By COLlive reporter
Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich has called on the officials controlling the Jewish community in Krakow to immediately reopen the historic Izaac Synagogue on Tuesday.
Congregants found the gates and doors to the shul, the only active one in the city, locked on Monday morning by armed guards. This follows a second synagogue in the city being leased to a bar cafe.
The Izaac Shul was being rented by Chabad of Krakow and operated by Rabbi Eliezer Gurary with regular services, classes and educational programs.
“The whole community has rallied together to protest this terrible act,” Rabbi Gurary said about the decision to shut the shul because of a financial dispute.
Rabbi Avi Baumel, Schudrich’s representative in Krakow, spoke out against this unprecedented action in a passionate statement in front of the synagogue.
VIDEO:
Here is the open letter of Rabbi Schudrich to Tadeusz Jakubowicz, president of the Jewish Community of Kraków (“Gmina”):
“We have known each other for decades. We both know that the task of a Jewish community is to protect, enhance and deepen Jewish life. That is the essential responsibility of every Jewish community, its core value.
“We have a situation in Kraków in which the Gmina has become the heir of Jewish communal property and therefore is responsible and obligated to use these properties to enrich Jewish life and observance in Kraków and not to treat them as private properties, only concerned with maximizing profit.
“The Izaak Shul is the one place in Kraków with a steady daily minyan. The one place in Kraków where Jews can come every day to study Torah and Yiddishkeit. The activities of Rabbi Gurari and Rabbi Baumol are filled with Torah learning and Jewish values.
“Thanks to them and to many others, the Izaak Shul is fulfilling the responsibility of our Jewish community in Kraków. This should be supported and applauded.
“Instead, the electricity was cut off and then the water was cut off. And this morning, armed, masked guards were posted to prevent Jews from attending the morning minyan. No matter what the nature of the dispute is, I call upon the Gmina to fulfill the most elemental responsibility of every Jewish community —open the doors of the synagogue and allow Jews to pray to God.
“Please learn from this week’s Parsha of Korach that we must always find a way to support each other and to never to work against each other.”
Turning one of few remaining intact almost ancient Shuls in Kraków into a casino, bar and probable house of ill repute, is a anti-semites greatest dream come true. Can only be because you are exchanging G-d our G-d for the current form of idol- worship, which is money!