Rabbi Haim Beliak
I am about to embark on my twenty-third trip to Poland.
This is a special journey because it involves so many elements. Elements of deep loyalty to old friends in troubled times, primal connections to fellow Jews, and a duty not to despair have marked my journeys to Poland.
I am traveling with my son, a niece, and her spouse to my mother’s hometown, Olkusz. My first visit to Poland in 1986 was in dark times, with the heavy weight of Soviet control and its accompanying exploitation. The specter of visiting a place empty of Jewish life weighed heavily.
In Olkusz, we met my mother’s high school Catholic friend and several other Catholic contemporaries. The ghosts of memory pursued my mother, but she was also pleased to meet her friend, who had helped my mother and her family during World War II.
I was born in a displaced persons’ camp near Munich, Germany, but grew up in Mason City, Iowa, after we arrived in the United States in 1949. My mother, a daughter of Ger Hassidim and Krystina Pasternak, a Catholic Pole, bridged the gap and remained loyal friends. A stream of letters and other contacts throughout the years was the reportage from my mother at the dinner table.
Krystina’s mother 1945
It was a privilege to finally meet Krystina in her home. I had represented my mother on the twice-yearly visits to speak to the Mason City Catholic priest. I learned English and could translate for my Yiddish-speaking mother. Our purpose for visiting the Church was to send a cleverly and judiciously assembled package of items for Krystina’s family. Sending packages through the Church assured that they would arrive intact.
We stayed with Krystina, who had recovered her family’s home and lived with her husband. During World War II, the Gestapo took over that building, and Krystina’s family had to relocate.
On that 1986 visit, my mother and I walked to the “new” cemetery. My mother had never been there because it was not customary for young people to visit. The cemetery was in disarray but somewhat intact. One of the tombstones (matzevot) we “discovered” had my mother’s name on it! A quick calculation produced the astounding deduction that this must have been the person after whom my mother was named. Rivka Zilberstejn. She had died four months before my mother’s birth.
The element of rebuilding Jewish life. For the past fifteen years, through the efforts of Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland and its many friends, I have sought to foster positive relations with Polish Catholics. This is my legacy from my mother and Krystina.
Rabbi Michael A. Signer
Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland has fostered the extraordinary Polish Jewish individuals seeking their spiritual home in Judaism. The classes, the books, the cantorial soloists, rabbis, webinars, and the struggles are part of the Renewal of Jewish life in Poland. As important as the individual members of the seven trips I have led. North American Jews have relearned the connection to their past and the affirmation of the sense of human connection in their Jewish heritage. After our family visit, we will join the latest group with three rabbinic colleagues on a journey of connection and memory. So many of the members of this group are connecting to memories of their family. The Rabbi Michael A. Signer Clergy Cabinet members are a significant part of this visit. You will hear more about the clergy cabinet from Rabbis David Oler and Alan Iser. A word about the late Rabbi Michael Signer, an outstanding scholar and teacher at Hebrew Union College, Notre Dame, and an early dialogue partner with members of the Polish Catholic Church.
We will share our photos and encounters.
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