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LODZ, POLAND
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00:00:45,012 --> 00:00:46,387
Hanka Blumsztajn
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My name is Hanka
Blumsztajn – now I live in Israel,
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00:00:50,954 --> 00:00:54,943
in Petach Tikvah, which
means the Gates of Hope
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00:00:55,262 --> 00:00:56,766
Jerzy Borensztajn
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00:00:58,337 --> 00:01:01,456
Jerzy Borensztajn – I live in Tel Aviv now
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00:01:01,486 --> 00:01:02,900
Lilka Rozenbaum
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00:01:04,376 --> 00:01:08,124
I'm from Lodz, from the Peretz school,
now I live in Boston
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00:01:08,522 --> 00:01:09,726
Paulina Lajfer
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00:01:11,572 --> 00:01:15,411
I'm from Lodz, now
I live in the State of New York
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00:01:15,521 --> 00:01:17,045
Henryk Chmielnicki
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00:01:18,185 --> 00:01:21,957
My name is Heniek Chmielnicki,
I live in New York now
15
00:01:21,998 --> 00:01:23,263
Mira Lejb
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00:01:24,569 --> 00:01:28,374
Currently I live in the US
17
00:01:29,021 --> 00:01:30,771
Freda Rozenbaum
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00:01:30,801 --> 00:01:33,738
I live in London, and partly in Tel Aviv,
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00:01:33,773 --> 00:01:35,132
Ewa Rozenbaum
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00:01:35,157 --> 00:01:42,157
My name is now Ewa Yerushalmi I live in
London and in Israel, I sort of divide my time
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00:01:42,257 --> 00:01:43,921
Marek Rozenbaum
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00:01:44,672 --> 00:01:48,650
My name is Marek Rozenbaum. Currently
I live in Israel in Ramat Ha'Sharon
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00:01:48,675 --> 00:01:50,431
Henryk Lewkowicz
24
00:01:51,264 --> 00:01:53,843
Now I live in Ottawa, Canada
25
00:01:54,436 --> 00:01:55,608
Golda Tencer
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00:01:56,694 --> 00:02:02,545
I live in Warsaw now. I stayed.
My emigration was only to Warsaw
27
00:02:03,614 --> 00:02:04,974
Janusz Tencer
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00:02:05,693 --> 00:02:07,652
I live in Sweden now
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00:02:07,677 --> 00:02:09,058
Jurek Dancygier
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00:02:11,037 --> 00:02:14,177
I live in New York, in Manhattan
31
00:02:15,090 --> 00:02:16,778
Beniek Chencinski
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00:02:17,371 --> 00:02:19,246
I live in Toronto now, in Canada
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00:02:20,070 --> 00:02:21,718
Sarenka Kagan
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00:02:22,242 --> 00:02:24,476
I live in Israel, in Jerusalem
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The Peretzniks
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00:02:35,154 --> 00:02:42,642
A film by Slawomir Grunberg
Based on an idea by Golda Tencer
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00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,140
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL
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00:03:00,881 --> 00:03:05,560
My name is Sara Kagan, though
friends always called me Sarenka.
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00:03:06,598 --> 00:03:12,145
That's you there in 3rd grade,
the end of school year…
40
00:03:12,170 --> 00:03:14,788
After the war, like
many Jewish children,
41
00:03:14,829 --> 00:03:17,446
I found myself at the
orphanage in Helenowek.
42
00:03:18,980 --> 00:03:23,425
I was sent to the Peretz School
right after it was opened.
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00:03:23,983 --> 00:03:31,983
When I graduated in 1957, many Jews from
Lodz chose to emigrate, mainly to Israel.
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00:03:35,283 --> 00:03:36,426
I stayed.
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00:03:38,596 --> 00:03:44,687
I returned to Peretz after graduating
from university…this time as a teacher
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00:03:44,787 --> 00:03:49,180
- Everyone remembers right?…
- You were a good kid, polite…
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00:03:49,205 --> 00:03:55,001
I decided to go to Israel only after
they closed down the school in 69
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00:03:55,851 --> 00:03:57,850
Who? Heniek? Great!
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00:03:58,179 --> 00:03:59,476
- Of course!
50
00:03:59,934 --> 00:04:01,216
- Shalom
51
00:04:04,041 --> 00:04:08,353
My behavior at school
was 'unsatisfactory' …
52
00:04:08,378 --> 00:04:13,670
This film is about my Jewish
school, its students, and the people
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00:04:13,695 --> 00:04:18,643
who created it and who are now
scattered all around the world.
54
00:04:18,668 --> 00:04:20,591
Oh, this is Tosia…
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00:04:20,616 --> 00:04:21,959
Not Tosia but Tonia
56
00:04:22,677 --> 00:04:27,174
In 1st grade nothing was
taught in any other language
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but Yiddish, they even
taught Polish in Yiddish
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00:04:34,022 --> 00:04:39,747
I was neither Polish nor Jewish, I was
just Sara, I was simply a human being
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00:04:39,772 --> 00:04:43,483
I don't think we
considered ourselves Jews.
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00:04:45,171 --> 00:04:49,732
We felt that we were
Poles of Jewish origin.
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00:04:49,757 --> 00:04:54,797
I was 100% Polish and
100% Jewish and I never
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00:04:54,822 --> 00:04:58,174
thought one conflicted
with the other in any way
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00:04:58,268 --> 00:05:00,886
I never had any identity issues.
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00:05:00,918 --> 00:05:03,362
I think we had a Christmas tree with real
candles on it
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00:05:03,387 --> 00:05:07,792
I always felt Polish,
Poland was my homeland.
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00:05:07,817 --> 00:05:12,819
For me… the Polish army…
I was a true Polish patriot
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00:05:13,369 --> 00:05:15,455
I am a Jewish child and a Polish flower
68
00:05:20,927 --> 00:05:24,898
Pre-war Lodz was one of the economic
and industrial centers of Europe
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00:05:25,723 --> 00:05:29,897
It was also a meeting point for many
different cultures and nationalities.
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00:05:29,922 --> 00:05:35,157
This so called 'Promised Land' was
inhabited by Poles, Jews and Germans,
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00:05:35,182 --> 00:05:39,900
but also Czechs, Russians, Austrians,
English, French, and the Italians.
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00:05:44,696 --> 00:05:48,964
Both culture and business
flourished in Lodz
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00:05:48,989 --> 00:05:53,325
In both areas, Jews were
among the successful ones.
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00:05:53,350 --> 00:05:58,222
Before the war they accounted
for about 1/3 of the city's population.
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00:06:16,854 --> 00:06:23,589
World War II brought about the most
tragic events in the history of Lodz Jews.
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The Lodz Ghetto became the
second largest after the Warsaw one,
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and it existed longer than any
other ghetto in Nazi-occupied Europe.
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60 thousand Jews perished
in the Lodz ghetto alone.
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00:06:42,362 --> 00:06:49,206
Another 130 thousand Lodz Jews
were murdered in death camps.
