The Museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN is preparing a new temporary exhibition to present the lesser-known history of Opatów, one of the many Polish towns that before the war were inhabited not only by Poles but also by Jews.

The painter Majer Kirszenblat will be a guide to a world that no longer exists. Using Opatów as an example, it will be possible to see how many stories about our former neighbours from small towns are still waiting to be revealed.

“The new temporary exhibition “(post)JEWISH” will show that Polish towns hide two parallel stories. The first, which is about ourselves, is remembered. The other story about the Jewish inhabitants, our neighbours who no longer exist, is forgotten and passed over in silence. And yet, before the war, Jews lived in about a thousand Polish towns called shtetls.

Scheduled to open in May 2024, the exhibition will also document the research and artistic activities carried out in Opatów to find traces of former Jewish life in the town and restore their forgotten history.

“With the “(post)JEWISH” exhibition, we are uncovering the traces of the Jewish inhabitants of Opatów, who made up 60 % of the entire community before the war. The exhibition is guided by the painter Majer Kirszenblat. Recalling the shtetl of his youth, he vividly brings back the memory of former people, events, daily life and customs. In paintings full of colour, imagination and humour, we will see a world that no longer exists. We will learn about our common, forgotten history”, say the organisers of the exhibition.

The exhibition is co-organised by the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland and with the support of Tad Taube and Taube Philanthropies as well as the CBRAT Foundation in memory of Joseph and Miriam Ratner.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński