Poland's Jewish community launches first rabbinical association since WWII

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Poland's Jewish leaders have relaunched the first nationwide rabbinical association since World War II, the country's chief Orthodox rabbi said Monday. The seven Orthodox rabbis who serve in Poland gathered in the central city of Lodz over the weekend and agreed to reform the Rabbinical Association of Poland, which thrived before World War II, the nation's chief Orthodox rabbi said. "The recreation of the organization that existed before the war is simply a reflection of the reality that we now have several rabbis working in Poland," said Michael Schudrich, who is originally from New York. Before the war, Poland was home to a Jewish community of nearly 3.5 million - Europe's largest - but around 90 percent were murdered by the Nazis. The Jewish population is estimated at around 30,000 today.