JDC President Eugene J. Ribakoff Meets with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales

LONDON – When Eugene J. Ribakoff, President of the JDC met with His Royal Highness Prince Charles earlier this month in England, it was over a common point of interest: Polish Jewry.

The prince paid a visit to Krakow, Poland in 2002, and was deeply moved by the plight of very stricken elderly Jews and their desire to create a central meeting place. His intimate discussions with these elderly Holocaust survivors, combined with his strong impression of the beauty of Krakow’s architecture and its Jewish history, inspired him to respond.

"[After visiting the Jews of Krakow] I returned to London determined to do something for that community, and to find an organization which might help," stated His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. "In the eighteen months or so since that visit, they have pulled together the resources, the council, the planners and everyone necessary to turn the dream I had of helping to sustain this historic community into a reality. When this day center is built, it will re-lay the foundations for Krakow's Jewish community, which goes back so far, and has enormous cultural and spiritual depth."

"His Royal Highness has a genuine commitment to helping these people," said Gene Ribakoff. "And JDC is honored by his support."

Mr. Nigel Layton, head of the London-based WJR, discussed his organization’s partnership with JDC on the Krakow project, which so involved the prince. "Together we explored the possibility of improving the lives of these elderly survivors. There is a re-emergence of a Jewish community in Krakow. It is a miracle that this community has survived at all. Each week more people in Poland are discovering their Jewish roots and becoming part of the Jewish community. World Jewish Relief has committed itself to building a community center to serve young and old alike. We have met with many of these people. There is huge excitement that the Jews of Krakow, many of them still too frightened to openly identify as Jews, will soon have a place to practice their Judaism in comfort, privacy and safety. This is Jewish renewal in its truest sense."

JDC, which sponsors programs of relief and community renewal will oversee the establishment and operating of the new community center in Krakow.