This time last year I was losing sleep. I had a little more than 2 weeks left in Atlanta before I departed on what I initially thought would be a 1-2 year contract working with the JCC in Krakow, Poland through a Fellowship organized by the JDC’s Entwine division. I had a lot to do and what seemed like a short amount of time to do it. Goodbye drinks with friends, final meals at favorite restaurants, and last-minute Costco runs (of which there were several) occupied the few days I had left in America.
I’d spoken with the JCC KRK team in advance and had already returned from a 3-day training with the JDC in New York, though I admit I still didn’t quite have a grasp on the job and journey I was about to take. The pictures of my new apartment seemed nice enough and I’d been told that work was within walking distance (which beat my old commute through 30+ minutes of Atlanta traffic), but the scope of that work and my role in the organization and community seemed less clear. Nevertheless, I was ecstatic at the opportunity to work and live abroad and all of the great challenges that come with that kind of experience, and had faith that my time in Krakow, good or bad, would be worth it. So two weeks later, I hopped on a pair of Delta flights to Amsterdam and then Krakow, anxieties be damned.
My first 6 months in Krakow were tremendously fulfilling. I felt at home at the JCC after only a few weeks and fell into sync with the workflow almost immediately. The city of Krakow was (and is) gorgeous and colorful. The true reality of the place contrasts against the black, white, and gray it’s often painted in among Jewish circles. Today’s Krakow reflects a rich diversity of opinions and culture that, having grown up in Atlanta, was immediately recognizable. The people come from many walks of life and are often stubborn and steadfast, but equally hardworking and fiercely loyal. From one city “too busy to hate” to another, I was smitten in record time.
Enter: the largest international public health crisis in over a century.
Within 24 hours of the announcement of Poland’s imminent border closure in mid-March, I packed a suitcase, booked a flight, and was en route back to the US. Despite feeling bewildered and uprooted, I was fortunate to still have a normal (albeit remote) workload from the JCC and my parents were happy to have me home in case anything were to happen.
Meanwhile, the social impact of the virus began to hit Krakow’s Jewish community (the JCC has a membership of about 750, though the true number of Krakowians with Jewish roots is the subject of much debate). For JCC Krakow, an organization with a longstanding and proud open door policy, having to turn away members to close the only pluralistic Jewish space in the city was remarkably off-brand, especially in a time of increased need.
We told our seniors, many of whom are Holocaust survivors, to stay at home indefinitely for their own safety. Our 20-something preschoolers would need to begin learning remotely. The students in our BBYO and Hillel chapters would be unable to see their friends or meet in a Jewish environment. The Ride For The Living program that normally draws 300 participants and is the JCC’s largest annual fundraiser had to shift to a virtual platform using a largely untested online model of community engagement.
And yet… it all worked out.
As of this week, every one of our seniors remain healthy and resolute. The preschoolers (and their parents) adjusted to life at home. The BBYO and Hillel students took to Zoom immediately and continued to meet several times per week. The newly coined Virtual Ride For The Living drew an audience 450% larger than we expected to see in Krakow this year and raised over $130,000 for the organization.
Even at a distance, the resilience of Krakow’s Jewish community was clearly visible once again. Being located only 60 miles from Auschwitz, and having endured the oppressive communist regime that followed WWII occupation, it makes a kind of strange sense that JCC Krakow’s members and staff would meet a global pandemic in stride.
Now, almost exactly 1 year after my original flight to Krakow, I find myself recovering from a nearly identical journey. Having left Atlanta last weekend to begin year 2 with JCC Krakow, I found that I’d swapped those original worries about workload and life abroad for a slew of new ones (to be disclosed in next year’s recap, probably). Nonetheless, I’m privileged to have a job, home, and community to return to in Krakow and I’m immensely grateful for the support and strength the JCC showed me while I was away.
I've always been an avid reader. So much so that my parents would argue the correct adjective is probably closer to “voracious.” And, having found some free time on my hands as I quarantine for 14 days, I’ve jumped head first into the Lord of the Rings books for the first time. As I became invested I found a pertinent exchange between two of the main characters:
“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
With my time, I choose to help bring a little bit of light back into this mess of a world. Here’s to another year.