History

There were over 300,000 Jews in Warsaw before World War II. Few have survived the war and even fewer have stayed when the country turned communist.

Despite that, Jewish life in Warsaw exists and recently, since the establishment of Beit Warszawa, it has even taken on some new exciting forms. In consequence, the Orthodox synagogue is no longer the only Jewish spiritual and cultural center in the city. Many Poles of Jewish background wish to live in accordance with their Forefathers’ tradition but for various reasons do not want to identify with Orthodox Judaism. Until recently, there was no venue in Warsaw where liberal-minded Jews would be able to meet.

This has changed with the establishment of our community. It is the only organization in Poland created specifically for the purpose of bringing liberal-minded people back to Judaism. It aspires to continue, albeit on a necessarily smaller scale, the lustrous liberal Jewish tradition that flourished in this country before World War II.

Beit Warszawa Jewish Cultural Association was co-founded in 1999 by Severyn Ashkenazy, his son Adrian and five Polish and expatriate American Jews who wished to practice Judaism in a more liberal way than that offered by the only other Jewish spiritual center in Warsaw – the Orthodox Synagogue.