Special Screening of “The Peretzniks”

The Centre had the opportunity to welcome back Katka Reszke, who a few years ago completed her doctorate with us on the identity of young Polish Jews. She was in Israel in her role as assistant director and editor of the documentary “The Peretzniks” together with the director Slawomir Grunberg. The film was screened at the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival.

The film tells the story of a Jewish school in Lodz, Poland. The school was shut down following the Communist anti-Semitic campaign which took place in Poland in 1968. As a result, Peretz School graduates are dispersed today between US, Israel, Sweden, Poland and other countries. The bittersweet memories of their youth in post-war Poland are what binds the Peretzniks together to this day.

Katka and Slawomir came to the Melton Centre for a special screening of the film which they introduced to an audience of Melton faculty and students as well as guests of the Centre, including some who had attended the school and experienced the events it describes. The screening was not only an opportunity to take pride in the achievements of our graduate but to learn about  a little-known time and place in Jewish history which raises fascinating questions about Jewish education, identity and survival.