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00:07:09,124 --> 00:07:13,400
After the war Lodz turned out to be
one f the least destroyed Polish cities
81
00:07:14,708 --> 00:07:17,716
A handful of those who
survived in the ghetto
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00:07:17,756 --> 00:07:20,631
were now joined by some
50 thousand Polish Jews,
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00:07:20,656 --> 00:07:23,873
who survived the war
mainly in the Soviet Union.
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00:07:26,005 --> 00:07:29,224
Slowly, Jewish life in Lodz
was being revived.
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00:07:39,425 --> 00:07:41,253
LODZ, POLAND
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00:07:43,413 --> 00:07:50,653
In 1945 the Yitzchak Leyb Peretz
Jewish School was established in
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00:07:50,685 --> 00:07:54,136
Lodz, Named after one of the
leading Yiddish writers in Poland.
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KILINSKI STREET
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More and more kids
were enrolling in the
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Peretz School and, despite its shabby
building on Kilinski Street 49,
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00:08:04,239 --> 00:08:09,641
the school was soon considered the best
Jewish teaching facility in post-war Poland.
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00:08:15,461 --> 00:08:22,236
We used to always walk to
school in groups, of 2 or 3.
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We walked in groups because it was more
fun, and because sometimes it was… safer.
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00:08:31,219 --> 00:08:33,124
The school meant everything.
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It was a place for study,
for fun, for frienship…
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00:08:39,908 --> 00:08:47,908
Ballet, shows, culture.
It was everything.
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00:08:48,229 --> 00:08:53,077
The Peretz School was
my love, my home, my life.
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I never found
anything like it in my life.
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It was everything, it was our entire world
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00:09:00,582 --> 00:09:03,309
The school was my entire life
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00:09:03,336 --> 00:09:07,164
It was my family, it was my home
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00:09:07,189 --> 00:09:12,567
We were a very close-knit bunch, the things
we did together …you would not believe
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00:09:12,592 --> 00:09:16,303
We all knew each other
inside out… really, and
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00:09:16,328 --> 00:09:22,331
we had an immense
tolerance for one another.
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Everyday together… it created friendships,
which are important forever
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00:09:27,936 --> 00:09:31,279
The school provided meaning in my life
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It was no regular school, for me
it was a way of life, really.
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00:09:43,227 --> 00:09:45,861
Back, when the Jewish
school was 'really Jewish' we
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00:09:45,894 --> 00:09:50,272
didn't go to school on
Saturdays, but on Sundays.
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As we walked to school, we saw
empty streets you know…
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00:09:54,047 --> 00:10:01,555
On Sundays everyone's
either in church or sleeping or
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00:10:01,580 --> 00:10:04,355
something, and there we
were with our school backpacks.
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00:10:04,380 --> 00:10:11,169
Getting to school by tram on
Sunday with a schoolbag wasn't easy.
114
00:10:11,194 --> 00:10:17,668
Only Jewish kids had bags like
those, you could see them from afar…
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00:10:17,693 --> 00:10:21,599
The whole tram would laugh
and murmur something
116
00:10:21,624 --> 00:10:28,932
Our parents asked for
us to have classes on
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00:10:28,957 --> 00:10:32,386
Saturdays, instead of
Sundays, like everybody else.
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00:10:56,312 --> 00:11:00,985
Those Jews of Lodz who sent their
children to a Jewish school did so
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00:11:01,010 --> 00:11:05,362
partly in order to familiarize them
with elements of Jewish tradition,
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00:11:05,387 --> 00:11:08,784
but partly also in order to
protect us from the outside
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00:11:08,809 --> 00:11:15,331
world. And so the school
became our only reality
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00:11:32,383 --> 00:11:33,539
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
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00:11:38,698 --> 00:11:41,612
Oh, I'm so happy…
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00:11:47,002 --> 00:11:51,258
20 years... Hanka, you haven't aged at all…
125
00:11:53,204 --> 00:11:55,462
Here's my sweetheart
126
00:11:57,841 --> 00:12:04,538
You must take a look at me here.
I was always tall and beautiful,
127
00:12:04,563 --> 00:12:08,716
and for being so beautiful
they cut off my head of like this...
128
00:12:10,055 --> 00:12:11,837
This is me in kindergarten
129
00:12:16,305 --> 00:12:21,523
Graduation at the Peretz Jewish School
130
00:12:21,548 --> 00:12:26,142
Graduation at the Peretz Jewish School
131
00:12:26,652 --> 00:12:34,652
As I was leaving Poland, everyone asked
me „Why are you going, kid?”,
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00:12:37,952 --> 00:12:41,059
I just put my head down, I had nothing
to say, I was a young girl…
133
00:12:41,084 --> 00:12:43,621
I have friends all over the world,
134
00:12:43,646 --> 00:12:49,134
I don't know if we would be so close
now if we had stayed in Poland.
135
00:12:49,158 --> 00:12:53,119
Our life stories are so
alike, though I live in Israel,
136
00:12:53,145 --> 00:12:56,680
Heniek is in Canada, and
Golda stayed in Poland.
137
00:12:59,829 --> 00:13:06,893
When I go back to Poland, I see the willow
trees, forests… My God how I miss that…
138
00:13:07,078 --> 00:13:13,140
In Israel, I see the red sunshine and
those colors you know, like in van Gogh
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00:13:13,165 --> 00:13:16,252
the colors in Israel are beautiful.
140
00:13:16,277 --> 00:13:19,935
In Poland on the other hand you have so
much green and the houses are grey.
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00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:25,458
In Israel... In Israel everyone is nervous
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00:13:25,483 --> 00:13:32,291
and obnoxious, but when there is war or
shootings, everyone is suddenly together.
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00:13:32,316 --> 00:13:38,039
And I don't know where I am, I am
completely divided between two worlds,
144
00:13:38,064 --> 00:13:43,080
and at age 60 I still don't know who I am,
maybe you can tell me…?
145
00:13:46,854 --> 00:13:52,808
In 1956 most of our classmates left Poland.
146
00:13:52,833 --> 00:13:56,012
They opened the borders then
and allowed emigration.
147
00:13:56,037 --> 00:14:04,037
And so the Jewish population shrunk
instantly from 80 thousand to 30.
148
00:14:09,002 --> 00:14:11,732
50 thousand Jews left.
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00:14:11,947 --> 00:14:15,492
One of the people, who left in 1956
was Daniel Libeskind,
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00:14:15,517 --> 00:14:16,897
NEW YORK, USA
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00:14:16,922 --> 00:14:19,852
one of the most renowned contemporary
architects.
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00:14:20,003 --> 00:14:23,893
We were among the first
Jews to leave to Israel,
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00:14:23,926 --> 00:14:30,172
it was kind of an expulsion but we were
kind of a happy to be part of it.
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00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:32,946
I remember the people that
moved into our apartment had
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00:14:32,978 --> 00:14:35,919
already slept in the apartment
while we were there sleeping,
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00:14:35,944 --> 00:14:38,674
to make sure that they
get the possession of
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00:14:38,699 --> 00:14:41,611
the apartment. So had
nothing except of fear...
