Who is a Polish Jew? How is Polish art different from Jewish one? Does art produced by Polish Jews have any specific features, common themes, or material? Poles and Jews have lived side by side for thousands of years. They have exchanged ideas, cultural values, and customs. Jewish painters and sculptors have been part of Polish artistic circles, exhibited in Polish venues, and presented their works internationally as representatives of Poland. 'Polish Jew" does not only denote origins. It is a sociological and cultural category that refers to the space where Polishness and Jewishness meet. It also emphasises that Jewish artists have been shaping Poland's history and art.
On the opposite side of Opera Gallery, in Redutowe Rooms, you will find yourself in the world of Polish Jewish athletes of the inter-war period. The exhibition is inspired by an illustrated book published by the Professor Mojżesz Schorr Foundation titled Be Strong and Brave by Grażyna Pawlak, Daniel Grinberg, and Maciej Sadowski. Among the athletes featured are water jumping champion Eugenia Frydman, renowned chess player Dawid Przepiórka, discus-thrower Helena Bersohn, and the famous boxer Szapsel Rotholc, aka Szapsio, along with motorcycle riders, hokey players, and basketball players of the Maccabi team.
