Jack Raslowsky

This week, I am traveling to Poland to participate in the 2025 JCC Krakow Ride For The Living program. Each year the Xavier Holocaust studies program visits the JCC in Krakow.  The work they are doing to build Jewish life and educate others is always a great sign of hope for me, Brian, Tom and the Xavier students and faculty we accompany. 

This coming week in Krakow, as we hold sacred the memory of those killed in the Holocaust, Ride For The Living participants will have the opportunity to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau together, share conversation and meals, and pray together. On Friday, I will join 250 other participants on a 60 mile bike ride from Auschwitz-Birkenau to the JCC Krakow during the 2025 Ride For The Living. This bike ride serves as a major fundraisng event in support of the programs of the JCC.

This year’s ride is taking place at an extraordinary moment in history with continued hostilities in Ukraine and Israel and an increased need to combat antisemitism in our own communities.

And yet, thousands of miles away from us, there is a thriving Jewish community in Krakow, right in the shadow of one of the biggest atrocities in human history. 
Today, JCC Krakow is a beacon of hope, reconnecting Jews to their culture and community.
Xavier and I are honored to support this organization as I embark on the
10th Annual Ride For The Living!

Money raised during Ride For The Living will provide necessary support to the Jewish Community Center of Krakow, which serves as the focal point for the revival of Jewish life in Poland.
With over 1,100 Jewish members, including a Senior Club with
60 Holocaust survivors, a Hillel with almost 70 members, and the FRAJDA Preschool & Nursery, Krakow’s Jewish community is flourishing.

Additionally, in the last three years, JCC Krakow has been a key partner in providing humanitarian assistance to over 400,000 Ukrainians, 98% of whom are not Jewish and hundreds of displaced Israelis after October 7 attacks.

I hope you will consider helping make a difference in the lives of hundreds of Jews in Krakow who deserve the opportunity to flourish in a vibrant, welcoming, and modern Jewish community. Thank you for your consideration.