Kraków's Jewish Religious Community long-time chairman Tadeusz Jakubowicz has passed away

The Community announced his passing on its website and social media.

"It is with deep sadness that we inform you of the death of Tadeusz Jakubowicz, long-time chairman of the Jewish Religious Community of Kraków. We mourn the loss of this very exceptional figure, who will forever remain in the hearts of the Jewish community in Poland and around the world," reads the obituary.

"A survivor of the Holocaust, completely devoted to the Jewish community in Kraków. A friend of Israel, a Great Man!"

"In private, a lover of nature, motoring, a fan of Cracovia soccer club. He was famous for his sharp tongue and blunt retorts," the Jewish Religious Community in Kraków said.

The funeral ceremonies will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Jewish Cemetery on 55 Miodowa Street.

Since 1997, Tadeusz Jakubowicz served as the chairman of the Jewish Religious Community in Kraków. In 2002, he became a board member of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage, and in 2007, he joined the board of the Jewish Community Centre. He actively participated in the work of the Social Committee for the Restoration of Kraków's Monuments (SKOZK).

In 2019, the Society of Lovers of Kraków's History and Heritage awarded him the Klemens Bąkowski Prize. For his contributions to the restoration of Kraków's historical monuments, he was honored with the Knight's Cross in 2000 and the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 2023.

"This is a great loss for the Jewish community in Kraków as well as the entire city. I extend my condolences to Tadeusz Jakubowicz's family, loved ones, and colleagues," Kraków Mayor Aleksander Miszalski wrote on social media.

Tadeusz Jakubowicz was born in Podgórze, on Smolki Street, where he lived with his parents. He survived the Kraków Ghetto and the Płaszów camp. Until the end of the war, he hid with his family in the forest. After the war, he returned to Kraków, where he completed primary school and the Tadeusz Kościuszko IV High School. He later graduated from the State Academy of Music in Katowice.