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Largely homogenous in terms of ethnicity, religion and culture – this is how Polish society is often defined. Moreover, according to recent developments, “the Other” – who represents diversity in Polish society – is becoming increasingly cast as a national enemy. For example, according to the recent census, there are currently eight thousand Jews living in Poland, yet 90% of Poles have never met anyone from this group. Although the Jewish minority does not pose any threat to either the national security or dominant culture, the number of anti-Semitic incidents is steadily growing: starting from hate speech – which instead of being deplored, is gaining more legitimization through political demonstrations involving the burning of Jewish effigies – and ending with hate crimes.

These events and the current public discourse show an alarming change in societal attitudes towards this minority group and as history shows, this can have severe consequences. That is why our project, (In)visible Diversity: Encounter, Empower & Exchange aims to empower activists and educators to counter this wave of xenophobia and anti-Semitism through constructive action across political lines.

Cover of the interactive book “About Jews”

The main idea behind the project is to bring Poles closer – through various tools and methods – to the Jewish culture and multicultural history of Poland. The project’s main focus is on Poland’s youth, as due to the lack of direct contact with the Polish Jewish minority, they are prone to being uncritical of the permeating discourse of hate and fear in the country. The aim of this project is to reverse this negative trend and to show that cultural diversity should be perceived not only as an inspiration, but also as something of benefit for all.

The project is realized in cooperation with activists from the Foundation Humanity in Action Poland network and is comprised of several nationwide initiatives:

  • (Ex)change Seminars
  • City Games
  • #MegaBabka
  • About Jews – Interactive Book Against Anti-Semitism
  • Human e-Library

National initiatives on Jewish Culture

About Jews

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#MegaBabka

We want to thank our supporters and partners who've worked with us to make these project possible: