by tskzPlease see our coverage of Hanukkah celebrations at TSKŻ Branches
Bielsko-Biała
The celebrations took place at the Wiktoria Kubisz Municipal Cultural Centre. The ceremony’s main highlight was the play titled “Once Upon a Time in Bielitz” which focused on the multicultural heritage of the towns of Bielsko and Biała. The characters depicted by the play included a number of well-known Jewish citizens, including Karol Korn, an architect, or Selma Kurz, a soprano singer. The performance was accompanied by the opening of an exhibition titled: “The Culture of Remembrance – Following the Footsteps of the Jewish Community of the Pre-war Towns of Bielsko and Biała”.
Photo by Sebastian Stokłosa
Częstochowa
The Hanukkah celebrations in Częstochowa took place at TSKŻ Club at Katedralna Street. Our members and supporters had an opportunity to listen to a concert titled: “Dercejl mir … Tell Me a Story” played by Sentido (Kaja Mianowana – vocals, Arad Emamgholi – tombak & daf, vocals and Piotr Kopietz – accordion, music arrangement, narrator’s voice)
Sentido’s artistic repertoire includes pieces composed by various artists of Jewish origin, which represent a broad range of styles and trends, also including pieces inspired by Jewish music. All musical pieces have been arranged by Piotr Koptz.
This time we had an opportunity to listen to traditional Hanukkah songs such as: Hanukkah oh Hanukkah and pieces such as: Let’s Pray the Lord, Oy Mame, Bei Mir Bistu Shein, Under the Right Tree, The Little One’s Eyes, Quieten Your Heart. The concert was enriched by the intriguing narration by Piotr Koptz.
The ceremony was opened by the Chair, who welcomed the guests and acquainted them with the history of the holiday and traditional customs and then invited everyone to light Hanukkah candles. At the end of the event, and in line with the tradition, all guests were offered packages containing doughnuts, bottles of olive oil, Hanukkah Geld and Hanukkah greeting cards.
Gdańsk
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Hanukkah celebrations this year have been divided into several stages. The members of TSKŻ Branch in Gdańsk gathered together on 27th November within the premises of Miniatura Theatre to attend a lecture on Hanukkah traditions delivered by Regina Stróżyk. The event also included the presentation of a traditional Hanukkah candlestick, and comprehensive instructions for lighting of Hanukkah candles. The guests also had an opportunity to participate in a discussion on the ways of celebrating festive occasions in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. After the discussion, everyone was invited to taste the traditional Jewish cuisine, including the most famous Hannukah dishes. The next holiday meeting took place on 4th December 2021 at Potulna Street in Gdańsk, where TSKŻ members listened to the Hannukah concert and were offered some snacks and refreshments.
Gliwice
One of the major highlights of Hanukkah celebrations organised by TSKŻ Gliwice was an exceptional performance of Lucyna Jarząbek, a brilliant singer who sang Jewish songs in Yiddish, Polish and English. The beautifully performed unique aria from Tosca, which left all the guests in awe and shivers was rewarded by an encore. The guests were also offered traditional holiday delicacies such as doughnuts, latkes (with various toppings) and a delicious challah, which was prepared by the Chair Malwina Wollek and Vice-Chair Dorota Burchard. Everyone who still felt youthful could taste some Hanukkah gelt.
The most outstanding guests attending our ceremony included Professor Jan Ballarin (a brilliant singer and teacher) and Tomasz Beller (a long-term Director of the House of Music & Dance in Zabrze ) who were highly impressed by the art performances and skillful organisation of the event (as they themselves reported in our Commemorative Book).
Lublin
The members of TSKŻ Lublin celebrated Hanukkah together with their colleagues from the Lublin Branch of the Jewish Religious Community in Warsaw. Apart from the members of TSKŻ and the Jewish Religious Community, the ceremony of lighting of Hanukkah candles was also attended by many our friends and supporters representing the world of science and culture. After the concert by Danuta Stankiewicz, the guests were offered some traditional holiday snacks such as doughnuts and latkes. Then, after the lighting of the fourth candle, Rabbi Yehoshua Ellis delivered a speech about the importance of the holiday for Jews, and about the traditional holiday customs. The ceremony was also attended by Cantor Zaretsky who arrived from Israel.
Szczecin
The ceremony of lighting candles which took place on 29th November was attended by Rabbi Rapoport, who delivered a presentation on Hanukkah traditions and customs and sang traditional Hanukkah songs (i.e. Maoz Cur, Oy Hanukkah) together with the guests. During the artistic part of the event, the guests had an opportunity to enjoy the concert played by “Srebrzyści Akordeoniści” [Silver Accordion Players]. The youngest guests were offered packs full of sweets, while the adults had an opportunity to savour some traditional holiday delicacies.
Wałbrzych
The Hanukkah meeting organised by TSKŻ Wałbrzych took place at Żak Club at the Wrocław University of Technology. The guests were welcomed by the Chair, Ms Sabina Chrapek, who talked about the origins of the holiday. After the ceremony of lighting of Hanukkah candles, the guests were treated to traditional holiday latkes with chicken and cymes, and doughnuts stuffed with rose jam for dessert. The meeting was highlighted by the performance of Robert Delegiewicz, who presented a number of pieces composed by interwar-period Jewish authors.
Warsaw
The Hanukkah meeting organised by the Warsaw Branch at the Babel Club was highlighted by the performance of Karolina Lizer. The singer sang a number of songs written by authors of the Jewish origin to celebrate the occasion of Hanukkah. Apart from the traditional Hanukkah songs, the guests had also an opportunity to listen to well-known beautiful pieces such as “Miasteczko Belz” [Majn sztetele Belz] or “Tak jak malował Pan Chagall”. There was also a number of less popular, but equally beautiful songs such as “Kishnever Shitkele”, “Di Saposhkelech” and the artist’s original songs.
The singer Karolina Lizer was accompanied by:
Mateusz Wachowiak – accordion
Przemysław Skałuba – clarinet and duduk
Wrocław
On 11th December 2021, together with our friends and supporters, we had an opportunity to enjoy the Hanukkah concert by Marek Ravski which took place at the domicile of TSKŻ Branch in Wrocław. The concert, accompanied by tasting of typical Hanukkah dishes, turned out to be a great experience for the large audience which spontaneously reacted to the greatest hits of Jewish music performed by the artist accompanied by Marcin Mazurek.
The Hanukkah celebrations have been financed by the grant
provided by the Ministry of Interior and Administration
