For First Time Since Holocaust, Visitors To Auschwitz Can Now Buy Kosher Food

Eight decades after the liberation of Auschwitz from Nazi control, Jewish visitors now have access to kosher food at the site. Just a short distance from the former concentration camp, travelers will for the first time be able to purchase ready-to-eat kosher meals at the Auschwitz Jewish Center. This center, now functioning as a museum, is also home to the only synagogue that still stands in Oświęcim, the town the Nazis once renamed Auschwitz.

The kosher food service is launching in conjunction with Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on the evening of April 23. In Poland, the solemn day is marked by the March of the Living, an annual event where thousands walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau. The Auschwitz Jewish Center plans to enhance its programming for the event by offering prayer services.

Eighty survivors of the Holocaust are expected to take part in this year’s march, making it one of the most significant survivor gatherings at Auschwitz in recent memory. They’ll be joined by Jewish teenagers from various parts of the globe.

Prior to the Holocaust, the Jewish community made up more than half of Oświęcim’s population. The town boasted over 30 synagogues, as well as kosher bakeries, restaurants, and butchers. Today, only one Jew is known to live there — a woman employed by the Auschwitz Jewish Center. Hila Weisz-Gut relocated in 2023 to live with her Polish partner. Her grandmother survived Auschwitz, though many of her relatives were among the one million Jews who perished there.

Since reopening in 2000, the Auschwitz Jewish Center has welcomed around 800,000 guests. Although that figure represents only a fraction of the over one million annual visitors to Auschwitz itself, the foundation’s leadership believes it’s important to accommodate religious Jewish travelers.

“Opening the city’s first post-war kosher concession was a natural step, ensuring that Kosher-observant visitors could pray or reflect in our synagogue while also enjoying a kosher meal,” said Simon Bergson.

Until now, observant Jews visiting the site had to bring food with them or coordinate catered meals in advance. But the new kosher option at the center is about more than convenience, says Jack Simony, the foundation’s director general.

“This concession is more than just a place to eat – it symbolizes continuity, resilience, and hope for future generations,” he said in a statement.

{Matzav.com}