Speakers: Barry Cohen, Witold Krassowski, Antony Polonski

In Opening the Drawer: The Hidden Identities of Polish Jews, Barry Cohen has brought together illustrated profiles of three generations of Poles who discovered their hidden Jewish identity in surprising ways. Drawing on interviews with child survivors of the Holocaust, the post-war second generation and the post-Communist third generation, these voyages of discovery are not merely variations on a theme, but depictions revealing long-buried family histories and secrets. Each generation also reflects the Polish environment which shaped their lives. In a sharp departure from the past, many Poles are expressing deep interest in the phenomenon of emerging Jews by flocking to Jewish museums and cultural festivals. For many years, Poland was regarded as a tragic land where Jewish life had all but ceased to exist. Yet these wide-ranging profiles, photographed by renowned Polish photographer Witold Krassowski. reveal a growing network of communal activities that paint a different picture. They join Antony Polonsky in conversation.