The Jews brought knowledge, culture and commerce to Poland and were competition to the Poles. Therefore the city was divided into quarters and the Jewish quarter was situated near the fortress.

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Rabbi Meir Shapira, Rabbi of Lublin and ‘Agudat Israel’ established the ‘Wise Men of Lublin’ Yeshiva at the beginning of the 20th century.

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Guests from all over Poland arrived to the cornerstone ceremony, among them, the Rabbi from Gur and thousands of his followers. Before the ceremony the Rabbi from Gur went to the cemetery to invite the souls of all the holy men buried there, including the founder of the Polish ‘Hasidut’. The yeshiva was a place of study for 400 of the elite of Jewish students from all over Poland.

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On the eve of WWII there were 120,000 residents in Lublin, 30% of them Jews. Most of them did no longer live in the Jewish Quarter that had become stricken with poverty. The Germans knew this was the source of Hasidut to all of Europe and regarded the Lublin Jews accordingly. For them, Lublin was the source of the evil.

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The Lublin ghetto was one of the first to be dispersed and its residents driven to death camps. Just before extermination of the ghetto, the Germans burned down the ‘Wise Men of Lublin’ Yeshiva. The Nazis brought a band to play music as the building was burning. The Jews of Lublin stood around the site, watching their source of pride being burned, and cried.

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As the days go by the Polish atmosphere is influential. Sari, Rocha and Drora begin to speak Yiddish, their mother’s heritage. They feel closer to their family’s roots. Even words in Polish, words they did not hear since childhood, pop up now and again and arouse streams of nostalgic laughter.

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Lancut

The town of Lancut is another piece of evidence to the historic connection between the Jewish people and the Poles. The Jews were brought here by Polish nobility to stimulate trade and commerce.

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A synagogue was built near the castle in the 18th century. In order for its height not to exceed that of the local church, and since a tall hall was indeed necessary, the synagogue was built dug into the earth and on entry you descend a few steps.

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