Żydzi wschodniej Polski. Seria XIII: Żydowskie podróże, żydowscy podróżnicy

Abstract

The “Jews of Eastern Poland” conference series, initiated in 2012, is held annually in Białystok. The presented monograph is the thirteenth volume in the series. The 13th National Scientific Conference of the “Jews of Eastern Poland” series was held in Białystok on 27–28 May, dedicated to the theme: “Jewish Journeys, Jewish Travellers in Central and Eastern Europe. Personalities – Texts – Testimonies”. The conference was organised by three institutions, with the Department of Philological Research “East-West” at the Faculty of Philology, University of Białystok, playing the leading role. The second co-organiser was the Książnica Podlaska Library in Białystok, which has hosted most of the conference sessions over the years. The third partner was the Białystok Sybir Memorial Museum, which hosted the participants on the second day of the conference. This institution, dedicated to commemorating the fate of Poles exiled to Siberia and other places in the East, is a significant cultural landmark in the Podlaskie region, from which Soviet authorities carried out mass deportations to Siberia and Kazakhstan of Poles, Jews, Belarusians and other nations. In 2024, the research project involved scholars from Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom. The researchers and authors of the published papers focused on various aspects of Jewish travel in Central and Eastern Europe, both from historical and contemporary perspectives. One of the key topics was the analysis of the journeys of Jews from Central and Eastern Europe and their testimonies, including literary, journalistic and documentary accounts. Much attention was given to prominent figures among Jewish travellers, whose works influenced their contemporaries’ perception of the world. Travel as a form of existence, balancing between the rituals of daily life and necessity, was another significant theme of the conference. The participants explored how travel, both voluntary and forced due to historical circumstances, shaped the lives of Jews. Literary and artistic representations of travel, including in painting, film, theatre, music and other forms of art, were another topic discussed. Researchers considered how these forms of artistic expression influenced the interpretation of Jewish travel experiences. Discussions also covered Jewish journeys to Eretz Israel and the Middle East, and how these travels were depicted in literature and other testimonies. Western Europe, Russia, the Balkans and other regions were also explored, highlighting the diversity and complexity of Jewish journeys. An important element of the project was the analysis of the political and religious aspects of Jewish travel experiences, as well as the linguistic dimensions of these journeys. The participants discussed how travel was perceived by contemporaries and how it influenced the development of Jewish identity. The conference also provided a platform for reflection on the journeys of European Jews and the Holocaust experience, as well as on the travels to and from Białystok, Podlasie and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The opening of the research project and the session on 27 May 2024 was conducted by Professor Jarosław Ławski from the University of Białystok and Katarzyna Siemieniuk, Deputy Director for Administrative Affairs, representing the Książnica Podlaska Library. They were joined by Marcin Zwolski, PhD from the Research Institute of President Seweryn Nowakowski at the Sybir Memorial Museum, who welcomed the participants on behalf of Professor Wojciech Śleszyński, Director of the Museum. The conference was officially opened by Monika Szabłowska-Zaremba, PhD from the Catholic University of Lublin, who introduced the participants to the subject matter of the conference, emphasising the interdisciplinary nature of the meeting. The second day of the conference, 28 May 2024, was held at the Sybir Memorial Museum. A brief, but meaningful, welcome set the tone for the venue, which provided the backdrop for further discussions and presentations. Marcin Zwolski, PhD gave a speech on behalf of the hosting institution. At 9:40 am, the plenary session began, chaired by Professor Daniel Kalinowski from the Pomeranian University in Słupsk. After the panel, at 12:00 pm, the participants had the opportunity to participate in a guided tour of the Sybir Memorial Museum. The studies and papers presented at the conference were divided into two thematic blocks in the published monograph: “Real and Imaginary Journeys”, “Literary Voyages”, “Through History and Art: Records”, and “Traveller (And Not Only) Varia”. The volume was edited by Professor Daniel Kalinowski from the Pomeranian University in Słupsk and Professor Jarosław Ławski, Dean of the Faculty of Philology at the University of Białystok. The next volume in the “Jews of Eastern Poland” series will be published in 2026 and will focus on analyses of the category of “everyday life” as an interpretive key to the Jewish world of Central and Eastern Europe.