Director Jonathan Ornstein Founded 29 April 2008 | Website jcckrakow.org Phone +48 12 370 57 70 | |
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Established 29 April 2008 (2008-04-29) Location 24 Miodowa Street, 31-055 Krakow Address Miodowa 24, 31-055 Kraków, Poland Similar Centre for Jewish Culture, Galicia Jewish Museum, Manggha Centre, Międzyna Centrum Kultury, Instytut Cervantesa w Krakowie Profiles | ||
The Jewish Community Centre of Krakow (JCC Krakow, Polish: Centrum Społeczności Żydowskiej w Krakowie) is a Jewish cultural and educational centre that was created in 2008 as a result of an initiative of HRH The Prince of Wales. The JCC is located in the Kazimierz district of Krakow on ul. Miodowa. It stands on the site of a garden to the rear of the Tempel Synagogue, abutting the adjacent building.
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History
In June 2002, HRH The Prince of Wales visited Krakow. The district of Kazimierz made a strong impression on him. During a meeting with representatives of the Jewish Religious Community in Krakow he learned that the community lacked a placed where its members could meet outside of the synagogue. The Prince promised to help, and together with World Jewish Relief and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, secured funding for this purpose.
The formalities associated with obtaining of the permission to build the Centre took a while, so it was on November 14, 2006 that the inauguration ceremony for the building of the Centre was celebrated at the Tempel Synagogue. Taking part in the ceremony were Nigel Layton, Chair of World Jewish Relief, Yossi Erez of the American Joint Distribution Committee, Piotr Kadlcik, leader of the Jewish Religious Community of the Republic of Poland, Tadeusz Jakubowicz, leader of the Jewish Religious Community in Krakow, Edgar Gluck, Chief Rabbi of Galicia and Boaz Pash, Chief Rabbi of Krakow.
Construction of the 4-storey, 850 m² Centre was completed in 2008 at a cost of 10 million zloty. On 29 April 2008, HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall came to Krakow to formally open the Jewish Community Centre of Krakow.
While the JCC will be a place of cultural events as well as a place for the Jewish community and its organisations to meet, the building will also serve the inhabitants of Krakow as well as tourists. It contains offices, conference halls and a restaurant, internet café and a doctor’s surgery and physiotherapy rooms are planned.
Activities
The main aim of the JCC is to strengthen, grow and ensure the viability of the Jewish community in Krakow and it brings together people of Jewish background as well as those interested in Jewish culture, religion and traditions. It hosts regular exhibitions, shows, festivals, film screenings, book promotions and lectures on the topics of Judaism, Chassidism, Jewish law and religious principles. Every week a kosher Sabbath dinner takes place and on Jewish holidays, the JCC organises meetings, parties and other celebrations.
The JCC hosts an active Seniors Club, the Krakow Jewish Students’ Club and a mini-crèche for the youngest. The basement houses the Remuh library which was created by the “Czulent” Jewish Association in June 2005. It is the only Jewish library in Krakow that is open to all and contains over 2000 books including Israeli prose, the Torah and Talmud, memoirs, albums, comics, handbooks and dictionaries.
Main activities promoted and maintained by the Centre are: Hebrew lessons, Yiddish lessons, English lessons, Japanese lessons, Yiddish singing workshops, Genealogical workshops, Educational workshops, Belly dancing, Israeli dance, Yoga, and Krav Maga.