The Polish Institute in Tel Aviv and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Israel invite you to the conference “Poland–Israel: Roots, Community and Future”, which will take place on 18–19 June 2026 at the Ennis Cultural Center in Jaffa.

The conference, the first of its kind, is intended to create a space for encounter, exchange and the strengthening of ties between Poland and Israel, bringing together historical memory, community life and contemporary initiatives in culture, society and education. Over the course of two days, public officials, local government representatives, community leaders, scholars, writers and artists will gather to discuss both the shared past and future opportunities for cooperation.

The program will include professional panels devoted to cooperation between twin cities and networks connecting local governments in Poland and Israel. Additional discussions will focus on the contribution of communities of Polish origin, the preservation of heritage and memory, and questions of intergenerational continuity and transmission of historical narratives.

Alongside the professional and community-oriented content, the conference will offer a rich cultural program, including a gala evening, a concert, a literary panel dedicated to Polish literature in Hebrew translation, a screening of a classic film, and informal networking opportunities. 

The event is open to the public free of charge, subject to prior registration. We invite you to join the conversation, discover new initiatives, and take part in building bridges between communities, cultures and generations.

We look forward to welcoming you to the conference!

18–19 June 2026
Ennis Cultural Center, Jaffa
Address: 9 Pa’amonit Street, Jaffa
Free admission upon registration

The event will be held in Hebrew (and in parts in Polish – with the simultaneous translation to Hebrew).

For registration to the 1st day of the conference, 18 June

For registration to the 2nd day of the conference, 19 June

Full conference programme

Thursday, 18 June 2026

14:00–15:00 – Welcome Reception

15:00–16:30 – Official Opening Session

Maciej Hunia, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Israel
Magdalena Kukuła, Director of the Polish Institute in Tel Aviv
Greetings by Haim Bibas, Chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel and Mayor of Modi’in

Panel 1 – Municipal and Community Bridges: Poland–Israel Cooperation in Practice

Topic: Twin-city partnerships, municipal cooperation and structured dialogue between Poland and Israel

Moderator: Dr. Lea Ganor – Founder and Director of the Mashmaut Center and International Relations Department, Kiryat Motzkin Municipality; Spiegel Fellow; Senior Researcher and Coordinator of the Poland Forum at the Finkler Institute for Holocaust Research, Bar-Ilan University

Participants:

• Annette Ben Shahar – Director of International Cooperation, Rishon LeZion Municipality
• Meirav Kopito – Youth Department, Rishon LeZion Municipality
• Iwo Weremko – Centre for International Cooperation, City of Lublin
• Andrzej Pietrasik – Mayor of Płońsk
• Tsiki Avishar – Mayor of Kiryat Motzkin

16:30–17:00 – Coffee Break

17:00–18:00 – Panel 2 – Living Memory: Community Leadership and Cooperation

Topic: Community preservation initiatives, intergenerational continuity and cooperation with partners in Poland

Moderator: Adam Koren – Historian, guide, photographer, blogger and activist promoting Poland–Israel relations

Participants:

• Prof. Yossef Frost – President of David Yellin Academic College of Education, Jerusalem
• Ram Yakir – Educator, social activist and guide of youth delegations to Poland
• Shlomit Beck – Chair of the Association of Chełm Descendants in Israel
• Tzafrira Malovany Shmukler – Chair of the Janów Lubelski and Pułtusk Descendants Associations in Israel
• Alon Goldman – Representative of the Częstochowa Descendants Association in Israel
• Boaz Yardeni and Vera Korsonsky (SparkPro) – “Living Bridge” educational initiative promoting Poland–Israel dialogue through science, education and vocational training

18:00–19:00 – Reception, Wine and Light Refreshments

19:00–20:00 – Gala Evening

Opening remarks:

• Maciej Hunia, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Israel
• Magdalena Kukuła, Director of the Polish Institute in Tel Aviv

Heritage in Action: Preserving Jewish Memory in Contemporary Poland

Short-form presentations by representatives of Polish institutions

Moderator: Radosław Wójcik, Deputy Director of the Polish Institute in Tel Aviv

Speakers:

• Jolanta Gumuła – Deputy Director for Programming of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
• Michał Trębacz – Director of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw
• Franciszek Bojańczyk – Special Representative for Development at the Warsaw Ghetto Museum

20:00–21:00 – Concert: “Escape from the Shadows”

Aleksandra Dąbrowska-Madejska (viola)
Wojciech Pyrć (piano)

Friday, 19 June 2026

09:00 – Welcome Coffee

09:30–10:30 – Panel 1 – Polish-Israeli communities and associations engaging with Polish Heritage in Israel

Topic: Polish–Israeli communities and organizations promoting Polish heritage in Israel

Moderator: Hanna Oren – Educator and Coordinator of the Holocaust and Revival Research Initiative at the Mashmaut Center and International Relations Department, Kiryat Motzkin Municipality; member of the Commission for the Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem

Participants:

• Lili Haber – Chair of the Association of Polish Jews in Israel; Chair of the Kraków Descendants Association in Israel
• Henryk Zvi Kelner – Chair of the Israel–Poland Cultural Relations Association
• Yaakov Kuperberg – Chair of the Israel–Poland Friendship Society
• Zvika Shulman – Chair of the Lublin and Region Descendants Association in Israel

10:30–10:45 – Coffee Break

10:45–11:45 – Panel 2 – Polish and Israeli literary perspectives on Jewish memory, history, and cultural continuity

The panel will focus on books published in Hebrew during the last three years dealing with various aspects of Polish–Jewish relations:

History of the Holocaust, Memory of the Holocaust: Polish Jews and Jewish Poles During and After the Holocaust (Routledge, 2024), Renia’s Diary (Matar, 2025), The Bloody Wednesday (Magnes Press, 2025), and Guidebook – Warsaw 1938 (Magnes Press, 2026).

Moderator: Benny Mer – Writer, editor and translator of poetry specializing in the history of Jewish Warsaw; currently an editor at Magnes Press, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Participants:

• Orit Margaliot – EdTech entrepreneur, independent researcher and educator specializing in Holocaust and Polish-Jewish heritage pedagogy
• Dr. Yechiel Weizman – Historian and lecturer at the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry, Bar-Ilan University
• Dr. Lea Ganor – Founder and Director of the Mashmaut Center and International Relations Department, Kiryat Motzkin Municipality; Spiegel Fellow; Senior Researcher and Coordinator of the Poland Forum at the Finkler Institute for Holocaust Research, Bar-Ilan University

11:45–12:00 – Coffee Break

12:00–13:30 – Panel 3 – Memory, culture, and the continuity of Polish–Jewish heritage

Screening of the documentary film Dybuk (1988), directed by Ami Tadeusz Drozd, followed by a discussion panel.

Moderator: Shiri Lev-Ari – Journalist and literary critic

Participants:

• Ami Tadeusz Drozd – Documentary filmmaker and screenwriter focusing on Polish-Jewish memory and heritage
• Prof. Marcos Silber – Professor of Jewish History and Polish Jewry, Multidisciplinary Unit for Polish Studies, University of Haifa