For the first time, the commentaries of Krakow's greatest pre-Holocaust rabbis are being made available in a holy book written in the Polish language.
The book, which expounds on the weekly Torah portion, was written and published by Rabbi Boaz Pash, Shavei Israel's emissary to Poland, by the Austeria publishing house in Krakow, which specializes in contemporary Jewish books. The organization is dedicated to strengthening ties between descendants of Jews around the world and the State of Israel.
"Poland is currently experiencing a renewal of Jewish culture and a demand for more information about Judaism, both past and present," said Pash. "This book and others of its kind represent an attempt to meet that need. Everyone has heard about the rabbis and sages of Krakow, but who can quote them? What member of the current generation that is living and growing up in Poland can open their books?"
This book meets that need, he noted, incorporating the thoughts and ideas of the city's rabbis from the 1600's (Gregorian calendar) onward, beginning with Rabbi Yom Tov Milhausen.
For generations, Krakow was home to a large and vibrant Jewish community which produced some of Europe's finest Torah scholars, until the Nazi scourge wiped them out.
According to Shavei Israel founder and chairman Michael Freund, however, in recent years an increasing number of people in Poland have begun to reclaim that heritage.
"Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, more and more young Poles are rediscovering their Jewish roots and expressing a desire to draw closer to the Jewish people and the State of Israel. At the same time, Jewish communal life in Poland is gradually gaining strength. We cannot turn our backs on these historic developments and must do everything we can to facilitate them," he said.
Freund added in a statement that some 4,000 people are registered as members of the Jewish community in Poland, but that some estimates indicate there are "tens of thousands of others who have concealed their true identity or are simply unaware of it."