Kazimierz in Krakow, 27th June – 6th July, 2008

Every year, at the turn of July, Cracovian district of Kazimierz is filled with dance, music and thousands of people due to Jewish Culture Festival. This year the Festival will last for ten days from 27th June to 6th July and will be completely different from the quiet event of 1988 which started the cycle of summer meetings with Jewish culture in Kazimierz. Since its humble beginnings the Festival has developed into one of the biggest and most important events of this type in the world – every year it attracts thousands of people who want to learn something more about the Jewish tradition.
Both regulars and new participants of the Festival will not be disappointed with this year’s event and they will be definitely eager to return to Kazimierz in the future. Tightening the relations between the Poles and the Jews is an important role of the Festival. Therefore, during the celebration, there will be a cycle of meetings and lectures concerning various aspects of Polish-Jewish relations as it is a well known fact that dialog is the basis of communication and reconciliation.
But the Festival is aimed at other things as well. Thematic workshops will help the participants to find out new facts about Jewish traditions, learn their calligraphy, songs, Hasidic dance or to discover the secrets of the Jewish cuisine. Children will also find something for themselves – for example they will have a chance to take part in art workshops. Photo exhibitions in different venues of Kazimierz are also planned to take place during the event. They will show the present and the past of the Jewish district of Krakow.
But the Festival is predominantly associated with music that is why during the whole ten days of the celebration Kazimierz will be full of sounds. Many stars, who specialize in different types of Jewish music, have been invited to Krakow. The Festival will be concluded with the grand concert “Shalom on Ulica Szeroka,” which usually attracts thousands of people who watch it either on Szeroka or on TV.