(In)Separable. Difficult Subjects in Polish-Jewish Relations

In 2021, the Evens Foundation continued its partnership with the Galicia Jewish Museum in Kraków, Poland, with the “(In)Separable. Difficult subjects in Polish-Jewish relations” project, addressing and seeking to overcome key stereotypes and misunderstandings around Polish-Jewish relations.

Originally, this project was a response to a series of events that put this relationship and the ongoing process of reconciliation between communities in Poland under threat. Lack of understanding and knowledge, misconceptions and anti-Semitic prejudices continue to shape the way Jews and the Holocaust are perceived. This is a global issue but is particularly acute in Poland.

In 2021, for the third edition of the project, the focus was on the role – both positive and negative – played by the media in shaping attitudes and influencing the views of the public, which was explored through a series of public discussions.

Each conversation was born out of a concrete example, such as a press excerpt or some photography, which was accompanied by a commentary on its origin and its societal or historical context. The debates (with one exception) were led by Kazimiera Szczuka, literary historian and critic, former TV journalist and social activist, with diverse panels relating to each theme.

Due to a high level of interest, the debates were simultaneously translated into English for the first time, and the restrictions of Covid-19 also meant that some of the debates pivoted to hybrid online-offline formats, helping them reach a wider, global audience.

The list of the topics in the third edition included:

Between Fascination and Hate. The Image of Jews in Contemporary Polish Culture and Media. (March 2021)

Between Auschwitz and Oświęcim. Contrary Narratives on Poland. (April 2021)

Between Silence and Propaganda. The Evolution of the Narrative on the Righteous Among the Nations in Postwar Poland. (May 2021)

Between a Monument and a Product. The Processes of Commemoration and Commercialization of Post-Jewish Spaces. (June 2021)

Between Tradition and Modernity. The Contemporary Polish-Jewish Community. (September 2021)

Between Desire and Contempt. The Historic and Contemporary Images of Jewish Women. (October 2021)

Between Us. Polish Fears in Media and Mass Culture (November 2021)

Over the Wall

Over the Wall was an exhibition that grew out of an oral history project designed by the Antwerp Peace Centre to capture memories of a key period in modern history – 1989-1991 –that culminated in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The Evens Foundation was a key partner in the project, which seeks to encourage public debate about the importance of democracy and freedom today by looking at experiences of the past.

Bringing together the real-life stories of 15 people who lived through the transition from communism to democracy, the exhibition explored the social, political and cultural impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Shaped by personal narratives, the exhibition brought this history to life.

En Presence des Images

To give the exhibition further longevity and impact, the partners also worked together to create a free educational resource package, capturing the material gathered from the show and reframing it as a tool for teachers and educators. This resource is now available to download online.

The opening night of the exhibition on 9 November 2021 included a session with three witnesses who lived under and witnessed the fall of communism in Poland, Romania and Germany. Hosted by journalist Karen Billiet (radio Klara), it prompted a lively exchange. The event also included a keynote speech by the researcher Maarten van Alstein, who emphasised the importance of preserving and sharing personal stories to bring history to life for future generations.

Towards the end of 2021, the Evens Foundation launched a new collaboration with the French daily newspaper Libération: “En Presence des Images” – an editorial series developed with our long-standing partner LE BAL, the renowned Parisian research and exhibition centre dedicated to visual studies.

Eleven authors were invited to explore photographs that have marked or unsettled us, shaped our vision of the world or been relegated to the blind spots of our collective memory. The texts are intended to unfold the images and their historical, political and cultural significations, revealing how our gaze has been conditioned, and how ways of seeing persist or change over time.

Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tam opened the series, followed by Bertrand Schefer, Arno Bertina, Kaoutar Harchi, Mathieu Larnaudie, Ryoko Sekiguchi, Oliver Rohe, Olivia Rosenthal, Tristan Garcia, Maylis de Kerangal and Helène Gaudy.

The texts were published every Saturday, from October to December 2021, in French and in open access in the online version of the newspaper, with the articles in series reaching more than 110,000 readers. The articles were particularly well received on social media, where they generated significant engagement.