The essay entitled 'A Loss. The Jew in Modern Polish Art' was meant to serve as a comment upon Rafal Betlejewski's quasi-artistic media action 'Tesknie za Toba, Zydzie'. The analysis of this social phenomenon aimed at proving, that Poles (as a nation and as a Culture) will never be able to forget the Jew living in their minds and hearts, in their memories and everyday lives. The Jew - just like any other alien - is an indispensable component of our identity. Nevertheless, time has verified the enthusiasm for Betlejewski's project - for becoming immersed in the media glory, he seems to have forgotten about the subtle boundary-line that separates profound symbolism and meaningless shallow and illegitimate repetition. Together with the burning of the barn in Zawada, the hopes for building a new language of public debate on multiculturalism had also gone up in smoke. However, the author hopes that this does not deprive the essay of its importance and topicality.