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00:14:41,670 --> 00:14:47,131
During the time, when Jews were allowed
to leave Poland for Israel,
159
00:14:47,158 --> 00:14:50,545
a wave of Jewish repatriants
returned from the Soviet
160
00:14:50,570 --> 00:14:53,768
Union, which was
forbidden by Stalin until then.
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00:14:53,793 --> 00:14:57,502
A new crowd of kids
appeared at the Peretz School
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00:14:57,527 --> 00:15:01,086
and you could now hear
Russian in the hallways.
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00:15:03,132 --> 00:15:04,882
ASHKELON, ISRAEL
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00:15:05,148 --> 00:15:08,757
Wow, so many years, so many years..
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00:15:08,983 --> 00:15:15,889
At the end of the 60s and the beginning of
the 70s some 20 thousand Jews left Poland.
166
00:15:16,156 --> 00:15:19,842
Now, every two or three
years, Polish Jews from
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00:15:19,867 --> 00:15:23,782
all over the world reunite
in Ashkelon in Israel.
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00:15:24,382 --> 00:15:27,961
The Peretniks are always well represented.
169
00:15:37,128 --> 00:15:41,831
40 years, but I recognized them,
I recognized them, I did
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00:15:53,573 --> 00:15:56,436
Most Peretzniks lived
in the very heart of
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00:15:56,461 --> 00:15:59,457
Lodz, just a few blocks
away from each other.
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00:16:00,006 --> 00:16:04,303
And the school was the actual
central to their lives.
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00:16:05,501 --> 00:16:08,430
The school was a kind of oasis for us.
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00:16:08,695 --> 00:16:12,445
Lodz was quite antisemitic at the time
175
00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,380
and the school gave us a feeling
of security
176
00:16:16,434 --> 00:16:20,259
As Jews, we grew up in
an atmosphere of a potential
177
00:16:20,284 --> 00:16:23,739
war, even the Polish
population felt this way
178
00:16:23,764 --> 00:16:26,350
At school, we could talk
freely about who we were,
179
00:16:26,383 --> 00:16:29,208
but God forbid that someone
should hear us outside
180
00:16:29,233 --> 00:16:33,498
I felt safe there, at the school
181
00:16:33,529 --> 00:16:39,385
It was like a little Jewish nook in Lodz,
which wasn't very friendly
182
00:16:39,418 --> 00:16:42,734
I don't think I even knew of
any other schools,
183
00:16:42,759 --> 00:16:46,962
I always say that I crossed over to the
'Aryan side' only after graduation
184
00:16:46,987 --> 00:16:50,979
It was a kind of
seclusion within our own
185
00:16:51,004 --> 00:16:54,538
community where we knew
nothing bad could happen,
186
00:16:54,563 --> 00:16:57,804
while outside
it could be dangerous
187
00:16:59,475 --> 00:17:02,010
The Peretzniks' favorite
Polish literature teacher
188
00:17:02,035 --> 00:17:05,952
- Mrs. Kwiatkowska
Lives in Lodz till this day.
189
00:17:06,203 --> 00:17:08,633
Come in.
190
00:17:09,437 --> 00:17:11,265
We have green tea here, I see…
191
00:17:11,290 --> 00:17:16,221
No, this is mate, not green tea!
Don't dare to spill it!
192
00:17:18,779 --> 00:17:22,522
Let's see what we're saying here
193
00:17:25,333 --> 00:17:27,333
- We talk about them all the time
194
00:17:27,358 --> 00:17:29,865
- I remember all the teachers.
195
00:17:30,653 --> 00:17:34,043
Polish was taught by Mrs. Kwiatkowska
196
00:17:34,068 --> 00:17:37,624
Who I was a bit of a nuisance
for sometimes…
197
00:17:37,649 --> 00:17:38,820
- Once, but seriously
198
00:17:38,845 --> 00:17:40,291
I liked her very much nevertheless
199
00:17:40,316 --> 00:17:43,580
Mrs. Kwiatkowska – she was romantic.
200
00:17:43,605 --> 00:17:48,306
She taught us beautiful Polish literature,
She taught us how to explore it,
201
00:17:48,331 --> 00:17:51,619
- Hania Blumsztajn?! Oh God...
- to discover this beautiful literature.
202
00:17:51,644 --> 00:17:56,765
And I am still a romantic myself, and I
follow my heart and not my head,
203
00:17:56,982 --> 00:18:00,087
This is Mrs. Kwiatkowska's influence.
204
00:18:00,253 --> 00:18:04,792
We absolutely loved her,
she was a great teacher.
205
00:18:04,817 --> 00:18:10,518
I remember dancing with Mrs. Kwiatkowska,
she was a very tall woman, and I was…
206
00:18:10,911 --> 00:18:16,989
I was just as tall at age 12 as I am now,
207
00:18:17,014 --> 00:18:20,630
She was so much taller than me,
208
00:18:20,655 --> 00:18:24,195
I was a big deal for me,
209
00:18:24,321 --> 00:18:27,182
And I still carry very
pleasant thoughts of her
210
00:18:27,207 --> 00:18:29,593
- Is this Faszczyk? I liked him a lot.
211
00:18:29,618 --> 00:18:33,665
She was a very good and warm
person and teacher
212
00:18:33,993 --> 00:18:41,052
I think it stuck with all of us, and that's
why we are so close, that romanticism…
213
00:18:41,500 --> 00:18:49,500
And that's why most of us do not
have the most normal lives,
214
00:18:51,681 --> 00:18:53,581
but we have interesting ones.
215
00:18:56,649 --> 00:18:58,180
TORONTO, CANADA
216
00:19:05,295 --> 00:19:07,666
After the war, Jewish
parents were reluctant to tell
217
00:19:07,691 --> 00:19:09,881
their to tell their children
about the Holocaust,
218
00:19:09,906 --> 00:19:15,794
about lost grandparents, uncles,
cousins, or siblings,
219
00:19:16,142 --> 00:19:21,306
Nor did they tell them about the events,
which took place in Poland after the war,
220
00:19:21,768 --> 00:19:24,034
Such as Kielce pogrom.
221
00:19:26,887 --> 00:19:29,910
This is our classroom… and is this Sarenka?
222
00:19:29,935 --> 00:19:34,680
The Peretzniks were brought up somewhat
unaware of what the outside world was like.
223
00:19:34,705 --> 00:19:36,792
- Sarenka was in your class?
224
00:19:36,817 --> 00:19:38,831
- Oh wait, I've got this once...
225
00:19:39,309 --> 00:19:44,607
Only as teenagers did they begin to
understand why were so well protected,
226
00:19:44,632 --> 00:19:51,776
watched-over, kept in a Jewish school, and
fed a mandatorily second breakfast.
227
00:19:52,826 --> 00:19:55,375
- This is Lucek.
- That's me.
228
00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:56,712
- And this is me..
229
00:19:56,737 --> 00:19:58,961
At our school, there were children
of intelligentsia.
230
00:19:58,986 --> 00:20:00,145
None at all,
231
00:20:00,170 --> 00:20:05,287
there were no doctors or lawyers,
232
00:20:05,433 --> 00:20:08,918
they didn't send their children to the
Jewish school.
