Jewish life in Poland

I spent this morning touring the synagogues of Krakow.  Some are still being used as synagogues, while others are now community spaces, or museums.  This is the Krakow that my grandfather grew up in, and there have been Jews in this city for almost 1000 years.

It made me muse about what the Jewish homeland actually is.  Where is my home as a Jew?  Is it Israel?  While I have numerous relatives there, our family doesn't go back there any longer than 1948.  Is our home here in Poland?  Well, it certainly is historically, but there is no emotional connection, and no real remnant of  a Jewish life that is actually a direct line from what my grandparents experienced before the war.  What Jewish culture there is here is actually imported -- Lubavitchers, a Chief Rabbi of Galicia who comes over from the US for the high holidays, a JCC paid for by Prince Charles of England.

My Jewish homeland, then, is actually Toronto.  While my family's roots are only there since 1948, it is the place i grew up, and as one would expect, the place of one's childhood is very deeply imprinted.

Today, I also conducted some kind of a paper chase.  I looked in a couple of archives here in Krakow for records of my grandfather's family.  I'm waiting for a little more information from home that might actually lead to some success.

Finally, I'd just like to mention a little bit about the street food in Krakow.  What is it?  Bagels.  Yup. They have little bagel stands where you can buy one for about 1.3 Zlotys (about 40 cents Canadian -- Happy Canada Day, by the way). 

Also popular are Zapiekanki, which are kind of a cross between pizza and a submarine sandwich (or hoagie, if that's what they call them in your neck of the woods).  I'll try to have some pictures a little later, but they're all over the Plac Nowy in Kazimierz.  They're about a foot long half of a bun, toasted with mushrooms, cheese, and choices of other toppings and sauces.  They start at 5 zlotys, and they are probably the cheapest meal you can find here!  And they are tasty!  For the record, I had one with spicy sauce and green onions.