On the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, we are going to present an exhibition dedicated to people who tried to rebuild their life on the ruins of the old world. Deprived of nearly everything—their nearest and dearest, their community and their home—they faced a dramatic choice: to stay or to leave? There were very few of them—ninety percent of Polish Jews perished in the Holocaust. The exhibition "1945. Not the End, Not the Beginning," which will open on 7 March, we will see the postwar reality through the eyes of those who survived.
7 March 2025 – 15 September 2025 The end or the beginning?
In the general understanding, World War II ended in 1945. This should have been a time of euphoria, and yet, for Jewish men and women grappling with loss and desolation, it was above all a moment of decision-making—what next?
Individual stories
The dilemmas and life paths of Polish Jews after the war will be explored in the exhibition by tracing the stories of selected individuals. Through personal biographies, we will uncover strategies for navigating a new reality—returning home, emigrating, attempting to rebuild the Jewish community, engaging in political activism, or living in hiding. Visitors will learn, for example, about the life of a little girl Dora Zoberman, who had lost her closest relatives before the war ended; how teenage Pinchas Bursztyn, found among the dead in a lime pit after the liberation of Auschwitz, managed to survive; or what the journey back to Poland from the USSR was like for the Pertman family.
Who will open the door?
How did people feel when, having returned to their hometowns after traumatic experiences, they discovered that their homes had long been occupied, their belongings taken away, and all traces of their community erased? They recognized matzevot—Jewish tombstones—used to pave the streets; they found repurposed fragments of Torah scrolls in everyday objects. Polish neighbors often greeted the returning Jews with reluctant indifference, hostility, or even violence. Yet, despite it all, they stayed. They believed that their future in Poland was not yet determined and made every effort to rebuild their community.
In the exhibition 1945. Not the End, Not the Beginning, we will also learn about the fate of those who chose to leave—a decision made by the overwhelming majority. Between 1944 and 1946, over 200,000 Jews left Poland. They refused to live in what felt like a cemetery, not willing to bear the sense of desolation and the ever-present danger fueled by postwar antisemitism.
The difficult reality of Polish Jews after 1945 will be illustrated through the exhibition’s iconography—photographs, documents, letters, leaflets, and personal mementos. The minimalist and contemplative exhibition set design will highlight the stories told by the materials on display, conveying what the protagonists experienced daily—feelings of emptiness, uncertainty, and threat.
A different perspective
Engaging with the personal testimonies of those who survived the Holocaust is a deeply moving experience and a challenging lesson in history. The exhibition confronts what has often been silenced or left on the margins of grand historical narratives—the Jewish perspective on the end of the war.
Let’s listen to these voices. Perhaps we will come closer to answering questions such as: What would have changed if everyone had emigrated? What would Poland look like today if the Jews had stayed?
Authors of the concept for the exhibition:
Anna Bikont − a journalist by profession and a psychologist by education, during the martial law period in Poland she contributed to "Tygodnik Mazowsze," the underground press organ of the Solidarity movement (1982–1989). In 1989, she co-founded the "Gazeta Wyborcza" daily. She is the author of numerous books, including "My z Jedwabnego" ("We from Jedwabne," 2004), which received the Polityka Historical Award, the European Book Prize, and the National Jewish Book Award for Holocaust literature. Other notable works include "Sendlerowa. W ukryciu" ("Sendler: In Hiding," 2017), "Cena. W poszukiwaniu żydowskich dzieci po wojnie" ("The Price: In Search of Jewish Children After the War," 2022), and "Nigdy nie byłaś Żydówką. Sześć opowieści o dziewczynkach w ukryciu" ("You Have Never Been a Jew: Six Stories About Girls in Hiding," 2023). She also co-authored biographies of Wisława Szymborska and Jacek Kuroń. In 2017, Anna was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Gothenburg. Her latest book, "Nie koniec, nie początek. Powojenne wybory polskich Żydów" ("Not the End, Not the Beginning: Postwar Choices of Polish Jews"), published by the Czarne Publishing House and POLIN Museum, is being released alongside the exhibition.
Dr Kamil Kijek – assistant professor and vice-director for financial affairs at the Tadeusz Taube Faculty of Judaic Studies, University of Wrocław. His research interests focus on the history of Jews in East-Central Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, issues of continuity in the 20th-century history of Jews in Eastern Europe, relations between the Eastern European Jewish community and other centers of the Jewish world, as well as social and cultural theories and their application in historical research. Kamil has published books on the history of Jews in interwar Poland and the years immediately following the Holocaust, both in Poland and abroad. In 2018, he received the first prize in the competition for the best scholarly publication on Jews and Liberal Regimes in Eastern Europe after 1917 from the Leonid Nevzlin Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his book titled "Dzieci modernizmu. Świadomość i socjalizacja polityczna młodzieży żydowskiej w Polsce międzywojennej". He is currently working on a book titled "Ostatnie polskie sztetle? Żydowska społeczność Dzierżóniowa, zimna wojna, komunizm i świat żydowski" (1945-1950).
Exhibition curators:
Zuzanna Schnepf-Kołacz – Deputy Director for Program at the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute, curator of the exhibition "Around Us a Sea of Fire. The Fate of Jewish Civilians During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising," and co-curator of The Holocaust gallery of the Core Exhibition at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Former Vice-Consul at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Milan. Author of exhibitions and articles on the history of Jews during the Holocaust.
Zuzanna Benesz-Goldfinger – cultural anthropologist and art historian, curator of exhibitions related to the history and art of Polish Jews. Professionally affiliated with the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews (2010-2016), Zachęta National Gallery of Art (2013-2015), and the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute (2017-now), where she has headed the Art Department since 2022. Her responsibilities include looking after the Institute’s collection and organizing exhibitions.
Dr Justyna Majewska – cultural studies scholar, sociologist, and curator. She works in the Academic Department of the Jewish Historical Institute and is a member of the Center for Holocaust Research. She is also the secretary of the journal "Zagłada Żydów. Studia i materiały." Justyna is the author of the monograph "Mury i szczeliny. Przestrzenie getta warszawskiego" (2024) and editor of biographical source materials, including "The Ringelblum Archive, Volume 15: September 1939," "Listy płockie, Listy kaliskie" (co-edited with T. Epsztein and A. Bańkowska, 2014), Chaim Aron Kaplan "Dziennik 1940, cz. 1. Megila życia" (co-edited with B. Górecka, 2020), and "Nic nie potrzebujemy. Tylko przetrwać ten czas. Relacje Żydów ukrywających się w okupowanej Polsce" (2022). She is a recipient of scholarships from EHRI and the Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies. She was part of the curatorial team responsible fot the Core exhibition at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. Currently, she collaborates with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., as part of the Holocaust Justice Project.