233
00:20:08,943 --> 00:20:11,503
Who was at our school? Only the poor.
234
00:20:11,528 --> 00:20:17,465
When in sixth grade the teacher asked Ester
Baum, why she hadn't come to school,
235
00:20:17,490 --> 00:20:20,077
She said that her father was getting
her shoes repaired
236
00:20:20,102 --> 00:20:22,556
And why didn't you put on another pair?
'They're the only pair I own.'
237
00:20:22,580 --> 00:20:29,190
Children of the intelligentsia or the
richer kind were sent to Polish schools.
238
00:20:37,467 --> 00:20:41,248
They said that the State of Israel should
be established in Birobijan,
239
00:20:41,273 --> 00:20:44,308
then in Uganda, and later on Madagascar,
240
00:20:45,058 --> 00:20:46,972
and so we chose… Canada
241
00:20:49,555 --> 00:20:54,258
Most of us had no family,
242
00:20:54,465 --> 00:20:58,309
no grandpas no grandmas, I didn't even know
243
00:20:58,334 --> 00:21:02,495
that such things existed, I
only had parents
244
00:21:02,561 --> 00:21:06,608
All of my polish friends had grandmas
and grandpas...
245
00:21:06,633 --> 00:21:09,550
I didn't even know who
is a 'grandma' or 'grandpa'...
246
00:21:09,575 --> 00:21:13,830
Since a was a little kid I always
thought that in a Jewish family
247
00:21:13,855 --> 00:21:18,588
there is no notion of
grandparents, there are only parents.
248
00:21:18,613 --> 00:21:21,307
All of a sudden it turns
out that there are other kids
249
00:21:21,339 --> 00:21:24,859
like me, who have no aunts
or uncles or anybody else
250
00:21:24,884 --> 00:21:27,517
Family was replaced by friends
251
00:21:27,542 --> 00:21:33,355
This bond we shared somehow replaced
the family we were missing
252
00:21:33,380 --> 00:21:36,494
The school was a
kind of children's home,
253
00:21:36,519 --> 00:21:41,099
yeah, that's how it was…
laughter through tears
254
00:21:41,873 --> 00:21:43,365
LODZ, POLAND
255
00:21:44,237 --> 00:21:51,465
Most of the boys had a crush on the young
physics teacher Miss Wanda Minich
256
00:21:51,490 --> 00:21:53,997
Thank you so much, it's very nice of you…
257
00:21:59,537 --> 00:22:05,968
I was very young and for me to have contact
with people who experienced so much…
258
00:22:05,993 --> 00:22:08,695
It was shocked that they could
be very happy
259
00:22:09,524 --> 00:22:15,976
Oh! Miss Wanda, the physics teacher, we
used to drop pencils on the floor,
260
00:22:16,001 --> 00:22:21,698
so that we could get under the tables
and peep on that lady,
261
00:22:21,739 --> 00:22:23,636
she was the prettiest…
262
00:22:23,748 --> 00:22:29,613
She was our physics teacher, I know!
263
00:22:29,638 --> 00:22:36,717
I know exactly, she would appear in our
dreams, not only mine…
264
00:22:38,008 --> 00:22:42,677
Miss Wanda was our physics teacher and
she was a very beautiful woman
265
00:22:42,702 --> 00:22:48,967
and us kids we were simply crazy about
her and would do anything to please her.
266
00:22:48,992 --> 00:22:54,296
Unfortunately, she was my teacher only for
a while, I was very sorry because of this…
267
00:22:54,326 --> 00:22:57,498
I am absolutely shocked,
268
00:22:57,523 --> 00:23:01,588
really never thought
that I was perceived in this way...
269
00:23:01,613 --> 00:23:06,002
I was a just an
ordinary young girl and that's it
270
00:23:11,166 --> 00:23:13,807
When I was younger I used to say I didn't
want to be Jewish.
271
00:23:13,832 --> 00:23:15,893
First of all I didn't know what
Jewish meant.
272
00:23:15,918 --> 00:23:19,008
I would ask my mom in the
street „is this a Jew?” „Yes”
273
00:23:19,033 --> 00:23:22,073
"And this?” „No” „And this?” „No” „So
how do you know who is Jew?”
274
00:23:22,098 --> 00:23:25,998
Then I would ask if our cat was a Jew,
because we had a cat.
275
00:23:26,023 --> 00:23:30,142
I asked my mom „Mommy when do I have
my first communion?”
276
00:23:30,167 --> 00:23:35,930
And so mom said I have good news and bad
news, the good, bad news is you are Jewish.
277
00:23:35,955 --> 00:23:39,652
As a child I didn't understand
what any of this was about, but I
278
00:23:39,677 --> 00:23:43,867
knew you weren't supposed to talk
about being Jewish or about Israel
279
00:23:43,892 --> 00:23:49,125
When I was 6 or 7 I thought we must
have moved to Poland from
280
00:23:49,150 --> 00:23:52,751
a foreign country and
that's why they hate us
281
00:23:53,019 --> 00:23:56,129
They would call us 'dirty Jew'
282
00:23:56,154 --> 00:24:03,850
or would say that your parents
drew blood for matzah
283
00:24:04,937 --> 00:24:07,187
I didn't want to be Jewish in Poland
back then.
284
00:24:08,428 --> 00:24:09,684
I even...
285
00:24:09,709 --> 00:24:17,709
remember myself in front of the mirror
asking my mother „do I like look a Jew?”
286
00:24:21,311 --> 00:24:27,235
„No, no, it's just that all Jews look
like you” I was very unhappy
287
00:24:27,514 --> 00:24:30,983
„look at this fat Jewess”…
my mother was very big…
288
00:24:31,187 --> 00:24:34,305
„How fat she grew on Polish blood”
289
00:24:34,562 --> 00:24:39,297
When I heard that Jews killed Christ
290
00:24:39,322 --> 00:24:43,581
I used to say it couldn't have been
us, maybe the Rubinsteins from upstairs
291
00:24:43,606 --> 00:24:46,585
'cos they're not very nice, but it
surely wasn't us who killed Christ
292
00:24:46,610 --> 00:24:49,520
My father definitely
didn't kill Christ because
293
00:24:49,545 --> 00:24:52,494
he's back from work
every day exactly at 5pm
294
00:24:53,146 --> 00:24:58,021
XXVII Lyceum by the name of Peretz.
