The 35th Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków, held under the theme THE GATE (Sha’ar), has now concluded. Continuing its longstanding partnership with the Festival, the Jewish Religious Community in Kraków played an active role in its programme by making its synagogues available for concerts, artistic events, guided tours, and multimedia projects. One of the Festival’s highlights was the exhibition „Encounters – Unity in Diversity”, co-organised by the Local Council and the Jewish Culture Festival. During the Festival, it was presented at the High Synagogue. Following the Festival’s conclusion, and with the help of Festival volunteers, the exhibition was transferred to the Tempel Synagogue, where it will remain open to visitors from 7 July to 15 August 2026. The exhibition is an attempt to translate a literary narrative into the language…

Be szaa towa u muclachat! With God’s help, and at just the right moment, we were able to install the Isaac Aron ha-Kodesh in the synagogue. Together with the bimah, it is one of the two most important elements of the synagogue’s interior. We completed the installation two days before the fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz. The bimah and the remaining furnishings will be brought in after the Ninth of Av, as a sign of respect for the Three Weeks of mourning commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple.

Chains of Light / Ogniwa Światła is an artistic project showcasing the spirituality and life of Hasidim through the subjective language of photography. Its goal is not to offer religious testimony, but to tell a universal story about identity, community, and intercultural dialogue. The photographs were taken between 2006 and 2012 during annual pilgrimages to Leżajsk and Lelów, building a multi-voiced narrative; each exhibition represents a new fragment and interpretation. The project will also be published as a book, concluding the entire story.

Restoration work at Isaac Synagogue is still ongoing. The contractor, KROZ company, is currently carrying out the replacement of damaged and salt-affected plasterwork. Despite the continuing conservation efforts, the synagogue remains open to both visitors and worshippers.

Following years of meticulous restoration, Isaac’s Synagogue in Kraków’s Kazimierz district has reopened today to pilgrims and visitors from around the world. The project not only rescued the historic building from the threat of structural collapse, but also preserved the synagogue’s remarkable stucco decorations on the vaulted ceiling with minimal intervention to its historic fabric. Although the complete restoration is expected to continue for several more years, visitors can already admire the newly restored vault of the main prayer hall — regarded as one of the finest surviving examples of Jewish architecture in Kraków. As the largest synagogue in Kazimierz, Isaac’s Synagogue remains one of the city’s most significant monuments of Jewish heritage. Visitor opening hours:• Summer season: 10:00–18:00• Winter season: 10:00–16:00• Closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.