Dominika Zakrzewska, Executive Director Beit Polska
We are Progressive Jews in Poland committed to building up community infrastructure, catering to the needs of the Jewish community on the ground, engaging in social justice and relief work interventions, and creating a safe space for an expression of contemporary Jewish identity, including the unique perspective of 3rd-generation post-Holocaust Jewish Poles and now, many Ukrainian Jews. This year, we are sponsoring the largest class of people studying to join Judaism in our history. Dominika Zakrzewska, our program coordinator will report about the class and the efforts to build our community.

Jonathan Mills, Founder Beit Warszawa re Childcare for Ukrainian Refugees
Beit Polska has been supporting both Jewish and non-Jewish Ukrainian relief efforts. One of our primary focuses has been helping to create childcare for Ukrainian families in Poland. The small stipend that refugees receive from the state is not enough to live on. Ukrainian mothers in many cases need and want to work. They receive a PESEL (think of a cross between a social security number and a green card) that allows them to work legally. There are jobs available. Unfortunately, even before the war childcare was scarce, and there was no childcare prepared to deal with the emotional trauma that the children are going through. Jonathan Mills, one of the co-founders of Beit Warszawa/Beit Polska is working on behalf of Beit Polska’s Janusz Korczak Childcare project with a team from Fundacja Rozwoju Dzieci (Foundation for Child Development) to open 100 child care programs over 100 days. We are supporting this effort financially, through Jonathan’s efforts as well as sponsoring therapists specializing in trauma to Poland to work with the Fundacja Rozwoju Dzieci team.