FestivALT’s “Lucky Jew” project began as a satirical response to the buying and selling of stereotypical images of Jews with money for economic luck on Krakow’s streets and tourist markets.
In 2020, it evolved into a 73-hour global online summit, and spawned a task force and partnership with the City of Krakow to determine the future of this problematic practice in Krakow’s tourist ecology. What will be the future of “The Jew for Luck” in Kraków?
The city of Krakow, which experienced such incredible tragedy during the war and the Holocaust, must be aware that certain items sold in the public sphere are perceived through the filter of these tragic events. Only cooperation and dialogue will make it possible to change commonly held attitudes and remove these offensive figurines as well as the antisemitic inscriptions/signage on the stalls.
This is a fragment from the official position presented by the participants of the Round Table workshops and meetings that FestivALT co-iniated and were moderated by the City of Krakow by the Villa Decius Institute of Culture. The purpose of the letter is to draw attention to the necessity of taking all possible actions to raise awareness about the complexities and problems of these “Lucky Jews”. This is particularily important in the context of a city like Krakow that holds such complex and difficult history. After many year’s of ignoring this issue, the City’s new position and willingness to continue to raise awareness is a huge step forward. This is a something that FestivALT has worked on and towards for many years.
The declaration was published on June 8th 2021, and was signed by dozens of representatives from numerous institutions and fields. You can find the full text of the statement in English here and add your name to the list signataries:
On July 3rd at 5:30 PM at the Galicia Jewish Museum, FestivALT’s co-director Magda Rubenfeld is joined by Robert Piaskowski (the plenipotentiary to the Mayor for culture), Michał Niezabitowski (Director of Museum of Kraków) and Nina Gabryś (the plenipotentiary to the Mayor for issues of discrimination and equality) for a conversation about how this controversial art project became a catalyst for education, activism and meaningful change. The discussion will be moderated by Anna Makówka-Kwapisiewicz (Czulent Jewish Association).
The event will be recorded and made available online later. Join us and become a part of this vital discussion!
