7
Amid the ruins of the old world, they tried to rebuild their lives. There were few of them left—ninety percent of the Jewish community in Poland had been murdered. Deprived of almost everything—loved ones, community, home—they faced a dramatic choice: to stay or to leave?
The new temporary exhibition, “1945. Not the End, Not the Beginning”, presents the post-war reality through their eyes. The voices of the protagonists are illustrated by personal mementos, letters, photographs, and documents, complemented by works of contemporary artists.“
"On the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, we tell the story of what that time meant for Holocaust survivors—what they felt and thought, the decisions they made in the first post-war years. It is largely the story of one group—those who survived the Holocaust—conveyed through individual lives and personal perspectives. Perhaps we are familiar with other narratives about that period in Poland and the world. Let us also listen to this one, which for many years remained untold and largely unknown. Though painful and difficult, it deserves to be heard and included in the broader account, to be remembered as a crucial chapter in the story of the end of World War II and of the people who lived through it," said Zygmunt Stępiński, Director of POLIN Museum, at the press conference inaugurating the exhibition.
End or beginning?
In popular understanding, World War II ended in 1945. While it should have been a time of euphoria, for Jews struggling with unimaginable loss and loneliness, it was primarily a moment of decision—what now?
“Crowds take to the streets of towns and cities, people kiss their liberators, throw flowers, dance. That’s what the end of the war was supposed to look like. But how did those who came out of the Holocaust feel at that moment? In dozens of testimonies, the same words are repeated: instead of joy at the end of the war—relief, and at the same time, despair,” write Anna Bikont and Dr. Kamil Kijek, authors of the exhibition concept, in the introduction to the accompanying publication.
They continue: “On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, nearly 3.5 million Jews lived in Poland. They constituted the largest Jewish community in Europe and the second largest in the world. Nearly 90% of Polish Jews perished in the Holocaust. From one of the most important centers of Jewish civilization in the world, Poland became its cemetery.”
Individual stories
The exhibition presents the post-war dilemmas and paths of Polish Jews through the lives of selected individuals. Their biographies reveal strategies for coping in a new reality: returns, emigration, attempts