Despite the ongoing tension between Israel and Poland, Polish students are signing up in droves for Jewish studies programs in the eastern European country.
Dr. Ewa Węgrzyn, a faculty member in Jagiellonian University's Institute of Jewish Studies in Kraków, told Israel Hayom that courses on Jewish history and culture, as well as Hebrew courses, have become popular in Poland because Jews have been part of the nation's history for many generations.
She said that many students came from Catholic families and had a dream of visiting the Holy Land.
"My grandmother was born in 1923 in a small village and I recently found out that her best friend, a Jew called Rivka, was murdered when they were teens," Węgrzyn said. "Rivka taught my grandmother how to speak Yiddish and how to make chulent [traditional Jewish stew]. Because of the special bond they had, I decided to dedicate my life to this field."
Dr. Marek Tuszewicki, who heads the institute, speaks Yiddish fluently and even published a book of Yiddish songs. "The popularity of our institute among students has not been affected by the various diplomatic crises [between Israel and Poland]," he said.
Tuszewicki and Węgrzyn recently arrived in Israel with a group of students from their institute.
Some 2,500 students in Poland are currently enrolled in Jewish studies programs, mostly in Warsaw and Kraków.