295
00:24:58,620 --> 00:25:06,620
Usually, everyone else
wore it sowed onto their unforms
296
00:25:08,727 --> 00:25:13,146
but we normally kept it on
a rubber band and took it
297
00:25:13,171 --> 00:25:17,423
off so as not to get into
a fight or be laughed at…
298
00:25:17,448 --> 00:25:19,614
The kids would yell:
„Jew, a Jews is coming”
299
00:25:19,639 --> 00:25:22,427
and I don't know if they would do anything
but I was afraid
300
00:25:22,572 --> 00:25:25,322
it wasn't the nicest thing to be a Jew
in Poland at that time,
301
00:25:25,347 --> 00:25:27,851
especially one like me,
who everyone could tell
302
00:25:27,876 --> 00:25:29,250
My name was Yitzek,
303
00:25:30,714 --> 00:25:35,042
if anyone looked at my nose
they could tell right away…
304
00:25:35,067 --> 00:25:38,477
Most average people
wouldn't think at first glance
305
00:25:38,502 --> 00:25:43,538
that I was a Jew, unless I met an 'expert'
306
00:25:43,563 --> 00:25:46,149
to be a Jewish child in
Poland back then was
307
00:25:46,174 --> 00:25:48,644
scary, It was scary
to walk down the street
308
00:25:48,669 --> 00:25:51,836
there were street or
districts even where I
309
00:25:51,861 --> 00:25:55,217
would never go, 'cos I
would be scared to go
310
00:25:55,242 --> 00:26:01,011
we tried to walk out if the school in
groups, at least a few people
311
00:26:01,151 --> 00:26:07,935
It was constant daily challenge to survive
the day in a way that was dignified
312
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,890
If someone said to me „you dirty Jew”
313
00:26:10,923 --> 00:26:13,178
I didn't cross the street,
314
00:26:13,833 --> 00:26:17,934
but rather let them know in my own way that
I will not have them talk to me like this
315
00:26:18,073 --> 00:26:20,127
I didn't like fighting…
316
00:26:21,512 --> 00:26:24,731
It wasn't a good place for me,
317
00:26:27,991 --> 00:26:31,100
I don't know… I felt like a coward
318
00:26:31,761 --> 00:26:36,925
but where was it written that people
are supposed to like us for being Jews…?
319
00:26:37,245 --> 00:26:40,532
I met a girl and we started dating. When
she found out that I was Jewish,
320
00:26:40,557 --> 00:26:43,298
I never tried to hide it so she found out
right away…
321
00:26:43,815 --> 00:26:48,299
She said her parents wouldn't let
her be around me at all,
322
00:26:49,780 --> 00:26:53,428
but I also had many
friends who were Polish…
323
00:26:53,669 --> 00:26:55,927
First of all Poles are gentlemen,
324
00:26:55,952 --> 00:27:00,976
secondly down with the Jews, bring on
the Jewesses – and so on…
325
00:27:01,776 --> 00:27:07,206
I know that many boys suffered, they were
beaten up, nobody hit the girls,
326
00:27:07,245 --> 00:27:09,540
they would pick on
us, oh what a pretty little Jewess,
327
00:27:09,565 --> 00:27:12,831
this was no
compliment, it was an insult,
328
00:27:12,856 --> 00:27:17,611
I had girlfriends who took me to church and
I brought them to synagogue so
329
00:27:17,636 --> 00:27:19,467
there were no issues.
330
00:27:19,603 --> 00:27:24,709
Personally, I suffered no antisemitism
in my neighborhood
331
00:27:24,742 --> 00:27:28,765
I was dark, I had dark braids and everyone
knew I was Jewish
332
00:27:28,790 --> 00:27:32,968
and nobody called me names, nobody
punched me…
333
00:27:32,993 --> 00:27:37,151
Everyone knew we were Jews and there
were no differences
334
00:27:37,176 --> 00:27:39,646
Personally, I didn't
feel anything, except
335
00:27:39,671 --> 00:27:42,197
that they chased Jews
in the park with dogs…
336
00:27:43,303 --> 00:27:45,358
But myself, I felt just fine
337
00:27:46,613 --> 00:27:52,315
Toward the end of the 60s only some 30
thousand Jews were remaining in Poland.
338
00:27:52,835 --> 00:27:58,015
However, their future in Poland was
suddenly put to question.
339
00:28:00,460 --> 00:28:07,649
In June of 1967 the Six Day War broke
out between Israel and the Arab countries.
340
00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:12,524
Under Soviet pressure, Poland broke
off diplomatic relations with Israel.
341
00:28:12,933 --> 00:28:18,081
Israel's victory evoked anti-Israeli
attitudes in Poland,
342
00:28:18,106 --> 00:28:21,951
which resulted in an official
antisemitic campaign.
343
00:28:22,188 --> 00:28:25,156
- They must be condemned!
344
00:28:25,181 --> 00:28:28,469
On Monday June 5th Israel opens aggression.
345
00:28:28,594 --> 00:28:33,976
Other countries of the Arab world full
supported Cairo in the fight with Israel.
346
00:28:35,807 --> 00:28:39,330
Suddenly there is war
347
00:28:39,355 --> 00:28:44,800
and several hours of uncertainty and
fear about was's happening over there,
348
00:28:44,825 --> 00:28:49,579
suddenly the is victory,
and this great joy…
349
00:28:50,466 --> 00:28:54,607
Pro-Israeli attitudes were abvious then,
350
00:28:54,632 --> 00:29:00,261
because Egypt was generally associated
with the Soviet Union,
351
00:29:00,286 --> 00:29:05,257
and anything that was associated with the
Soviet Union evoked negative attitudes
352
00:29:05,550 --> 00:29:08,927
On the second day of the Six Day War
353
00:29:08,952 --> 00:29:13,162
I worked at the Polish special of the
Folks Shtyme daily
354
00:29:13,187 --> 00:29:17,856
and the courier brought a special bulettin
355
00:29:17,881 --> 00:29:22,397
with an instruction on the first
page: attention, attention:
356
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:27,390
change of the cover title.
357
00:29:27,442 --> 00:29:32,380
The main article was now “Israel's
Agression on Arab Countries”
358
00:29:32,501 --> 00:29:38,830
and you knew right away that the
general mood has changed,
359
00:29:38,855 --> 00:29:43,803
and which side Poland was now on…
360
00:29:44,432 --> 00:29:47,964
Archives: Robotnicy z transparentami:
"Deal with the Zionist Fighters"
361
00:29:47,989 --> 00:29:55,989
"Cleanse the Party of all Zionists"
"Down with the new 5th Column"
362
00:29:59,550 --> 00:30:06,521
During Israel's aggression against the
Arab states a number of Jews have expressed
363
00:30:06,546 --> 00:30:14,546
the desire to go to Israel and
participate in the war against Arabs.
364
00:30:18,098 --> 00:30:19,684
Without a doubt,
365
00:30:20,552 --> 00:30:23,158
this category of Jews,
366
00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:28,028
citizens of Poland,
are emotionally and mentally
367
00:30:28,134 --> 00:30:33,025
tied to the State of Israel.
368
00:30:33,499 --> 00:30:36,609
They are all surely Jewish nationalists.
369
00:30:37,943 --> 00:30:44,427
When Gomulka gave that speech in June
67 about us being a 5th column
370
00:30:44,725 --> 00:30:48,490
because we were pleased
with Israel's victory,
371
00:30:49,856 --> 00:30:54,083
because we were pleased that Jews in Israel
didn't allow themselves to be killed,
372
00:30:54,521 --> 00:30:57,138
liked they did in Poland,
373
00:30:58,421 --> 00:31:02,397
I knew already that I had nothing
more to do in such Poland
374
00:31:04,724 --> 00:31:09,560
At that time the press would publish
material about an alleged Jewish conspiracy
375
00:31:09,585 --> 00:31:12,967
and secret dealings with Americans
or even Faschists.
