travel throughout Israel, study Hebrew, and learn about Jewish history, culture and religion, as well as the history of the State of Israel - all in Polish.
Michael Freund, founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel, explained that "since the fall of the Iron Curtain, an increasing number of Polish youth have begun to rediscover their families' Jewish heritage, which was often hidden out of fear of persecution by the Nazis and the Communists."
Shavei Israel spokesman Arik Puder, in a talk with Arutz-7, added that the changed situation in Poland is more amenable for people to seek out their Jewish roots: "Most of the participants in the seminar have grown up in post-Communist Poland, are more exposed to the internet and media, and are more encouraged to seek out their past."
Approximately 4,000 Jews are registered as living in Poland, but experts suggest there may be tens of thousands of other Jews in Poland who are either still hiding their identities or are simply unaware of their family heritage. As is known, many Jewish parents gave their children to Christian families as the Holocaust unfolded, hoping to reclaim them after the war. A large percentage of these parents did not live to be able to fulfill this desire, and many of their children grew up believing they were Christians.
In recent years, Puder said, "a growing number of people have found that their parents or grandparents were among these 'hidden Jews,' and are now interested themselves in finding out about their Jewish roots."
Only those who can trace Jewish descent through their mother, grandmother, etc. are considered Jewish according to Jewish Law. Shavei Israel, however, seeks to bolster ties even with those who merely have Jewish roots, for the mutual benefit of the people and the Jewish Nation.
Puder noted, in this context, that it was non-Jewish descendants of Anousim in Portugal who offered Chaim Weizmann - Israel's first President - critical help in his diplomatic efforts to have Zionism recognized as a national movement.
"Many of these 'Hidden Jews' are seeking to reconnect with their Jewish roots and with the State of Israel," Freund said, "and so we organized this special seminar in order to facilitate this process. Sixty years after the Holocaust, what could be more meaningful than bringing young Polish Jews back to the Jewish people? It is an exciting and historic task."
Shavei Israel is currently active in nine countries and provides assistance to a variety of different communities such as the Bnei Menashe of India, the Bnei Anousim (referred to as Marranos by historians) in Spain, Portugal and South America, the Subbotnik Jews of Russia, the Jewish community of Kaifeng in China, descendants of Jews living in Poland, and others.