by tskzThe eight-day long Hanukkah festival this year commenced on 25 December 2024 and lasted until 2 January 2025. The Festival of Lights was celebrated in an exceptional and magical atmosphere, and enriched by numerous and interesting artistic events.
WARSAW
On 15 December, at the Babel Club at ul. Próżna 5 the Hannukah party was held, honoured by performance by Urszula Makosz and her band. The concert repertoire included beautiful and romantic songs associated with the Hanukkah holiday: both the solemn ones, full of contemplation and reminiscences of old times, and the more joyful ones. The festive evening was also enhanced by stories about Hanukkah, and traditional Jewish songs in Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino. The concert was made possible thanks to a grant from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.
Meanwhile, the week before, i.e. on Sunday, 8 December, we had an honour to host at the Babel Klub Ms Agnieszka Kuś, an expert in the history of the city of Warsaw, historian and a graduate of the Polish-Jewish Studies at the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and Food Studies at SWPS. During our encounter, we had an opportunity to look closely at Hanukkah cooking recipes coming from all corners of the world. We embarked on a flavourful journey into the world of Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions: starting in Morocco, through Spain and Italy to Poland and Lithuania.
WROCŁAW
On 21 December, a Hanukkah concert took place at the domicile of TSKŻ Wrocław. Alona Szostak, an actress from the Polish Theatre in Poznan, presented her unique concert including pieces by Jewish composers and captivated the audience with her performance. The artist was accompanied by Leopold Galicki, who, together with Inge Dinesen, prepared quizzes on the Hanukkah holiday. The senior citizens’ club of the Wrocław branch of the TSKŻ, under the guidance of Tomasz Kwietko-Bębnowski, also presented their artistic talents, with Barbara reading a fairy tale of her own making and Krystyna singing a song called Kasztany from the repertoire of the Jewish singer Natasza Zylska. Following the spiritual feast, the guests indulged in delicious treats prepared by Izabela Szpacenko.
WAŁBRZYCH
This year’s Hanukkah meeting at the Wałbrzych branch of the TSKŻ was marked by a performance of Henryk Rajfer, an artist representing the Jewish Theatre in Warsaw. The concert was preceded by a short lecture by Teresa Wrońska, who said a few words about the origins of the Festival of Lights. Among the invited guests there were Ms Doris Stempowski the Head of the German Association and her son Leopold. Each guest received a Hanukkah geld, as well as a traditional greasy meal.
DZIERŻONIÓW
On 21 December, members of TSKŻ Dzierżoniów gathered together at the Association’s local domicile to celebrate Hanukkah. After the ceremonial lighting of the hanukkiah, the gathered guests found themselves completely enveloped in the festive spirit. Marek Mikołajek and Maurycy Huf were responsible for the artistic aspect of the event.
ŁÓDŹ
On 29 December, the Museum of the City of Łódź at 15 Ogrodowa Street held an event focusing on this year’s Festival of Lights. This was the sixth time that the Museum of the City of Lodz, in collaboration with the Jewish Community of Łódź, held a Hanukkah celebration. This year, the Social and Cultural Association of Jews in Poland joined the group of organisations hosting the event. Once again, we jointly lit a Hanukkah candle in the Hall of Mirrors. The event offered an occasion to get to know Jewish traditions better. The event was enhanced by a concert of Jewish and Hanukkah songs performed by Israeli artist Uri Zera. After the concert, traditional refreshments were served to the participants of the festival.
In addition, the TSKŻ Łódź invited its members to celebrate Hanukkah together on Pomorska Street. The branch president, Magdalena Jureńczyk, together with Rabbi Dawid Szychowski, representatives of TSKŻ board, and members of the community lit a hanukkiah. The column chamber of the Jewish Community building was filled with candlelight, big-beat rhythm and the aroma of doughnuts. The event was made possible thanks to a grant offered by the Minister of Interior and Administration.
CZĘSTOCHOWA
On 18 December, Hanukkah candles were lit at the domicile of TSKŻ Częstochowa. Apart from the local members of the Association, the event was attended by a number of exceptional quests such as, among others, Deputy City Mayor, Ryszard Stefaniak, Rev. Mariusz Cieslinski, Małgorzata Majer-Sętowska Director of the Regional Cultural Centre, and Katarzyna Ozimek, Director of the Częstochowa Museum, who successively lit their candles on the Hanukkah menorah. The time of the joint festival was highlighted by the concert of Urszula Makosz and her band.
KATOWICE
On 21 December, members of TSKŻ Katowice held their Hanukkah celebrations. The Branch President, Paweł Grabiec, presented the history of the Festival of Lights to the attendees. His short introduction was followed by the musical performance of Jarmuła Blend. The Association’s club in Katowice was visited by TSKŻ members, supporters as well as representatives of local government and other institutions, including, among others, Michał Kopański, Deputy Governor of Silesia, Krystyna Jankowiak-Markwica, Head of the Department of Culture and Sports, and Włodzimierz Kac, Head of the Jewish Community of Katowice.
CRACOW
On the occasion of Hanukkah, the famous Piwnica pod Baranami held a concert by Izabela Szafranska, who sang in several languages – Polish, Hebrew, Yiddish and Ladino. The audience enjoyed the rhythm of Hanukkah songs such as Maoz Tzur, Sevivon Sov, or Ocho Kandelikas.
GDAŃSK
On 6 December, members of TSKŻ Gdańsk gathered together to celebrate this year’s Hannukah festival. The celebrations were commenced by the Branch President, Jakub Szadaj, who cordially welcomed the guests and handed over the floor to Roman Nieczyporowski, who told the audience about the origins of the Festival of Lights. The event featured plenty of festive refreshments.
BIELSKO-BIAŁA
This year, TSKŻ Branch in Bielsko-Biała organised the Hanukkah event in collaboration with the local Jewish Religious Community. On 15 December, a Hanukkah concert was held at the Community’s domicile at 3 Maja Street. The performing artists included Ela Tanistra, Krzysztof Maciejowski and Jan Stachura.
The Hanukkah celebrations were supported by funding from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration.
