Auschwitz Jewish Center
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Auschwitz Jewish Center (Polish: Centrum Żydowskie w Oświęcimiu) is a museum, synagogue, and study center located in the only remaining synagogue in the once predominantly Jewish town of Oświęcim, Poland, also known as Auschwitz.
Once, this village had a large Jewish community. In 1939, more than the half of the population was Jewish. Over more than 400 years, the city was influenced by Jewish life and. Before the war, Oswiecim had more than 20 different synagogues. However, shortly after Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939, came the building of the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Chevra Lodmei Mishnayot Synagogue, from which the Center was built, was used as a munitions storage facility under Nazi occupation. After the war, a Soviet-aligned government was put in place in Poland and the synagogue was turned into a carpet warehouse. After the fall of Communism, the remaining Jewish community in Poland was able to reclaim the synagogue. The last Jew in Oświęcim died in 2000.
Since opening in 2000, the Auschwitz Jewish Center has welcomed the public. The Center’s synagogue is a place where visitors to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps can memorialize victims of the Holocaust. As the only Jewish site in the vicinity of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Center also teaches individuals and groups from around the world about Polish-Jewish history and the vibrancy of Jewish culture through exhibits, lectures, and educational programs.
The Auschwitz Jewish Center consists of three institutions:
- The Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue,
- Jewish Museum, which showcases Jewish life.
- Education Center, which serves visitors and local students
