One of the most evocative exhibitions of the year has been extended for another fortnight, so if you were curious about catching it, don't miss the chance before the doors close on November 11th.
"A World Before A Catastrophe: Krakow's Jews Between The Wars," has a self-explanatory title. Yet the contents of the exhibition may surprise. Prewar Jewish communities east of Vienna are usually characterised in the West as picturesque, largely wooden villages of Orthodox Jews with furrowed brows and fantastic beards.
Several photographs in the ICC exhibition perpetuate this folkloric stereotype, such as "The Miraculous Rabbi of Czortkow", who's magical powers led him to Krakow on healing tours. You'll also find striking pictures from Krakow's Kazimierz district, which remained a hub for Krakow's Orthodox community.
But the exhibition also shows a more varied picture - a situation that was mirrored in prewar towns and cities across Poland. Here we see doctors, professors, owners of chic Cracow shops, proud army officers, all of Jewish confession (it's a little known fact that around 800 Jewish officers were murdered by the Soviets at Katyn, the tragedy covered in Wajda's new film).
The exhibition doesn't shy away from showing that Poland had its anti-semitic campaigners. But it also reveals the extent to which many Jews were proud Poles,who cultivated both their Jewish heritage and their Polish identity.
The outstanding feature of the exhibition comes last. Professor Aleksander Skotnicki, whose family was involved in hiding Jews from the Nazis, reminisces about Krakovian Jewish families that he is still in touch with around the world (the interview is shown on video link with excellent English subtitles). He speaks with a light touch, in an affectionate yet incredibly knowledgeable way, intercut with photographs from the lost world. His charming reflections reveal more than many a history book.
"A World Before A Catastophe: Krakow's Jews Between The Wars",
International Cultural Centre, Main Market Square.
Official Website
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