Galicia Jewish Museum
Encyclopedia
The Galicia Jewish Museum (Polish:
Żydowskie Muzeum Galicja) is located in the historical Jewish district Kazimierz
in Kraków
, Poland
. It focuses on the traces of Jewish life and culture that can still be found in the area of the historic Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia located in modern Poland.
Following Schwarz' early death in 2007, Kate Craddy became the director of the Museum. She was followed by Jakub Nowakowski in 2010. Both English and Polish have remained the Museum's main operating languages. Today the Museum welcomes 30,000 visitors annually from around the world.
s, cemeteries
and other relics of the Jewish presence in the region still visible today. The exhibition is divided into five sections, representing different ways of approaching the Jewish past in Polish Galicia: Jewish Life in Ruins, Jewish Culture as it Once Was, The Holocaust: Sites of Massacre and Destruction, How the Past is Being Remembered and People Making Memory Today. A part of the exhibition is dedicated to Auschwitz concentration camp
.
In 2008, the Museum collaborated with the Auschwitz Jewish Center
to create the exhibition Polish Heroes, which focuses on the Polish Righteous Among the Nations
. Today, the exhibition can be seen in six museums across Poland
, England
and the United States
.
The Museum also hosts two to three temporary exhibitions. At the moment, the Museum is hosting a temporary exhibition on Jewish life in Lviv
during the interwar period
and the Second World War which features the memories and photographs of Holocaust survivors from the city.
the Righteous Among the Nations
Award as well as Holocaust and concentration
camp survivors.
In addition to tours and meetings, the Museum's Education Center offers workshops, lectures, and seminars on Jewish religion and culture and the Holocaust for different age groups. It is one of the only providers in southern Poland to offer Holocaust education classes on a permanent basis for visiting schools.
concerts and other cultural events.
In 2010, the Museum became an official partner of the Austrian Service Abroad
.
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Żydowskie Muzeum Galicja) is located in the historical Jewish district Kazimierz
Kazimierz
Kazimierz is a historical district of Kraków , best known for being home to a Jewish community from the 14th century until the Second World War.-Early history:...
in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It focuses on the traces of Jewish life and culture that can still be found in the area of the historic Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia located in modern Poland.
History
The Museum was established in April 2004 by British photojournalist Chris Schwarz as an effort to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and celebrate the Jewish culture of Polish Galicia.Following Schwarz' early death in 2007, Kate Craddy became the director of the Museum. She was followed by Jakub Nowakowski in 2010. Both English and Polish have remained the Museum's main operating languages. Today the Museum welcomes 30,000 visitors annually from around the world.
Exhibitions
The main exhibition of the Museum, Traces of Memory, is the result of a twelve-year collaboration between photographer and museum founder Chris Schwarz and British scholar Jonathan Webber. It commemorates the 800-year Jewish presence in western Galicia (today's southeastern Poland) through contemporary photographs of synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s, cemeteries
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
and other relics of the Jewish presence in the region still visible today. The exhibition is divided into five sections, representing different ways of approaching the Jewish past in Polish Galicia: Jewish Life in Ruins, Jewish Culture as it Once Was, The Holocaust: Sites of Massacre and Destruction, How the Past is Being Remembered and People Making Memory Today. A part of the exhibition is dedicated to Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
.
In 2008, the Museum collaborated with the Auschwitz Jewish Center
Auschwitz Jewish Center
The Oświęcim Synagogue, also called the Auschwitz Synagogue, is the only active synagogue in the town of Oświęcim, Poland. The formal as well as pre-war name of the synagogue is Khevre Loymdei Mishnayos...
to create the exhibition Polish Heroes, which focuses on the Polish Righteous Among the Nations
Polish Righteous among the Nations
Polish citizens have the world's highest count of individuals awarded medals of Righteous among the Nations, given by the State of Israel to non-Jews who saved Jews from extermination during the Holocaust...
. Today, the exhibition can be seen in six museums across Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Museum also hosts two to three temporary exhibitions. At the moment, the Museum is hosting a temporary exhibition on Jewish life in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
during the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
and the Second World War which features the memories and photographs of Holocaust survivors from the city.
Educational Work
The Museum provides opportunities for groups to meet with local recipients ofthe Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous among the Nations of the world's nations"), also translated as Righteous Gentiles is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to save Jews from extermination by the Nazis....
Award as well as Holocaust and concentration
camp survivors.
In addition to tours and meetings, the Museum's Education Center offers workshops, lectures, and seminars on Jewish religion and culture and the Holocaust for different age groups. It is one of the only providers in southern Poland to offer Holocaust education classes on a permanent basis for visiting schools.
Other
The Museum regularly hosts klezmerKlezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
concerts and other cultural events.
In 2010, the Museum became an official partner of the Austrian Service Abroad
Austrian Service Abroad
Austrian Service Abroad is a non-profit initiative and was founded in 1998 by Andreas Maislinger and Andreas Hörtnagl. Since 2001 Michael Prochazka is part of the managing committee.-General Information:...
.