Orthodox Jews in Zakopane

Well, I must’ve slipped into a parallel universe. Turns out, a southern Polish city (or a town, rather) of Zakopane is becoming popular among the Jews. Orthodox Jews, to be exact. It’s a suprising turn of events, to say the least, as Zakopane is no longer the top tourist destination for Poles and has a rather mixed reputation. It used to be a great, cultured, place, but now, it’s no longer held in high regard by many Poles. Still, it has its charm. For some reason, first the Arabs, and now Orthodox Jews, are discovering Zakopane.

Zakopane is the place of highlanders. We call them górale in Poland, it’s like a local folklore. They have their special clothes, special food, and a shepherd’s axe called ciupaga. They are also rumored to be really conservative but, turns out, they don’t mind the culture clash as long as they get well-paid by their guests from far-away lands.

As the article states, it’s unclear what has caused Zakopane to be popular among Orthodox Jews. For the life of me, I can’t think of a reason, either. But hey, the highlanders are happy, they like their dudki (a local, somewhat humorous, word for money). Apparently, the Jews leave better tips than the Arabs. Not me saying it; that’s what the article says.

Well, on a personal note, I was in Israel when I was ten. It was a Cyprus-Egypt-Israel trip. I wish I could say that I’d prayed at the Wailing Wall but I was more interested in those little pieces of paper stuck in there. I was curious to find out what’s it all about. It was so surreal to me, so different. I barely remember my trip to Israel, but I do remember there was some kind of security watching our group.

I might visit again, so feel free to share your tips about Israel – I’m not a fan of overly-touristy destinations.

Zakopane popular among Orthodox Jews? It really is a strange world these days.