Progressive Jewish Life Begins in the Katowice/Bytom Region
Beit Katowice is holding its first Friday night Shabbat service and dinner this week.
Beit Katowice meets in a private apartment as do most Progressive Polish Jewish groups in Poland.
The parashah (reading from the Torah) this week is BaMidbar. Beit Katowice will be using fresh drafts of the new Beit Polska siddur, prayer book.
Albert Katana is one of the key organizers of this event; he also organized this community’s first Passover Seder a month ago.
More photos from the Seder.
Rabbi Walter Rothschild is leading the services and teaching about Judaism. Rabbi Rothschild is a popular Progressive rabbi in Germany. He is on is on his way now to Krakow, to participate in the Beit Din of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (Beit Din is a gathering of rabbis to interview and certify converts into Judaism). Eighteen candidates will be interviewed.
Piotr Mirski will lead prayer services in Hebrew and Polish; he is a Ph.D. candidate in history of ideas from University of Lublin and trained lay cantor. Mirski completed his lay cantorial training in a special program sponsored by Beit Polska.
All Beit Polska congregations prepare and serve vegetarian meals. At this shabbat at Beit Katowice, the youth are looking forward to the first ice cream of the season.
Beit Polska, the umbrella organization of Progressive Judaism in Poland, is sponsoring the event. Beit Polska is a beneficiary of Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland.
Click here to view the photos from the Seder at Trojmiasto.
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