PolishJewish

Polish Jews are Jews who have lived in the territory of present-day Poland or who identify with the historic Jewish community of Poland. For centuries, they formed one of Europe’s largest Jewish populations, contributing to religious, cultural, and economic life from the medieval era onward. The community grew in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where autonomy, rabbinic scholarship, and a vibrant Yiddish and Hebrew culture flourished in cities such as Krakow, Lublin, and Poznań. Hasidic and other movements emerged, and Polish Jews played a key role in Jewish learning and early modern print culture.

The 18th and 19th centuries brought modernization and continued religious life, alongside growing secular and nationalist currents. The 20th century brought catastrophe: the Holocaust devastated Polish Jewry, with the majority of the community murdered or displaced. After World War II, most survivors emigrated, and postwar Poland saw a drastic decline in Jewish communities.

Since the late 20th century, there has been a revival of Jewish life and culture in Poland, aided by restored synagogues, cultural institutions, and restitution discussions. Today, small but active communities exist in cities such as Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, and Bialystok, along with a growing interest in Jewish history and culture among non-Jewish Poles. Notable institutions include the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw (opened 2014) and various synagogues, schools, and cultural centers that preserve and promote Polish Jewish heritage.