For seven centuries the Jews were an integral part of Krakow, building its greatness ans sharing its fate. They helped to create the unique identity of this city, even through science the crime of the Holocaust the heritage of Jewish Krakow is disinherited heritage, a heritage without inheritors.

The exhibition was inspired by photographs from private donors, former Cracovians now living in the United States or Israel. They spurred us on to seek further, and this brought fascinating results.

At this point, the exhibition surprises many visitors who are unaware of how deeply Kraków’s Jewish community was rooted in Polish patriotism even before the First World War. We present photographs of Polish generals and senior officers of Jewish origin taking part in the construction of the Piłsudski Mound. Many of them were former members of the Polish Legions. We also show Jewish soldiers in Polish uniforms taking an oath before the Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army at Wawel.

This image, often unexpected for many viewers, is of particular importance. It highlights the cultural homogeneity of contemporary Kraków and allows us to understand how profoundly the Holocaust diminished this heritage. The exhibition encourages reflection on the tradition of multiculturalism, which since the Middle Ages had been a foundation of the strength and identity of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

[Jacek Purchla, excerpt from an interview with Łukasz Ptak, “Skrzyżowanie Bożego Ciała i Rabina Meiselsa”, “Dziennik Polski”, 3 November 2007]