376
00:31:18,815 --> 00:31:23,706
Emigration to Israel was perceved
as an enthusiastic escape from Poland
377
00:31:23,731 --> 00:31:28,361
under the wings of a
Zionist-fashist-american wealth.
378
00:31:40,102 --> 00:31:44,672
The peak of the campaign was March 1968
379
00:31:45,221 --> 00:31:50,853
The students who protested against the
regime were brutally attacked by militia.
380
00:31:52,045 --> 00:31:55,725
The Communist Party's 1st Secretary
Wladyslaw Gomulka claimed
381
00:31:55,750 --> 00:31:59,650
that the leaders of those protests were
students of Jewish origin.
382
00:31:59,675 --> 00:32:01,461
This was meant
383
00:32:01,494 --> 00:32:04,564
to justify the widespread
witch-hunt for Jews,
384
00:32:04,589 --> 00:32:07,397
controlled directly
by the secret services.
385
00:32:08,265 --> 00:32:11,679
Poles of Jewish origin were fired from
work by the score,
386
00:32:11,704 --> 00:32:15,326
which was only one of the ways to urge
them to leave Poland.
387
00:32:18,583 --> 00:32:21,514
These events affected
nearly entire Jewish population,
388
00:32:21,539 --> 00:32:25,226
including those who had previously beed
unaware of their Jewish roots.
389
00:32:26,254 --> 00:32:31,660
In 68 it became obvious that
390
00:32:32,422 --> 00:32:39,061
Jewish existence in Poland
was coming to an end
391
00:32:39,265 --> 00:32:40,679
– We got in a tram
392
00:32:41,082 --> 00:32:44,826
and Ela was maybe 17 at the time,
I was 18, and
393
00:32:44,851 --> 00:32:48,006
we heard the people say 'too bad Hitler
didn't get rid off them all…”
394
00:32:48,031 --> 00:32:51,105
This cannot be about
me, when Gomulka yelled
395
00:32:51,130 --> 00:32:53,945
about the 5th column
I kept saying to myself
396
00:32:53,970 --> 00:32:56,937
that he means some other
people, some bad people
397
00:32:56,962 --> 00:33:00,161
- Tthe press, especially in Lodz,
practically encouraged pogroms!
398
00:33:00,186 --> 00:33:03,770
- I felt very good in Poland and I didn't
want to leave in 68
399
00:33:03,795 --> 00:33:06,402
“you know, Mr. Chmielnicki,
we honestly don't need
400
00:33:06,427 --> 00:33:10,170
people like yourself at
out Technical Academy”…
401
00:33:10,195 --> 00:33:13,577
- All of a sudden it turns out that you
are a guest in your own country
402
00:33:13,602 --> 00:33:16,812
- I felt that I wasn't wanted
in this Poland
403
00:33:17,019 --> 00:33:20,371
I remember Gomulka's speech,
mom said we had to watch it
404
00:33:20,396 --> 00:33:24,452
and then she said we might have to leave
405
00:33:24,477 --> 00:33:26,601
"Wieslaw, Wieslaw, Wieslaw"
406
00:33:26,626 --> 00:33:31,553
"Long live the secretary!"
407
00:33:31,587 --> 00:33:36,595
I remember Gomulka's speech very well,
it was frightening,
408
00:33:36,620 --> 00:33:41,757
shocking, suddenly your entire future
is put to question
409
00:33:42,953 --> 00:33:45,328
Gomulka: Dear and respected comrades,
410
00:33:46,724 --> 00:33:53,036
During the past 10 days important things
have taken place in our country.
411
00:33:54,616 --> 00:33:57,734
A significant number of students in Warsaw
412
00:33:58,085 --> 00:34:01,639
and in other academic centers
413
00:34:02,061 --> 00:34:10,014
have been deceived and led astray by
anti-socialist forces.
414
00:34:10,744 --> 00:34:15,385
In these events an active role was played
415
00:34:15,410 --> 00:34:20,815
by academic youth of Jewish
origin or nationality
416
00:34:20,924 --> 00:34:23,213
- It was this feeling of...
417
00:34:23,300 --> 00:34:30,350
a complete loss of
shelter, of protection,
418
00:34:30,375 --> 00:34:33,172
I felt as if I was thrown
into the lion's cage
419
00:34:35,013 --> 00:34:38,076
"Off to Israel! Now!"
420
00:34:38,303 --> 00:34:42,170
- At school we used to think that even when
the kids would throw stones at us
421
00:34:42,195 --> 00:34:43,375
Gomulka: comrades, please remain calm
422
00:34:43,399 --> 00:34:47,495
it didn't really matter
because we were protected,
423
00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:50,929
by the constitution and
generally somehow protected
424
00:34:50,954 --> 00:34:54,768
You always had this notion that
425
00:34:56,851 --> 00:35:04,303
nothing bad can happen to us 'cause we were
Jews, that officially this was impossible
426
00:35:04,331 --> 00:35:08,644
Gomulka: are there Jewish
nationalists in Poland
427
00:35:08,669 --> 00:35:12,087
followers of the Zionist ideology?
428
00:35:13,180 --> 00:35:15,243
"There are!"
429
00:35:16,850 --> 00:35:21,295
Gomulka: Comrades, of course there are
430
00:35:22,922 --> 00:35:27,093
And then a sudden breakdown,
431
00:35:27,118 --> 00:35:29,472
this fake shelter disappeared
432
00:35:29,497 --> 00:35:36,084
Gomulka: I suspect that this category of
Jews will leave our country sooner or later
433
00:35:37,148 --> 00:35:38,835
"Today! Today!"
434
00:35:38,860 --> 00:35:41,396
Gomulka: We are ready
to prepare emigration visas
435
00:35:41,421 --> 00:35:48,554
for those who consider
Israel to be their homeland.
436
00:35:49,141 --> 00:35:50,711
"Today!"
437
00:35:59,349 --> 00:36:01,123
Gomulka: Attention, comrades
438
00:36:02,670 --> 00:36:04,803
"Today!"
439
00:36:04,828 --> 00:36:06,301
Gomulka: they haven't applied yet
440
00:36:08,113 --> 00:36:12,812
When he said that Jews can apply to go
441
00:36:12,837 --> 00:36:20,837
to Israel, the crowd yelled “Now!
Right away!” I remember that
442
00:36:22,487 --> 00:36:28,417
After the March events in 68
my Polish friends
443
00:36:28,442 --> 00:36:33,789
wanted me to move in with them, they
didn't want me to be alone,
444
00:36:35,905 --> 00:36:40,709
they would take me to work and pick
me up afterwards everyday.
445
00:36:41,483 --> 00:36:43,701
This was very significant.
446
00:36:43,726 --> 00:36:50,376
The situation back then, even though
I didn't feel it so much,
447
00:36:51,125 --> 00:36:55,000
was such that my Polish friends
448
00:36:57,084 --> 00:36:59,350
actually began to fear for me.
