FRAJDA Means Joy: The JCC Krakow Early Childhood Center

In the heart of the Jewish district of Krakow, Poland (Kazimierz), is a modern edifice. This is the home of the Jewish Community Center of Krakow

The JCC Krakow was opened in April 2008 by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, and now serves as the focal point for the resurgence of Jewish life in Krakow. From the outset, Jonathan Orenstein, a native of Queens, New York, has been the executive director of this facility. He is the motivating force of the growth and success of the JCC Krakow. During our most recent visit to Poland in August of 2017, my wife, Varda, and I met with Jonathan (as we often have during each visit to Krakow). He was eager to take us on a tour of his latest venture, the Frajda Early Childhood Center that was scheduled to (and did) open in September of 2017.It is the first Jewish preschool to open in Krakow since before World War II.

(The purpose of this article is to provide information about this wonderful facility and program. Much of the information for this article was provided by Jonathan in correspondence with him in December of 2017.)

I will first provide the reader with some information about the JCC Krakow followed by Jonathan’s answers to questions about the Frajda Early Childhood Center.

According to Jonathan, the JCC is building a Jewish future in a city where Jewish presence was long believed to have seen its end. The 650 members can meet hundreds of other people with stories similar to theirs, and form a community. JCC Krakow endeavors to change the world’s perception of Poland by acting as a visitors’ center for over 100,000 visitors every year, many of them Jewish.

JCC Krakow’s primary goal is to establish an open, pluralistic, and inclusive community that welcomes all and provides innovative, quality programming at the highest level in a warm, optimistic, and lively atmosphere. At JCC Krakow, among the numerous services provided are:

•            Weekly Shabbat dinners and holiday meals and activities.

•            A welfare-support program that helps our neediest senior members cover basic costs of living, medical bills, etc.

•            Monthly meetings of the Child Survivors of the Holocaust Association.

•            Film screening.

•            Sunday school for elementary and middle school students.

•            Language courses: Hebrew (six levels), Yiddish (two levels), Yiddish Club (eight participants), and Arabic.

•            Yoga classes.

•            Israeli dance classes.

•            Weekly rehabilitation classes for elderly community members.

•            Weekly mind training and technology classes for seniors.

And the Frajda Preschool Program.

Below are Jonathan’s answers to questions about this new and innovative program.

How did the need arise for establishing this program?

We have had an informal, twice-weekly nursery for some time and wanted to expand both the scope and depth of our offering to serve our growing population of young families with children. No pluralistic Jewish preschool option quite like Frajda existed in Krakow.

What are the major goals of this program?

At Frajda, our focus is on comprehensive Jewish education. Our program engages with Jewish history and culture, incorporates celebration of Shabbat and other Jewish holidays, champions Jewish values, and upholds traditions. We want our students to be knowledgeable about and proud of their heritage. Moreover, we want to raise them as confident and empowered Jews in contemporary Poland.

How would you describe the space in the JCC that this program occupies?

Frajda’s newly designed, state-of-the-art space can comfortably accommodate up to 22 children on an entire floor of the JCC. The center was created in consultation with leading Jewish early childhood experts from Poland, the United States, and Israel. Frajda’s space includes three modern classrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and an entryway with cubbies.

What were some of the challenges in progressing from the conceptualization stage to the opening of the program in September 2017? How many years?

Once generous donors stepped in with funding, we were thrilled to be able to take Frajda from concept to reality. The idea for a full time childhood education program came up more than five years ago when young families in our community started having children and understood they they want to give those children a Jewish education. The concept for our Jewish Early Childhood Center specifically emerged three years ago with the help of international supporters and advisors.

Some of the challenges we had to face included building a community of young families committed to sending their children to our preschool, which is far from where many of them live, and are setting up high-quality Jewish preschools in Poland, where there are incredibly limited resources in terms of Jewish educational materials and Jewish early childhood educators.

We consulted with Judy Wolf-Nevid, Early Childhood Head at the Heschel School in New York City, along with other early childhood educators, to build the highest quality curriculum. Finally, we faced a number of building codes and regulations related to Polish preschools that required us to upgrade the JCC Krakow building, where Frajda is located.

What kind of support was needed to make the creation of this program a reality?

A generous lead grant from Eric and Erica Schwartz of New York City made Frajda financially possible. Donations from Jeff and Janet Beck, as well as Alan and Cindy Goldman, all of Dallas, TX, allowed us to purchase the van with which we drive children to and from the JCC for Frajda each day. Friends of JCC Krakow board member Elizabeth Szancer donated Frajda’s Szancer Family Reading Corner. The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation is covering the cost of Frajda’s security needs. Financial support for Frajda also comes from Susan Lerner and Michael Roffer. The entire Friends of JCC Krakow board had a hand bringing Frajda to fruition.

In developing Frajda’s physical space and educational curriculum, we consulted with Judy Wolf-Nevid, Michelle Ores, Agi Legutko, and Sam & Gina Rosenberg.

How many children are currently registered in this program? What are their ages?

Eleven children are currently enrolled. They range in age from eight months to six years.

What are the days and hours of operation?

Frajda operates five days a week between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

What are the requirements for participation in this program? Which children qualify? Are all participants Jewish?

All participants are Jewish (JCC Krakow typically operates according to the Law of Return definition of Judaism.) All students’ parents must be JCC members.

What are the staffing requirements for this program?

We have three full-time instructors, including Frajda’s director. All are certified educators. One of our teachers has degrees in both Jewish studies and education. Rabbi Avi Baumol, the Chief Rabbi of Poland’s representative in Krakow, assists with Frajda’s Jewish curriculum.

What are the short- and long-term objectives for the growth of this program?

The outdoor Taube Family Playground and the Shana Penn Garden to be opened in Spring 2018 will be sponsored by Taube Philanthropies and will augment Frajda’s activities. In the next couple of years, we aim to double the number of students from 11 to 22. Long-term, we’d love for there to be a full-time Jewish schooling option after students age out of Frajda.

What are you most proud of in the creation of this program?

Frajda’s opening marked the first time in over half a century that a pluralistic Jewish nursery school had opened its doors in Krakow. Frajda’s children are able to connect with Jewish traditions, holidays, history, and values from the day they are born, an opportunity many of their parents never had.

I feel that the recent opening of the Frajda Preschool Program is a major accomplishment. This program is of great benefit to Jewish families living in and outside of Krakow.

Congratulations to Jonathan Orenstein and his colleagues for their commitment, vision and hard work in providing the residents of Krakow and its environs with a high quality early childhood program. This program definitely serves as a model to follow for other Jewish communities.

EZRA L. STIEGLITZ, PH.D. is Professor Emeritus of Elementary Education at Rhode Island College and is Chair of the Rhode Island Holocaust/Genocide Education Committee. He can be contacted at estieglitz@ric.edu. Jonathan Orenstein is the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center of Krakow. He can be contacted at jonathan@jcckrakow.org . The website for this organization is www.jcckrakow.org .