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Chief rabbi of Poland to speak at UD April 11
3:43 p.m., March 27, 2007--Rabbi Michael Schudrich, New York-born Chief Rabbi of Poland, will speak on “Jews of Poland Today: Fact and Fiction,” at 6:30 pm, Wednesday, April 11, in the Atrium of Alfred Lerner Hall. His talk, sponsored by Hillel Student Life and the Kristol Center for Jewish Life at UD, is the main event in UD's observance of Holocaust Awareness week. A private reception for the rabbi will precede his talk. “I am excited by this opportunity to bring together students and the greater Delaware community. I hope that many of the community who lived through World War II and saw the result of the Holocaust, will come to hear how Poland is dealing with its legacy. There is still much healing that must take place in Poland, and Rabbi Schudrich is at the forefront of these efforts,” Susan Detwiler, executive director of the Kristol Center, said. Last May, Rabbi Schudrich was punched and pepper-sprayed by an attacker on the streets of Poland, the day before he visited Holocaust concentration camp Birkenau with Pope Benedict XVI. Despite this, Rabbi Schudrich said he remains optimistic about reconciliation between Poles and Jews. “To say that Poland is anti-Semitic, is a lie. To say that there is no anti-Semitism in Poland, is also a lie,” he said. Born in New York City, Rabbi Schudrich is a graduate of SUNY Stony Brook and Columbia University, and received rabbinic ordination through Yeshiva University in 1982. He served as rabbi of the Jewish Community of Japan from 1983-89. After many trips to Eastern Europe leading Jewish groups to those countries, Rabbi Schudrich began working for the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation and spent 1992-98 residing in Warsaw, Poland. He returned to Poland in June 2000 as rabbi of Warsaw and Lodz and in December 2004 was appointed chief rabbi of Poland. Admission to the lecture is $18 for the general public, $10 for those 65 and older and free to students with a valid ID. Immediately before the lecture, the Kristol Center will host a private reception with Rabbi Schudrich at the Abe and Pearl Kristol Hillel Student Center. Admission to the reception is $118 per person. To reserve a space for the lecture or the reception or for more information about the Kristol Center for Jewish Life or the Hillel Foundation, contact Susan Detwiler at [sdhillel@udel.edu] or call, (302) 453-0479. |
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