18 years of Rosh Hashanah
As we celebrate Rosh Hashanah, we’re looking back on how – over the 18 years since JCC Krakow opened – Jewish LIFE has returned to Krakow. Here are some fun facts and moments that tell a little of that remarkable story – hover over the images to discover them!
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2008
In April 2008, our JCC was officially opened by HRH Prince Charles of Wales! Our first Rosh Hashanah was something truly special: a celebration of a Jewish community being given the chance to be reborn in the shadow of Auschwitz.
2009
We launched our membership program with just 100 Jewish members, hoping that number would keep growing every year (spoiler alert - it did). We also created our very first Rosh Hashanah poster to share with the world (brownie points if you spot the fun little detail hidden in the poster’s contact info section).
2010
We organized our first Purim parade, beginning an annual tradition of taking to the streets of Kazimierz in themed costumes. Fittingly, the theme of that very first parade was… “Jewish Future”.
2011
We opened Krakow’s seven historic synagogues for a night of Jewish culture, education, and food during the very first 7@Nite Festival! All seven are within a 10-minute walk of the JCC; and what a sight they are, day or night!
2012
Among the many community-oriented programs we launched that year, the most important of them all was the foundation of the JCC Choir. It remains the best Jewish choir in Krakow and, more importantly, the favorite JCC program of our beloved Pani Zosia, one of our Holocaust Survivor members!
2013
JCC Krakow became part of the JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps Fellowship program, beginning a partnership that has brought 15 young Jewish professionals from around the world to live, work, and become part of our community. Here’s to you Justin, Jessica, Jenn, Jenny, Gaby, Klementyna, Ryan, Jordana, Dalia, Jake, Isaac, Liam, Ted, Rebekah, and Neely!
2016
As Ride For The Living grew, so did what we could offer the Holocaust survivors and seniors in our community. From regular rehabilitation and memory training sessions to our Senior University and much more, we were able to build a whole new level of programming and care—all made possible by our Riders!
2017
We opened FRAJDA - the first Jewish community preschool in Krakow since the Holocaust. For the first time in generations, Jewish children in Krakow could grow up surrounded by Jewish traditions, education, and culture.
2018
Our 10th anniversary year! We celebrated throughout the year with special community events, visits from our founders, and an anniversary Ride For The Living. The celebrations culminated with a gala in New York City hosted by Friends of JCC Krakow, with Pani Zosia making a very special trip across the Atlantic to join in person!
2019
Records were broken! More than 160,000 visitors came through our doors in 2019, including Jewish Federations, government officials, Jewish and Muslim leadership delegations—and even NBA All-Star Ray Allen! With that many people coming to experience the rebirth of Jewish life in Krakow, we almost installed a revolving door…
2020
A global pandemic couldn’t stop the rebirth of Jewish life in Krakow. We moved our community programs online, kept FRAJDA open (with a little extra space between the kids!), and made sure our Holocaust survivors were never alone, delivering groceries, driving them to medical appointments, and providing the care and companionship they needed most.
2021
The world had drinking straw day, chocolate chip cookie day, but no day to celebrate Holocaust Survivors… and we fixed that! Together with Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum, we launched Holocaust Survivor Day, now observed every June 4th. It’s a day to honor the strength and resilience of Survivors, celebrated across the world.
2014
What a year! In 2014, we held the inaugural Ride For The Living, which would grow to become our biggest annual fundraising event. Participants from around the world cycle from the darkness of Auschwitz-Birkenau to the light of JCC Krakow to celebrate and support our reborn Jewish community.
2015
Funds raised through the inaugural Ride For The Living helped us take more than 30 Holocaust Survivors from our community on a week-long mission to Israel. For many, it was their first time in Israel, and for some, their very first time on an airplane!
2022
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, JCC Krakow transformed almost overnight into a humanitarian aid center, providing food, housing, medical care, transportation, and countless other forms of support to displaced Ukrainians. To date, we’ve helped more than 525,000 refugees and that number keeps growing.
2023
Following the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, we opened an emergency aid center for Israelis who found themselves in Krakow and welcomed many of them into our community. We created tailored programming, hired a Hebrew-speaking coordinator, and helped make JCC Krakow a home away from home for our new Israeli members.
2024
JCC Krakow reached an incredible milestone: 1,000 Jewish members. From just 100 people when we launched our membership program, our community had grown tenfold. And to help share the joy (and a little humor) of Jewish life in Krakow with the world, we teamed up with New York based artist Steve Marcus to create a new series of holiday posters.
2025
We celebrated the 10th Ride For The Living, welcoming more than 300 participants from around the world to Krakow and raising a record-breaking $1.1 million to support the rebirth of Jewish life. Hundreds of Rides and thousands of miles later, the journey from Auschwitz to JCC Krakow remains a powerful celebration of how far Jewish life in Krakow has come.
2026
We entered our 18th year on a CHAI. What began as a bold idea has become a thriving Jewish community down the road from Auschwitz.
To our members, friends, supporters, staff and volunteers around the world: thank you for sharing this remarkable journey with us. Together, we’re building the Jewish future in Krakow.