Jewish Culture Festival

The Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków is an annual cultural event hosted by the Jewish Culture Festival Society, which was founded in 1988 in the once-Jewish quarter of Kazimierz by Janusz Makuch, a self-described meshugeneh ("crazy person") who is captivated by all things Jewish. The festival's major purpose is to teach people about Jewish culture, history, and faith (Judaism), which flourished in Poland prior to the Holocaust, as well as to familiarize them with modern Jewish culture, which is mostly developed in the United States and Israel, and to entertain them.

Each event lasts nine days, from Saturday through Sunday, and takes place in late June or early July. Concerts, exhibitions, plays, talks, workshops, tours, and other events are held throughout this time. The opening concert, held on the first Sunday of the festival, and the closing concert, held on the last Saturday of the festival, are the two most prominent performances. The former is normally hosted in one of Kazimierz's seven synagogues and involves cantoral music; the latter is always held outdoors, at Ulica Szeroka, the Jewish district's major street, and features klezmer music. In between, there are a slew of other shows, most of which feature klezmer music in some form.

Traditional Jewish cuisine, dance, music, calligraphy, and other facets of Jewish culture are all covered in the workshops. Numerous seminars teach more about Jewish culture as well as subjects relating to the Holocaust. There are additional exhibitions of Jewish art, particularly paper-cut work. The festival's schedule also includes tours of Kazimierz's synagogues and cemeteries, as well as the old Nazi-era Kraków Ghetto in the nearby Podgórze area. Gentiles are welcome to witness or participate in Jewish prayers at the synagogue during the festival.

The Jewish Culture Festival brings together musicians, singers, choirs, jazz musicians, and dance teachers from all over the world to celebrate Jewish culture. The event emphasizes a wide range of Jewish music forms, including synagogue song, hasidic, classical, Jewish folk, and klezmer, which is currently particularly popular in Kraków.

Location: Kraków

Held on: June or July