Polish Prisoners Take on Jewish Studies
An unusual initiative to teach Jewish studies at some 50 Polish prisons has resulted, according to prison psychologists, in very positive results in rehabilitation efforts. According to numerous senior officers who initiated the project, “Recognizing the Jewish Nation, its Customs and World” substantially reduces the level of hostility felt by inmates toward strangers, and restrains their violent impulses.
Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Shudrich was incorporated into the program and has so far presented lectures at ten prisons. The rabbi, who is of American origin and does not yet speak Polish perfectly, says he enjoys the attentive audience which shows interest in recognizing a world that until now had not only been foreign, but at times hated.
The rabbi expressed hope that following their release from prison, participants in the course would take this new understanding of the other to their natural environment.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.