Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Breaking News

‘Hidden’ Polish Jews Hold Talmud Seminar

More than 40 ‘hidden Jews’ are expected to participate in a seminar in Poland dedicated to the study of Talmud.

The gathering being held this week at the Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva coincides with the completion of the Daf Yomi, the 7 1/2-year cycle of page-a-day Talmud study that was launched by the yeshiva’s founder, Rabbi Meir Shapiro, more than 80 years ago.

Hidden Jews refers to Jews whose families lost all contact with Judaism after the Holocaust and now are returning to the religion and the Jewish people.

Shavei Israel, a group that aims to help descendants of Jews connect with Israel and the Jewish people, is organizing the event.

“The symbolism of this seminar and its location are especially poignant,” Shavei Israel chairman Michael Freund said in a statement. “The Germans and their collaborators sought to snuff out Jewish life and learning. But nearly seven decades after the Holocaust, Jews are once again studying the Talmud at Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin.”

The seminar also aims to strengthen the local Polish Jewish community while reaching out to the hidden Jews throughout the area, many of whom are looking to reconnect with the Jewish people.

“Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, an increasing number of young Poles have begun rediscovering their Jewish roots and expressing a desire to draw closer to Israel and the Jewish people,” Freund said. “It is incumbent upon us to reach out to them and help them to do so.”

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.