Media person

Robert Gądek, e-mail: robert@jewishfestival.pl

34th JCF – PRESS TEXT

Kuzmir / Kazimierz. In Search of Lost Time.

Kuzmir, in Polish: Kazimierz – the Jewish heart of Christian Krakow, the generous land of the Galician Jews, protected for centuries by the walls of Tradition; and within these walls – gates of knowledge, tears and mercy, where  peaceful, quiet, God-fearing people live. The rhythm of life, as prescribed by the Torah, is marked by the eternal repetition of holidays.  If you think about it for a moment, Kuzmir / Kazimierz used to be a separate world, an Ark of salvation in the sea of the Diaspora; everyone was there: from the Hasidim to the Zionists, the great rabbis buried in this very land and those whose bones are hidden in the soil of Israel, the adversaries of Aristotle, Rambam, and Spinoza, the Kabbalists, the mystics, God’s creatures gone astray, the Hebrew verses of the Psalms, the Song of Songs, and the omnipresent Yiddish language heard in the shops and the bakeries; the smell of ink, tar, bagels, challahs, fish in wooden vats outside Isaac’s Synagogue, the bustle of the famous market on Szeroka Street, the weekly holy Shabbat created out of time, and the breath of children hasting to school.

For more than five hundred years, time has been kind here, whilst the gentle eye of God watched over the generations; the place contained the daily piety, the glorification of knowledge, charity and ordinariness, the cradle of civilization and our common foundation, and now what was left behind – what?

The seven synagogues – the seven lamps of the Menorah – once ablaze with a fervent prayer, the famous yeshiva of Rabbi Remu, the small prayer rooms scattered around, the cheder, the beit hamidrash, i.e. “house of learning”,  where young boys study the Talmud from dawn to dusk, argue about its commentaries, and about commentaries on commentaries, as everything is a constant commentary on what has already been, on what is to be, although what is to be, has already been; Kuzmir / Kazimierz, Bait Chaim, House of Life, “little Jerusalem”, Ir V’Em b’Yisrael –  the City and the Mother in Israel, Temple in exile, If I forget you, Yerushalayim / Kuzmir, let my right hand wither…

In 1988, following the steps of the generations of the Jews, present here for more than five centuries, we came to Kazimierz, dedicating our Jewish Culture Festival to all of them . Since then, I have lived in this realm of time lost in a City whose soul is filled with Jewish eternity to the brim. And to this bright soul in the dark picture of Kazimierz, that we dedicate this year’s 34^th Jewish Culture Festival.

Janusz Makuch

ACCREDITATION

Every year we offer free accreditations for journalists who are willing to cover the festival and present it to their readers / listeners / viewers. 

If you are interested, please read conditions of accreditations below and send Accreditation form (linked below) per e-mail to: robert@jewishfestival.pl (please write “accreditation’ as subject of the message). Sending signed Accreditation Form means acceptance of all below mentioned conditions of accreditation.

If you have any questions or would like to arrange interview with festival artists and / or festival staff – please contact  Robert Gądek.

See you in Kazimierz!

ACCREDITATION FORM
pdf file | word file

CONDITIONS FOR ACCREDITATION

* Accreditation entitles you to entry all events of the main Festival schedule, including accompanying events. To atend accompanying events, please send is e-mail with your request, so we can arrange a place for you.

* Access to the backstage during all concerts in the Tempel Synagogue and to the entire backstage are during Shalom on Szeroka Street (incl. artists’ greenroom) is forbidden even with accreditation and requires prior consent of the Festival Office.

* Interviews with Festival artists must be arranged through the Festival Office and are conditional on the consent of the artist.

* Whenever possible, the Festival Office will provide accredited reporters with photographs of artists and photographs of Festival events as required for stories – free of any charge.

* Photo reporters and TV crews do not have access to the stage in both Tempel Synagogue and during Shalom on Szeroka Street concert, as well as in other Festival venues.

* Photographers and TV crews can photograph and film only from the places that were agreed with the Organizers. The time for photographing and filming could be limited by the Organizer or artist – in this case it will be communicated by the Organizers in advance.

