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WJR diners celebrate ‘modern day miracle’ at £1 million meal

Supporters hear how Krakow centre has transformed Jewish life

February 12, 2019 11:41
Jonathan Ornstein on stage landscape

ByJC Reporter, JC REPORTER

2 min read

The resurgence of Jewish life in a city devastated by the Holocaust was hailed as a “modern day miracle” at World Jewish Relief’s annual dinner, which raised £1 million-plus.

More than 400 guests at London’s Guildhall heard how the charity — supporting Jewish communities in need across Eastern Europe — had seen major progress in Krakow, Poland, where it built the Jewish Community Centre ten years ago at the request of the Prince of Wales.

Jonathan Ornstein, executive director of JCC Krakow, said the centre had not only become the primary care provider for more than 60 Holocaust survivors in the city. It was also a hub for young Poles discovering their Judaism.

He went on to express pride in the JCC’s new Jewish pre-school, the first to open in Krakow for over 70 years. “Every morning I walk into work an hour’s drive from Auschwitz and I hear the laughter of Jewish children,” he said. “That’s a miracle.”