Poland Chief Rabbi Meets Ex-Leader’s Kin
Marshal Jozef Pilsudski led Poland during the period between the two world wars. Image by getty images
Poland’s chief rabbi, Michael Schudrich, met with the daughter and other descendants of Poland’s iconic interwar leader Marshal Jozef Pilsudski.
During their hourlong conversation Thursday, Jadwiga Jaraczewska, 94, showed Schudrich a famous photograph of Jewish leaders in the town of Deblin greeting her father with bread and salt after the Polish army under his leadership captured the town from the Bolsheviks in August 1920.
Also present at the meeting, which came at the invitation of the family, were Pilsudski’s grandchildren, some of his great-grandchildren and his 2-month-old great-great-granddaughter.
Polish Jews widely supported Pilsudski, who died in 1935, as an opponent of extreme nationalism and anti-Semitism. He served as head of state and prime minister, among other positions, between 1918 and 1935, the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
