In light of the recent news from Krakow whereby the Chabad-rub Izaak Synagogue was shut down by the Jewish Religious Community of Krakow (Gmina) – which is run by members of the same family, Tadeusz Jakubowicz and his daughter Helena – the synagogue’s rabbi reached out to me for help so I’m calling upon Krakow’s Jewish leadership to do the right thing and re-open the synagogue until their dispute is settled by the courts.

It’s unconscionable that they would close the one and only synagogue in all of Krakow that Jews actually use to pray in daily, and that hosts the only kosher fast-food spot. And to make matters worse, they posted five armed, menacing security guards with dreadfully sinister face-masks to intimidate congregants from even approaching. Every day this synagogue, which withstood the Nazi atrocities, is closed is a travesty and tragedy for the entire Jewish people.

Jews around the world are calling on the Jakubovics to settle this quickly, or at least open the synagogue until the dispute is resolved. They are, after all, leaders of the Jewish community to represent the Jewish interest. How could it be in the Jewish interest to keep the one functioning synagogue of Krakow closed?

My sincere hope is that they recognize their error and open the synagogue before Shabbos so the congregation can pray. In the meantime, I will continue working with Rabbi Gurary and the Polish Jewish communities to resolve this issue for good.

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