Krakow, Poland – The city’s most important historical museum is facing calls for an external review after showing a play that included references to the lynching of Jews.
Mayor Jacek Majkrowski’s appeal to investigate Krakow’s museum comes on Tuesday, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, with the Krakow-based organization that produces Jewish art and activism events, and 11 other Jewish groups —with came from two prominent rabbis.
Earlier this year, the museum posted on its YouTube channel and included in an exhibit for children a recording of a play by the Malik family, famous for their nativity scene productions in Krakow. The museum removed the video, which it had featured to celebrate local nativity scene heritage, this month following an internal review.
The video, which FestivALT’s founder said has been viewed by thousands of people, shows the actors singing about Jews at least 30 times. Some mentions are violent or in a negative context. The show is centered around a puppet theater in which a figure appears to be an Orthodox Jew with sidelocks. Another, holding a stick, wears what looks like a traditional Polish garment.
As a puppet animates the figures, artists from the Malik family troupe sing a duet by the two puppets. The voice of the character holding the stick sings: “Jews! Jewish! I’ll teach you, I’ll teach you How I will hit you from behind, how I will hit you in front with this stick.
Earlier, the stick puppet rebukes the Jew for failing to recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah. “Jewish! Jewish! Well, you see clearly, you see clearly. And why, and why are you ashamed of Christ?” The actor sings.
Later in the same show, a blond puppet tells the same Jew: “Come on, Jew, that’s enough. I’ll tell you something new. Do you know that we have a new Messiah?”
The Jewish figure then asks: “Oh, what do I get from this?” And the blonde replies: “O Jew, you cruel man. For insulting God, you will be punished by the power of Satan. Is there anything you will not do to yourself because of your lack of faith? You Will know the terrible power of the hellish devil.
Following an appeal by the mayor, the video could be included in material and an exhibition at the prestigious municipal museum showing a lack of awareness of antisemitism. It was prepared by the Central Europe Office of the American Jewish Committee; the main Jewish community centers of Warsaw and Krakow; Polish Chief Rabbi Michael Shudrich; and Eliezer Gurari, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement’s top emissary in Krakow.
The letter stated, “The events and activities of Krakow cultural institutions created a space for depicting Jews in a stereotypical, negative way, as well as for the depiction and justification of violence against Jews.” Made the Museum of Krakow situation particularly deplorable.
The letter also noted what the authors described as progress toward greater awareness of antisemitism, such as a 2021 condemnation by city officials of the sale of statues and paintings of Orthodox Jews, which some Poles and Ukrainians love to collect as good luck charms. But the Museum of Krakow incident shows that more work is needed, the authors of the paper said.
“We suggest establishing a team of experts to represent minority groups and assist community institutions in developing an open approach,” the authors wrote.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a letter by Jewish groups, or to a request for comment from The Times of Israel.