449
00:36:59,375 --> 00:37:02,353
The school being shut down
was very painful for me,
450
00:37:02,378 --> 00:37:10,378
becouse everything broke apart, all my
life everything happened in that circle
451
00:37:13,562 --> 00:37:16,029
around Piotrkowska, Prochnika
and Wieckowskiego Streets…
452
00:37:16,665 --> 00:37:19,744
Eventually, the school had
to be shut down by by one
453
00:37:19,769 --> 00:37:22,962
of its creators – the school
principal Jakub Blumenfeld
454
00:37:24,207 --> 00:37:27,260
I remember a lot of
confusion, and constant talks
455
00:37:27,285 --> 00:37:30,153
about whether the school
would or would not be,
456
00:37:30,217 --> 00:37:34,186
Many of us and of our parents started
considering emigration.
457
00:37:35,740 --> 00:37:38,858
And so, slowly, the school was becoming
more and more empty
458
00:37:38,883 --> 00:37:43,624
There was no choice, one had
to pack up and leave
459
00:37:43,649 --> 00:37:46,845
If you felt that you
had some dignity, there
460
00:37:46,870 --> 00:37:49,725
was no way of staying
in Poland any longer
461
00:37:50,006 --> 00:37:52,888
Not a month would go by without another
person leaving,
462
00:37:52,913 --> 00:37:56,747
not a month without saying goodbye,
463
00:37:56,772 --> 00:37:59,970
it was becoming sad… and empty
464
00:37:59,995 --> 00:38:06,474
It was an expected procedure,
it was just a matter of time
465
00:38:06,499 --> 00:38:09,576
We had to sign a form of
relinquishment of Polish citizenship
466
00:38:09,601 --> 00:38:12,517
– I remember the guy was
holding my passport and
467
00:38:12,542 --> 00:38:15,279
asking me “are you
sure you want it this time?
468
00:38:16,912 --> 00:38:20,975
Are you sure you want to leave?"
469
00:38:22,687 --> 00:38:27,523
And I said “yes, I should have done
so back in 57”
470
00:38:27,548 --> 00:38:29,498
My parents didn't want to leave
471
00:38:29,553 --> 00:38:32,896
Dad was on the floor and yelling that
he wouldn't leave Poland
472
00:38:32,921 --> 00:38:36,083
Our parents made the decision to go
in order to save us
473
00:38:36,108 --> 00:38:38,494
I remember my mom saying
“We have the passports
474
00:38:38,519 --> 00:38:41,302
already, you just have to
sign” “I'm not signing” I said
475
00:38:41,585 --> 00:38:46,359
Some people feel butterflies in the stomach
476
00:38:46,903 --> 00:38:49,934
but I felt as if I was choking
477
00:38:50,435 --> 00:38:53,443
It's as if I became an adult instantly
478
00:38:53,468 --> 00:38:57,052
Leaving Poland was very traumatic
for me, very traumatic
479
00:38:57,153 --> 00:39:02,988
I felt terribly lonely, terribly
embittered,
480
00:39:03,013 --> 00:39:05,262
that's when I cried for the first time
481
00:39:05,302 --> 00:39:07,740
My friends in Lodz were
saying goodbye to me
482
00:39:07,765 --> 00:39:12,022
My father bought sausage
to sell some in Israel
483
00:39:12,047 --> 00:39:14,624
and it was a top deal
484
00:39:14,725 --> 00:39:18,389
My friends from the band “Trubadurzy”
were there, at the station
485
00:39:18,414 --> 00:39:24,622
you could say I was one of the last
Jews to leave Lodz
486
00:39:24,647 --> 00:39:27,029
Practically only on the train,
487
00:39:27,058 --> 00:39:30,128
on the way to Vienna,
488
00:39:30,167 --> 00:39:32,003
I realized what had happened
489
00:39:32,028 --> 00:39:38,524
Nearly all of us left, to Israel, America,
other countries
490
00:39:38,549 --> 00:39:42,984
Suddenly everything ends,
and into the great unknown
491
00:39:43,009 --> 00:39:46,890
All of a sudden you leave and you must
change not so much how you define yourself,
492
00:39:46,915 --> 00:39:49,895
because you're still a
Polish Jewess from Lodz,
493
00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:54,594
but your identity. Your identity
becomes that of an immigrant,
494
00:39:54,619 --> 00:39:56,611
and that is awful
495
00:39:56,636 --> 00:40:00,895
We saw people to the
station, one after another
496
00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:05,376
I took many photos,
possibly by the same bench,
497
00:40:05,401 --> 00:40:11,263
and each time there were fewer
and fewer of us, because everyone left
498
00:40:14,545 --> 00:40:20,019
As we were at the customs in 68 they
took this frame and broke it into pieces.
499
00:40:20,044 --> 00:40:23,483
They said it might be of value and
cannot be taken out of the country.
500
00:40:23,508 --> 00:40:26,667
My dad told them “it's
my son, can't you see…”
501
00:40:26,692 --> 00:40:29,630
But they broke it to see if there
was maybe something inside of it
502
00:40:30,439 --> 00:40:33,866
I was 15 when they expelled
me from country to another,
503
00:40:33,891 --> 00:40:35,421
it changed my entire life
504
00:40:35,446 --> 00:40:38,656
We were uprooted and
deprived of everything,
505
00:40:39,773 --> 00:40:43,296
and the fact that we all
manage pretty well out
506
00:40:43,321 --> 00:40:47,618
here, because most of
us more or less manage,
507
00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:50,459
but that's another story
508
00:40:51,198 --> 00:40:55,011
It's a different thing to
leave when you choose to.
509
00:40:55,316 --> 00:40:57,254
We were made to.
510
00:41:01,304 --> 00:41:05,945
Only grade tables and school
registers remain from the Peretz school
511
00:41:05,970 --> 00:41:09,680
and they have been stored
by the principal of Asnyk school,
512
00:41:09,705 --> 00:41:13,368
while waiting for some
Peretznik to find them one day.
513
00:41:13,393 --> 00:41:14,423
- This is me.
514
00:41:14,448 --> 00:41:18,715
8th grade – Lewkowicz
Henryk: B for skipping classes,
515
00:41:18,740 --> 00:41:21,239
Potok – B for skipping classes,
516
00:41:21,264 --> 00:41:26,083
Tajchman – C – for skipping classes
and lying to parents and teachers,
517
00:41:26,108 --> 00:41:31,016
Chmielnicki – B – for
tardiness and impudence
518
00:41:31,043 --> 00:41:33,863
Mrs. Kwiatkowska
519
00:41:33,888 --> 00:41:36,991
Lewkowicz, why don't
you find my good grades
520
00:41:37,016 --> 00:41:40,440
Impossible to find... I found my own
521
00:41:41,964 --> 00:41:47,104
C+, C+ and I was
beginning to think I was unfair
522
00:41:47,129 --> 00:41:54,782
but you had Bs in class and
Ds on tests, darling, no wonder!
