FOSTERING A VIBRANT RENEWAL OF JUDAISM IN POLAND
Rabbi Burt Schuman (1947-2024) was the first full-time rabbi in Warsaw’s Progressive congregation, Beit Warszawa, later Beit Polska. Schuman passed on Shabbat morning, Kee Tavo. His brilliant late career was marked by a surprisingly quick grasp of Polish and Yiddish.
He was a gifted teacher and shared musical and vocal talents that inspired a city to emerge into a spiritual awakening.
On Shabbat (September 14, 2024; 11th of Ellul 5784) Kee TayTzey, Piotr Stasiak’s soul completed this cycle. In Barry Cohen’s Opening the Drawer: The Hidden Identities of Polish Jews, At age 15, Piotr Stasiak enacts the book’s title, discovering the documentary proof that his Jewish father Leon Stasiak is Lazar Sylman. His father survived Buchenwald and Auschwitz and finally was rescued by his Catholic mother and her brothers. Piotr Stasiak was both a child of Jewish survivors and Catholic Righteous Gentiles.
08-29-24 – Opłakujemy śmierć ocalałej z Holokaustu Estelle Glaser Laughlin. Estelle Laughlin była niezwykłym pedagogiem o wielkiej ludzkiej głębi. Nieprzerwanie składała osobiste świadectwo, w mowie i na piśmie, jako nauczyciel i źródło wiedzy o swoich czasach, przede wszystkim poprzez książką TranscendingDarkness: A Girl’s Journey Out of the Holocaust. („Przezwyciężając ciemność – Jej księga wyjścia z Zagłady”).
08-29-24 – We mourn the passing of Holocaust survivor Estelle Glaser Laughlin. Estelle Laughlin was an extraordinary educator of great human depth. Her active personal witness as a teacher and active resource for insight expressed itself in her speaking and writing; most notably in Transcending Darkness: A Girl’s Journey Out of the Holocaust I am entrusted with telling her life story to the Polish-speaking world, a task I am most committed to, for the sake of Polish and Jewish identity – for the sake of our common humanity.
09-01-23 In August word reached us that one of the most creative and devoted volunteers that Beit Warszawa was privileged to host passed away. Mordy Feinberg passed away on August 9 in Rockville, Maryland. Mordy’s wife, Miriam, writes us with the grace of her loss, but we remember the love and devotion that this couple lavished on our community. May the memory of Mordy be a blessing.
The following is an excellent letter about their visit to our community. It was originally published in 2015.[…]
Professor Paweł Śpiewak passed on March 30. The funeral was held in Warsaw on April 2. We extend sincere condolences to his wife, Hania Gawronska-Spiewak, and his children and grandchildren. Hania Gawronska-Spiewak is the new chair of Beit Polska and Beit Warszawa. While closely tending her husband, during his illness she continued in her leadership […]
