Participants in the Taube Center's Exploring Poland/Polin: Heritage Study Tour, with The Hon. Joanna Kozińska-Frybes, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (fifth from right)
For the second consecutive summer, Polish- and Jewish-American students participated in the Taube Center’s Exploring Poland/ Polin: Heritage Study Program, supported by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The program was created to meet the growing interest among American students with Polish and Jewish roots in exploring Poland, its complex history and its multicultural heritage. The program’s design, with its balance between site visits, presentations, discussions and experiential opportunities, meetings with peers and community leaders, and peer to-peer learning, maximizes impact on the participants.
During one of the study tours, participants were invited to meet with former Ambassador Joanna Kozińska-Frybes, now Deputy Director of the Department for Consular and Polonia Affairs, on August 10 at the Foreign Ministry. The Hon. Kozińska-Frybes emphasized how important it is for the Ministry to promote inclusivity with respect to the Polish diaspora; strengthen the diaspora’s ties to Poland; and foster connections to Poland’s Jewish heritage among Poles living in Poland and abroad. She said, “It is important for Polish Americans to recognize the Jewish past of Poland and to build links with the Jewish past of which they are not aware.”
Patricia Nowakowski, a graduate student at University of Illinois at Chicago and a first generation Polish American, described (in Polish) how, growing up in Chicago and attending Polish schools and even visiting Poland during the summers, she had no knowledge of the importance of Jewish culture and history on Polish history. Inspired by this program, she is considering pursuit of Polish Jewish studies.
While some of the participants had previously been to Poland, they all agree that Poland/ Polin has taken them to places they never before visited and has opened their eyes to new perspectives on Polish history and society. The participants are already involved in different activities related to Polish culture in the U.S. and will now also serve as this program’s ambassadors. Several expressed desires to return to Poland for advanced study.
Visit the CentrumTaubego website to learn about the Exploring Poland/Polin Heritage Study Tour.
