The opening of prayer group on the first of the Hebrew month of Nissan (April 8, 2016) was accompanied by a visit from both our former Rabbi, Gil Nativ and our current Rabbi, Boris Dolin.
The new prayer group is located on Nowogrocka Street near all the trains, buses, and trams. For years Beit Polska activists have talked about a prayer group that would bring together Jews in the center of town. Beit Polska’s Beit Warszawa with its beautiful surroundings and facilities will continue to be the flagship center of the Polish Progressive movement but this new congregation will provide another gathering point in a city of over three and a half million people.
The donation of Torah from Temple Hadar Israel in New Castle, PA was an exciting center of the opening.
The “Ki Tov” part of the name recalls the Hebraisized name Mokotov. Michael Mokotow’s family was originally from the area of Warsaw with his family’s last name. The family took the name Ki Tov as a recollection of their Polish and Israeli roots. Rabbi Gil Nativ recalled his friend Michael and their service in the Six Day War. Michael fell in the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The congregation will memorialize his sacrifice in its name.
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- The Sefer Torah coming with the children…
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- The Sefer Torah enters the synagogue
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- The opening and closing the Ark is done by the children, they know their duty well. The Ark is open revealing the Sefer Torah.
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- Shows the closing of the Ark. The Ark is by the wall facing Jerusalem. The 19th Century city grid plan was not north south / east west, but the main roads pointed to Jerusalem crossed by other roads to form a box grid. Therefore in the central part of the city it is easy to find the direction to say the Amidah.
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