Days 3 and 4 - Jagellonian University and Kazimierz

A stone dedicated to the first Jewish cemetery in Kazimierz. Unfortunately, none of the Jewish graves have any kind of markers, so it is impossible to tell where they are located.
The pasta that I ate at Nova. Yum!
Me standing at the remaining ghetto wall in Kazimierz. According to Professor Gawron, the wall was aesthetically intended to resemble a tombstone. So when the Jews were corralled into the ghetto, they already had the impression of death.
Oskar Schindler's factory (with some renovation of course)
The BEAUTIFUL synagogue in Kazimierz. The lady on the left side is Professor Edita Gawron.
The clock at the old section of Jagellonian University
The entryway to the synagogue in Kazimierz

The synagogue in Kazimierz
The old section of Jagellonian University
The seminar room at the Center for European Studies at Jagellonian University established in the 1970s.
The lecture room we were in with Professor Gawron

Hey all!

Slowly but surely I am getting all these posts up for you guys to keep up with what's going on. It is currently 1:12 in the afternoon here and we've just returned from the salt mines (which I am saving for the next post).

The intent for this blog is to give you guys an overview of what happened at Jagellonian University on Thursday and Friday as well as our visit to the Jewish quarter in Kazimierz. Jagellonian University, at least from what I think I remember, is the oldest university in Poland. Interestingly, Nicholas Copernicus was a former student at this location. We got to see the remnants of the old university established several centuries ago. Unfortunately, parts of it were undergoing renovations so we were unable to see the courtyard in its entirety. There is a fountain (which was under construction) located within the courtyard that students go to before exams. It is said that if a person touches the water and puts some on his or her forehead, it will make that person more clever. One of the most interesting pieces of the old building is the clock located near the roof. I believe every two hours from 9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, the clock goes off on the hour and a parade of famous Polish figures encircles the clock.

The next day, we had a chance to listen to Professor Edita Gawron discuss the history of Jews in Poland at Jagellonian's Center for European Studies. The presentation was fascinating and we learned quite a bit about some Jewish culture. I finally figured out what Yiddish actually is. Yiddish is a term applied to the Hebrew language mixed with Central European languages. So, it isn't the pure Hebrew language used in things like the Torah or other religious ceremonies, but is more casual and is used in secular life. We also learned about the difference between Jewish belief systems. You have the Orthodox Jews who follow by the old law whereas progressive Jews (including those like the Hasidic Jews) made modifications over time to fit more into modern lifestyles. I could go on and on but I'm sure no one is interested in the specifics of what I learned!

Following the lecture, Professor Gawron showed us several places in the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz. One of the biggest misconceptions is that this area has purely Jewish history...however this isn't the case. Kazimierz was initially inhabited by a majority of Christians and Jews later came. We visited a beautiful synagogue (the men had to wear the yamaka!) and I also got to see the remnants of the ghetto wall and Schindler's factory (Oskar Schindler was a Nazi who employed a number of Jews to work and saved many people's lives by keeping them under his employment. He later made arrangements with another Nazi to allow the Jews in his factory to remain there when all the Jews were supposed to be corralled into the ghetto so they could avoid death). Jewish history is SO fascinating! I can't wait to see Auschwitz-Birkenau (though I'm sure that it will be emotionally tiring). We also got to see the town square in Kazimierz including the first cemetery for the Jews in this section of the city. Though there were initially multiple synagogues located here, many have been turned into restaurants and other public buildings. Furthermore, the number of people who profess to practice Judaism (despite Jewish background) has seen a great decline over the years...really depressing!

We ended up eating at a restaurant called Nova following the tour. Nothing really tasted that different from what we have at home. I think the place was more modern so I didn't have a chance to really try anything new. I'm really enjoying this country! I think the lifestyle is so well-paced and it's a lot of fun to be here!