ZINELBUCH: A JEWISH, SOCIALIST & DIASPORIST PUBLICATION IN POLISH

Cafe Bund, a Polish and Jewish project organising under the Ogniwo Cafe & Bookshop Cooperative in Kraków, Poland, is proudly announcing its first publication!

A product of many months of work, the first Zinelbuch explores the contemporary relevance of Bundist thought. It is the first such Polish-language publication in decades. It includes original pieces, previously published works translated by professionals, and colourful photos and illustrations, many of which were originally made for our publication.  

We wish to print 200 copies in A4 format, about 40 pages long, organised by our partner printing cooperative in Kraków, Spółdzielnia Szmira. We will send a copy to every author, illustrator and donor, as well as acknowledge your incredible help on page 2. We also aim to provide libraries, institutions, and sister organisations and collectives with copies for exhibition, alongside an online pdf version sometime after print release.

We require 4000 PLN (Approx 1000 USD or 920 EUR) for printing costs. Our model will be to pay-as-you-wish, with the first priority to cover mailout costs. We will consult our donors, writers and illustrators on what to do with any remaining funds.

We will gladly answer any questions. Please contact us by email, or reach out via our Instagram @zinelbuch or @cafe.bund.

Below you can find our Editorial note, provisionally translated into English:

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ZINELBUCH EDITORIAL

We are extremely proud to give you the first issue of Zinelbuch. The name comes from the words zine and zamlbuch, which means “anthology” in Yiddish. This was the name given to publications published by the General Jewish Labour Bund in Lithuania, Poland and Russia between 1907 and 1911 - the years of the Tsarist counter-revolution, when, as an organisation, the Bund was not able to publish daily newspapers.

Why are we writing about an organisation liquidated in Poland 75 years ago by the communists? Where did the first topic of our new publication come from?

As Polish and Jewish socialists who connect our future to Poland, we believe that - despite the fact that a lot has changed in our community - we can still learn from the Bund's political thought. We are not alone in this - all over the world, interest in Bundism in our community is growing. The articles by Josh Meyers (USA) or Isabel Frey (Austria) included in our publication can serve as examples. For readers unfamiliar with the history and heritage of the Bund, we recommend starting with texts by Włodek Goldkorn (Italy) and Irena Klepfisz (USA). 

Bundism is not everything! That is why we also include translations and works by members of the queer collective Shabbes 24/7 (Belgium). We do not limit ourselves to translations only. We want our writing to be grounded in the local context. So we are also throwing in an interview with members of the Krakow Revolutionary Choir - conducted by Laurie Debeni - and a column by Bartosz Sieniawski. a socialist and journalist with no Jewish background, who is sympathetic to the goal of rebuilding Jewish socialist organisations as integral parts of the Polish and worldwide socialist movement.

When we started work on the zine in July 2023, we could not have foreseen the events of October 7 and beyond. Having already had an idea for the project, we did not want to try to take on the topic in an unprepared way, especially not knowing when we would submit the zine for publication. Nevertheless, we could not ignore the situation completely - so we are publishing translated statements from Jewish socialist organisations in Australia, England, France and Israel-Palestine. We hope they will create room for reflection and discussion, which we would like to join in the next issue, if we are given the opportunity.

Why the doubt? From the fact that the zine was created with the help of a huge number of people. Every single person has put their whole heart into the work, despite the lack of time. This time we have succeeded. However, if we want to have a realistic chance of publishing more, we need to build something sustainable. So any help is welcome (you can reach out to us on the previous page). For now, we would like to thank all who have contributed so far!

When we wrote that the values of Diaspora Jewish socialism are still relevant to us, we did not want to limit ourselves to (at least for now!) a tiny socialist Jewish niche in Poland. We can learn a lot from cooperation with sister organisations around the world, but this alone is not enough. All the more so if we want to actively participate in Polish cultural, social or political life. We want Zinelbuch to be able to maintain its Jewish character, while remaining open to members, co-creators and contributors from other communities. Certain topics may be of particular interest to representatives of other national, ethnic, religious or racial minorities. At the end of the day, we want to remain open to all people - because we have much more in common than what divides us.