A locally made documentary that has created controversy in Poland for its depiction of hard truths about the postwar treatment of Jews will screen twice on Dec. 15 in the Bay Area.
“We have high-ranking officials in a country that is very central to Jewish history now attempting to whitewash and silence a very important part of that history,” Berkeley-based director Yoav Potash told J. about the uproar surrounding the film in Poland. “This is both antidemocratic and antisemitic.”
“Among Neighbors” was produced by Anita Friedman, longtime executive director of San Francisco-based Jewish Family and Children’s Services. The film documents the brutal murder of a Jewish family in the village of Gniewoszów, where Friedman’s family once lived. The twist: The killings happened not during World War II but after and were not committed by Nazi occupiers but by the Christian residents of Gniewoszów. The incident was one of a dozen similar ones in postwar Polish towns, with more than 1,000 known victims.
For Friedman, the documentary became a passion project.
“My personal journey to make this film began 21 years ago, when my family first returned to our ancestral hometown in Poland,” she said. “Eventually, it grew into an internationally acclaimed and award-winning film that is now central to our Holocaust Center’s work to educate every child in every school about the Jewish story.”
In Poland, however, this history is controversial.
“Among Neighbors” was shown on Polish television on Nov. 10 but immediately fell afoul of complaints based on the country’s Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, a “memory law” that governs narratives of historical events in Poland. The 1998 law criminalizes actions or statements, including works of art, that in the government’s opinion smear the good name of the Polish people.
Immediately after the broadcast, senior government officials and the right-wing media denounced the film. “Among Neighbors” is currently under investigation.
“The effort to ban this film should deeply concern anyone who cares about freedom of speech, freedom of the press and our ability to look at history honestly, without politicians trying to silence whichever truths they are not fond of,” Potash said.
“Among Neighbors” has played in several film festivals and theaters in the U.S., although it’s not currently available for online streaming here.
The film will screen twice on Dec. 15 at Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland, once at 4:30 p.m. and again at 6:45 p.m. The latter showing will include a menorah lighting, a panel discussion and remarks by Michael Pappas, executive director of the San Francisco Interfaith Council.
“It’s crucial that when we fight antisemitism, we work with communities of all faiths,” Potash said.
The event is cosponsored by a host of Bay Area organizations and synagogues, including the Jewish Film Institute, which provided financial support during the making of the film.
“‘Among Neighbors’ deserves to be seen and discussed in communities around the world. Its artistry is exceptional, and its perspective is vital,” JFI executive director Lexi Leban said. “Efforts to suppress it only reinforce the importance of supporting filmmakers who are willing to take risks and tell difficult truths.”
Correspondent Sue Fishkoff contributed to this report.