523
00:41:54,807 --> 00:42:01,218
So the year I failed I had a B in Polish
class from a very stringent teacher
524
00:42:01,243 --> 00:42:02,397
- You see
525
00:42:02,422 --> 00:42:04,538
-She wasn't all that
stringent, don't exaggerete
526
00:42:05,214 --> 00:42:08,355
- You see? He's defending me now…
527
00:42:13,865 --> 00:42:19,896
"Maj jidisze mejdele, zi is azjn szejn...”
528
00:42:19,921 --> 00:42:21,061
LODZ, POLAND
529
00:42:21,086 --> 00:42:27,609
"Maj jidisze mejdele, zi is azjn szejn...”
530
00:42:28,424 --> 00:42:33,190
In our Jewish company there were
always a few people who were not Jewish
531
00:42:33,215 --> 00:42:36,088
One such person was Jurek
Tworkiewicz, who performed
532
00:42:36,113 --> 00:42:38,714
in the Jewish club
together with the band Sliwki
533
00:42:38,971 --> 00:42:42,736
"My Jewish girl is so beautiful..."
534
00:42:43,399 --> 00:42:46,525
Tworkiewicz! Are you Jewish or not?
535
00:42:47,391 --> 00:42:49,766
That's how it was.
536
00:42:49,798 --> 00:42:54,424
I absolutely didn't care, but there
must have been something to it,
537
00:42:54,449 --> 00:42:59,291
and in the club they would ask how
come you stayed if everyone else left?
538
00:42:59,316 --> 00:43:02,839
It was kind of a coincidence,
but a very lucky one
539
00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:09,164
that we ended up playing at the
Jewish club, this young man here is me
540
00:43:10,284 --> 00:43:14,081
As far as so called Polishness
goes, I was a representative
541
00:43:14,494 --> 00:43:17,876
and when I say so called I mean
that as far as I can tell I'm Polish…
542
00:43:17,946 --> 00:43:22,985
We became well-known in Lodz
and it continued till the infamous 68
543
00:43:23,394 --> 00:43:25,689
when everyone started
leaving all of a sudden
544
00:43:25,714 --> 00:43:28,315
and this terrible uproar
began, a tragedy,
545
00:43:28,340 --> 00:43:31,030
which continues till this day for me…
546
00:43:32,143 --> 00:43:35,549
“We spent so much time together, at
rehearsals, performances, and trips.
547
00:43:35,574 --> 00:43:37,182
It was a wonderful time.
548
00:43:37,207 --> 00:43:40,149
So many fascinating
things were happening
549
00:43:40,174 --> 00:43:43,535
around us and each new
song was a new adventure.
550
00:43:43,890 --> 00:43:46,867
The club was like second home for me”
551
00:43:47,344 --> 00:43:48,898
- that's what you wrote.
- Yeah
552
00:43:49,642 --> 00:43:54,072
“the students got out on the streets and
553
00:43:56,053 --> 00:43:58,701
it came out as well
554
00:44:02,496 --> 00:44:06,770
This time it didn't stay under cover.
Everyone could take a close look.
555
00:44:07,917 --> 00:44:15,917
It straightened its crooked
posture…” I can't read
556
00:44:34,502 --> 00:44:40,530
It's been so many years I
thought I could talk about it freely
557
00:44:44,327 --> 00:44:45,421
but...
558
00:44:47,209 --> 00:44:51,748
when I started reading
this it all came back to me
559
00:44:51,985 --> 00:44:55,032
Almost everyone, all of
the great great people I knew
560
00:44:58,179 --> 00:45:00,328
There was this song by “Skaldowie”
561
00:45:02,575 --> 00:45:07,231
”the birds are restless,
some fly away and some stay..”
562
00:45:07,399 --> 00:45:15,029
It was about the athmosphere of the time,
this exodus lasted for over a year and a half
563
00:45:15,054 --> 00:45:19,060
First, there
were those that were made to
564
00:45:19,085 --> 00:45:23,015
leave, almost thrown out,
and then there were others.
565
00:45:35,186 --> 00:45:37,526
When Peretzniks visit
Lodz, after al these years,
566
00:45:37,551 --> 00:45:40,030
hey often visit their old
patios and backyards, where
567
00:45:40,346 --> 00:45:43,713
they used to spend so much time together.
568
00:45:45,396 --> 00:45:49,732
It may seem as if time stands still here
569
00:46:34,724 --> 00:46:36,544
LODZ, POLAND
570
00:46:47,966 --> 00:46:50,341
- I lived here for 21 years.
571
00:46:56,919 --> 00:47:02,964
Whey would they expel a
handful of Polish Jews in 68?
572
00:47:02,989 --> 00:47:09,388
Deprive them of
citizenship, of their homes…?
573
00:47:10,050 --> 00:47:14,175
Why expel Poles – Jews born in Poland,
574
00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:18,880
whose parents were born in Poland,
whose grandparents were born in Poland…?
575
00:47:18,905 --> 00:47:25,751
Those parents consciously chose to
stay in Poland having survived the war?
576
00:47:25,923 --> 00:47:29,196
Whoever was bothered
by a handful of Jews in
577
00:47:29,221 --> 00:47:33,002
Poland, bothered by a tiny
number of Jewish schools?
578
00:47:51,666 --> 00:47:57,143
It's unvelievable at times just
how much our lives changed
579
00:48:00,103 --> 00:48:05,361
When I go to Poland I'm happy to be there
580
00:48:05,515 --> 00:48:08,744
but at the same time I feel
sorry for what happened there
581
00:48:08,769 --> 00:48:13,081
It's difficult form me to think of
Poland or of Poles as my enemy
582
00:48:13,369 --> 00:48:16,159
In some way I feel it is still my home
583
00:48:16,184 --> 00:48:19,180
I go to Poland a lot, I love Poland
584
00:48:19,255 --> 00:48:21,622
When you go back you
feel it is still your home
585
00:48:21,647 --> 00:48:26,129
We do have these strong notions
of Polish nature, Polish weather
586
00:48:26,154 --> 00:48:32,629
I love this Polish landscape, it's positive
energy here, and I guess that
587
00:48:32,731 --> 00:48:34,254
I feel good
588
00:48:48,349 --> 00:48:52,876
There continues to be a Jewish
community in Lodz and generally
589
00:48:52,901 --> 00:48:57,052
a minyan – 10 adult Jews - can
be assembled for the daily services.
590
00:49:16,743 --> 00:49:18,101
NEW YORK, USA
591
00:49:18,126 --> 00:49:20,367
Many years have gone by
since the emigration.
592
00:49:23,605 --> 00:49:26,534
However, they still seem
to live in two different worlds:
593
00:49:26,559 --> 00:49:32,043
that, in which they wake everyday, but also
that, which they sometimes dream about.
594
00:49:37,165 --> 00:49:40,432
In Latin class Mrs.
Grosman used to say
595
00:49:40,457 --> 00:49:44,181
'historia magistra vitae est', i.e.
history is the teacher of life.
596
00:49:44,735 --> 00:49:50,586
And perhaps, this story will be a teacher
of life for others beside the Peretzniks…
597
00:49:52,433 --> 00:49:58,151
Our parents, teachers and
memory of our life in Lodz. The Peretzniks
50339
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