The history of the Jews in Poland is unique both for the Jewish people and their Polish hosts. For almost 1000 years, Poland was the only major European country that allowed Jews to settle, to form and develop their own communities, and further both culture and language (Yiddish). Further, Jews were not restricted to areas of work that were forbidden for Christians (money lending, banking). In the Polish Jewish world , a Jew could be a baker, a carpenter, a lawyer. This was the country where the Jews felt that they belonged- the land where they would dwell “Polin”. Polin was the name that Jews gave to Poland- “here we will stay”.

The holocaust , with the Nazi extermination of more than 3 million Polish Jews , made it painfully clear that 1000 years of settlement , provided no guarantee that here indeed was a place to dwell. Not only did the Nazis murder millions, but they eliminated a culture, a language, and suppressed an historical tradition.

In most of the towns and villages where Jewish Polish culture flourished silence has fallen like a leaden blanket. It is our intention to search through this silence, searching for traces of Jewish Polish life. Listening to the silence, and discovering the echoes, images, sounds and smells of a once vibrant culture. A culture which was an important part of the Polish world. Searching the Silence wants to transform silence into sound, thus making a contribution to the re-discovery of the dignity and value of those who have been eliminated.

We will travel through Poland, starting in Łódź and Piotrków Trybunalski, where my family originated. We will produce a film of our journey, which will provide major elements of our live performance . Our final product will be a live performance with film, text ,dance and music. We will try to understand the specific realities of the different towns and cities that we visit. Searching for the right texts, the right music, the right dance, the right movement, the right images. We will be asking questions of the places we visit, and we will listen very carefully to hear the answers that they might give us.

This performance will be premiered in Łódź in August 2019, as part of the commemoration of 75th anniversary of the liquidation of the Ghetto. This will take place at the Centre of Dialogue, Marek Edelman- an institution dedicated to “ the multi- cultural and multi ethnic past of Łódź, with the emphasis on Jewish culture, history and Polish Jewish relations”.