* Number of accredited photo reporters and TV crews is limited.

* The Society has the right to refuse granting the accreditation without giving a reason for it, as well as reserves the right to charge for the accreditation if the journalist is not delegated by the media (press / radio / television). In this case the journalist will be charged the amount of 500 PLN.

* Commercial use of any materials collected during the festival is forbidden. Any commercial use of photo or video needs to be discussed with artist and the festival and it might involve payment of both artist and the festival.

* All information and materials (incl. audio, video, photo) must respect individual rights of each artist

* Accredited journalists must not disturb any other journalists and especially artists and the audience in participating in festival events.

* All material published after the festival must be sent to the Jewish Culture Festival Society (per e-mail: robert@jewishfestival.pl) up to 7 days after its publication.

* By applying for the accreditation you agree your e-mail address to be stored in the Society’s database and be used to send you e-mails related to the festival. If you do not wish to receive information and you want your address to be removed form database, please send an e-mail with appropriate information to robert@jewishfestival.pl

THE ACCREDITATION IS VALID ONLY FOR THE BEARER, AND MAY NOT BE USED BY ANYONE OTHER THAN THE PERSON NAMED ON THE ACCREDITATION FORM. IN CASE WHEN THE  ACCREDITATION PASS WILL BE USED BY ANY OTHER PERSON, THE ORGANIZER CAN DENY ACCESS TO THE EVENTS FOR BOTH THE PERSON FOR WHOM ACCREDITATION WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED AS WELL AS THE PERSON USING IT ILLEGALLY AND THE ACCREDITATION CAN BE CANCELLED. BOTH ORGANIZERS AND FESTIVAL SECURITY HAVE RIGHT TO CHECK ID OF THE PERSON WITH ACCREDITATION.

Sending signed Accreditation Form means acceptance of all above mentioned conditions of accreditation.

NEWS / INFORMATION

[June 10th, 2025

We regret to inform you that Jonny Greenwood’s management has decided to cancel their summer tour with Dudu Tassa, as part of which they were to perform together at the Shalom from Kazimierz concert as part of the 34th JCF.

We received this information on June 10, after the programs had already been printed, hence the printed version still contains information about their participation in the concert.

[June 16, 2025]

Due to the closure of airspace over Israel, the artists invited by us to the 34th Jewish Culture Festival are unable to travel to Krakow. As a result, we are forced to make the following changes to the program:

Program changes:

• Songs of Gebirtig concert – Maia Belsitzman will not perform

• Shabbat concert by Maia Belsitzman – cancelled

• The Ziryab Trio concert – cancelled

• Frank London’s The City of God concert – moved to the Tempel Synagogue, 6:00 PM

• Shalom from Wolnica concert – cancelled

• Craft workshops (June 25 & 26, 10:00 AM) – cancelled

New events added to the program:

• Concert by Mała Orkiestra Dancingowa – FKŻ Tent, Saturday, June 28, 6:00 PM, free admission

• Frank London’s Festival Allstars concert – FKŻ Tent, Saturday, June 28, 8:00 PM, free admission

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

Patrons

The festival is co-financed from the resources of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, from the Culture Promotion Fund, which is a state special fund, a part of the Music program, carried out by the  National Institute of Music and Dance.

Festival concerts are organized under the patronage of the LOT Polish Airlines.

MAŁOPOLSKA REGION IS A PARTNER OF THE 34th JEWISH CULTURE FESTIVAL

For many years now, the Jewish Culture Festival has been promoting the region of Małopolska – with this year being no exception. The JCF has been invited to a new project,  “Małopolska Showpieces”, together with other events which promote the region and strengthen the sense of the local identity among its residents, building a strong brand of  “Małopolska.”

All these events will show the cultural abundance of the Małopolska region with its diversity and respect for tradition which they forge into a modern stye of life. The Jewish Culture Festival shows the Jewish culture which for many years had a great influence on the life in our region. It was here that the great Hassidic dynasties came into being and the Jewish reformers were active – together with their Polish neighbors, they were building what we call now our Małopolska  cultural heritage.