My Fear of Poland
A very personal journey through Poland, from a festival of Jewish culture in Warsaw to a tiny village in the south-east of the country. This is a story about fear and memory, hope and delight.
In 2009, producer Natalie Kestecher visited Poland for the first time. It was a trip that she'd been planning and postponing for years. As the daughter of Polish Jews who'd lost so many family members during the war, she had mixed feelings about going there.
Natalie's journey begins in Warsaw, where she meets Poles with an interest in Jewish culture and Jews who have only recently 'come out' as Jews. She also speaks to the chief Rabbi of Poland. Her ultimate destination, however, is a tiny village in the south-east where her family and other Jews once lived.
In this very personal audio essay, Natalie tries to make sense of the Jewish absence and encouraging re-emergence in Poland today.
CREDITS
Natalie Kestecher, Producer
Steven Tilley, Sound engineer
Próżna Street in Warsaw. Portraits of some of the many Jewish people that lived in Warsaw before World War 2 are suspended between buildings (credit: Milan Durovic)
Extra: Listen to an interview with Yale Reisner, director of the Jewish Genealogy and Family Heritage Centre, Warsaw.