I wrote this poem after hearing of the Polish government’s legislation limiting discussion of the Shoah. Most, if not all, societies try to suppress the disturbing events of their past. It is the role of historians, artists, and activists to remind them of their buried misdeeds.

They are committed

to erasing their memory

they have placed themselves

upon the table

soon the lobotomy

then the plastic surgeon

to take away

their scars

They will rise en masse

one smiling

nation

happy to have forgotten

Jedwabne and

Kielce

happy to have stopped searching

through the mountains

of ash

Image via Pixabay

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Nothing like a sexy, naked afternoon photo shoot in a cemetery, amiright? Well, Polish photographer Lukasz Szczygielski thought so. He brought his camera and a model to a Jewish cemetery in Checiny, where its 150 tombstones were a great backdrop, for sure.

Szczygielski explained that he wanted to draw attention to the neglected cemetery. “I wanted to draw attention to the neglect of the place. The cemetery is forgotten, he told Gazeta Wyborcza. The model posed against the headstones naked from the waist up, with a necklace bearing a large cross hanging between her breasts.

Critics turned up promptly, arguing that there are far less offensive ways to commemorate the cemetery. Szczygielski apologized, explaining that distaste was not his intention.

(Photo by Silar/Wikimedia)

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Polish archaeologists discovered something unusual at a construction site in the South of Poland: what is believed to be a Medieval-era burial site for suspected vampires. According to the Guardian, who broke the ghoulish news, “Skeletons were found with their heads removed and placed on their legs indicating they had been subjected to an execution ritual designed to ensure the dead stayed dead.”

Unfortunately no identifying objects (jewelry, objects, garlic cloves) were found, so the archaeologists can’t ascertain exactly when the bodies were buried. But apparently the vampire craze existed pre-Twilight. From the Guardian:

Historians say that the practice was common in the Slavic lands during the decades following the adoption of Christianity by pagan tribes.

Happy Friday. (Boo.)

Polish archaeologists unearth ‘vampire grave’ [Guardian]

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• There’s a food revolution happening in Poland, and it sounds pretty good. [Washington Post]

• Ramaz alum Leandra Medine—better known as her sartorial alter ego, Man Repeller—made the New York Post’s list of 13 Women to Watch Under 30. [NYP]

• Mila Kunis cooks Russian food. That is all. [Esquire]

• Meanwhile, when Carmelo Anthony was lurking by the Celtics bus the other night, he was “probably not there to to tell his opponents they could still get to Veselka and order the latkes.” [WSJ]

• Jeff Garlin is getting a podcast called “By The Way,” and comedy pals like Larry David and Judd Apatow will be stopping by. [HuffPo]

• Until then, here’s Apatow talking to Alex Baldwin on Baldwin’s similarly-named WNYC show, “Here’s the Thing:”

The post Daily Jewce: Mila Kunis’ Russian Cooking, Apatow and Baldwin Kibbitz appeared first on Jewcy.

• Happy New Year from the Jewish cabal. [Tablet]

• An Orthodox Jew comes clean about celebrating the Russian New Year. [Haaretz]

• There’s a new Israeli restaurant in Krakow’s Jewish Quarter, and it’s called Hamsa Hummus and Happiness. [JTA]

• ‘Jewish Jordan’ Tamir Goodman’s line of sports-friendly, UV protectant tzitzit ihave found a new customer: IDF soldiers. [Cleveland Jewish News]

• Famed immigration hub Ellis Island is still closed from damage sustained during Hurricane Sandy. [Forward]

• Persian Drake stopped by Bravo reality show Shahs of Sunset:

The post Daily Jewce: Israeli Food in Poland, Persian Drake on ‘Shahs of Sunset’ appeared first on Jewcy.

• The New York Times goes house hunting in Poland.

• Not everyone liked Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris: the Faulkner estate is suing Sony over Owen Wilson’s character’s unauthorized use of a Faulkner quote.

• Jewcy contributor Hillary Busis talked to the Degrassi creator in advance of the series’ 300th episode—and yes, Drake came up.

• In what should come as no surprise whatsoever, everyone is making a really big deal about Lena Dunham’s pro-Obama video.

• Curbed takes a look at Manhattan’s synagogues-turned-condos.

• Watch Joan Nathan make the ultimate roast chicken:

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• A look at the hipster-friendly party scene in Krakow, Poland.

• Barbra Streisand, the most expensive concert ticket ever, made her tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch last night “a Jewish thing.”

• There was a Deli Summit in California last summer, and you weren’t invited.

• In between seasons of New Girl, Schmidt wrote a book. And good news, ladies: he’s fully healed.

• A new reality show, The House of Faith N’ Fashion, follows Tobi Rubinstein Schneier, ex-wife of Manhattan rabbi Marc Schneier and an ordained rabbi herself, in her quest to become a fashion designer.

• Andy Samberg, dirty hippie? See for yourself on his new BBC show, Cuckoo:

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• Kutsher’s Tribeca co-owner (and founding director of the Jewish Community Project of Lower Manhattan) Alan Wilzig has an insane TriBeCa townhouse and a reality show in the works.

• Where to find pierogis in London.

• Salvador Dali designed the logo for Chupa Chups lollipops, the preferred lollipop of sleepaway camp visiting days.

• Ah, yes, the $1.1 million shekel.

The post Daily Jewce: High-fashion Peyos, Tribeca’s Craziest Townhouse, Pierogis in London, and more appeared first on Jewcy.

• Do you think you know everything there is to know about Hollywood’s #2 favorite religion (behind Judaism of course)?  Take the Scientology quiz!

• Cantorial music makes a comeback in Poland.

• Politics Daily says Casino Jack, the new film about Jack Abramoff, should be required viewing for all new lawmakers.  Will that deter more people from running for office?  Who knows?

• So apparently, Jon Stewart is going to box Rachel Maddow.

The post Daily Jewce: The Scientology Quiz, Cantors In Poland, The Jack Abramoff Film, Stewart Vs. Maddow and More appeared first on Jewcy.