Rachela Halpern, who was born in post-war Szczecin and raised in a religious Jewish family, shares her experience of growing up in Poland and the difficulties which she faced with adaptation and exclusion during her childhood.
In 1968, as a result of the antisemitic campaign, with her entire family, she emigrated to the USA. Despite her religious upbringing, after arriving in the United States, her sense of Jewish identity evolved, and she felt a greater sense of freedom and acceptance.
Her first visit to Poland in 2007, during the Jewish Cultural Festival in Kraków, allowed her to notice changes in the country and a greater openness to intercultural dialogue. Subsequent visits and participation in other Jewish events, such as the Singer Warsaw Festival, made her realise that present-day Poland is much more open to its Jewish heritage.
Rachela Halpern emphasises the need to acknowledge and address difficult aspects of Poland’s shared history, such as Jedwabne, and the importance of maintaining dialogue to build better relationships between communities. She also highlights Poland’s positive example, in helping refugees from Ukraine, as proof of the potential for changing societal attitudes - even after difficult historical experiences.