RIghteous Exhibition on Display in Oborniki

Mateusz Szczepaniak, 4 February 2017
Obniki will be the venue for "Jewish Evenings" on 29th January, 19th February and 26th March. These three evenings will feature Jewish traditions, ceremonies, customs, history and culture, as well as presenting a picture of today's Israel. The evenings will be accompanied by our Exhibition "They Risked Their Lives - Poles Rescuing Jews During the Holocaust”. Patronage of the events has been taken on by the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

The Oborniki Cultural Centre is exploring the city's Jewish history as part of a cycle of events presenting the history and customs of other cultures and religions. Prior to World War II, around sixty Jews lived in Oborniki. By 1939, they had all already been moved into the General Government by the Germans. A year later, a forced labour camp was opened in the town to which Jews were brought for all surrounding areas.

Evening I - 29th January - History, Tradition and Customs. The program features lectures by Dr. hab. Rafał Witkowski of the UAM History Institute on the subject "The History of the Jews and an Outline of the Jewish Community Council in Oborniki, Chairperson of the Poznań Jewish Community Council Alicja Kobus on "Jewish Life in Poznań and in the Wielkopolskie Province”, a concert by the group "Taklamakan” and a talk by Grażyna Kafka on Jewish cooking, followed by a tasting.

Evening II  - 19th February - Religion. The program features a lecture by Szymon Zadumiński on "Jewish Holidays”, an address by Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich and a concert featuring Jaromir Trafankowski and the group "Taklamakan”.

Evening III - 26th March - Modern-Day Israel. The program will feature the latest cultural trends (music, art and film), an address by Paweł Smoleński on contemporary Israel, during which he will speak about his travels to various Israeli cities, kibbutzim, beachescafes and bars. It will conclude with contemporary music.

Three exhibitions will be on display: "They Arrived  .... They Left ... They Are. Polish Jews” from Warsaw's Jewish Historical Institute, "Israel Yesterday and Today" and "Jerusalem - a Light From the East” from the Israeli Embassy in Warsaw and "They Risked Their Lives - Poles Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust" from the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

The Exhibition "They Risked Their Lives - Poles Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust” presents the stories of Poles who, at the risk of their own lives and the lives of their families, aided persecuted Jews. The exhibition shows the fate of the rescuers and those rescued in the historical context of occupied Poland. It shows the type and extent of aid provided, and what motivated the Righteous Among the Nations to do what they did. It has been assembled on the basis of an extraordinary collection of testimonies collected on our website "The Polish Righteous - Restoring Memory” and has been prepared by the POLIN Museum in partnership with the Ministry of Foriegn Affairs.

More information can be obtained here: Obornickiego Ośrodka Kultury.