The first edition of the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow was inaugurated in 1988. From a small, local event, it has grown to an international phenomenon. Now it is one of the most important events of this kind in the world, presenting contemporary Jewish culture created both by Jews in Israel and the entire Jewish Diaspora. Currently, it is probably the only Jewish festival in the world founded and run by non-Jews. It is also one that is largely attended by non-Jews. Even more striking is the fact that it is held in a country virtually bereft of Jews. The aim of this chapter is to examine the evolving and expanding character of the festival and its main purposes and themes. The main goal of the festival is to educate participants about Jewish culture, history and faith (Judaism), which flourished in Poland before the Holocaust, as well to make them familiar with modern Jewish culture (music, cuisine, dance, calligraphy and other aspects).

Keywords: Jewish Culture Festival, Kazimierz district in Krakow, klezmer, Ashkenazy, boutique multiculturalism

The Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow, inaugurated in 1988, has grown from a small, local event to an international phenomenon, gathering numerous Jewish musicians, singers, artists, writers and scholars not only from Israel but also from diasporas in different countries, and thousands of largely non-Jewish participants. The aim of this chapter is to describe the evolution of the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow. I will argue that an event previously focused on the heritage of Ashkenazy Jews and practically limited to klezmer music has evolved over time into a wide range of diverse Jewish worlds, namely that of Ashkenazy, Mizrahi (Lewin-Epstein, Cohen 2018) and, finally, Israeli culture. I also will examine whether the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow is an authentic celebration of Jewish life or a result of boutique multiculturalism, meaning a superficial fascination with the Other. In order to answer this question, it is necessary to focus on the festival's declared mission and the character of the events offered to its participants.

In order to describe the characteristics of the festival and to investigate the above-mentioned question, I will analyse existing qualitative and quantitative data.