By Amy Zewe

The Jerusalem Connection is producing a film documenting the journey of Jews and Christians discovering the richness of Poland’s past to find hope for tomorrow. We need your help to make this film a reality.

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But Why Make this Film?

Many Americans have reasonable education about the Holocaust and events in Europe during World War II. The Nazi domination of Europe was met with the Greatest Generation’s fortitude to stop the spread of evil–this is the subject of choice for many excellent dramatic films and documentaries. Chronically the Shoah is also a topic well preserved in our collective annals, even if understudied by our current generation.

These topics are vital, and a deep study of 1939 to 1945 is a necessary part of a complete education. But many Americans—including Jews and Christians—are not aware of the vibrant history of central Europe for the millennium that preceded the dark and deadly days of the Nazi occupation of Poland. The targeting of Jews throughout Europe is not fresh news. But ask yourself, “Why did Hitler choose Poland first to start his monstrous mission to eliminate the Jewish people?

Hitler chose Poland precisely because the Jewish population was plentiful and contributed to the entirety of Polish civilization and modern life in the 20 th century. Parts of Poland were 60% Jewish and more than half of highly skilled professions were populated by Jews—even though Jews were about 30% of the total population. Hitler’s target was God’s blessing for Europe: her Jewish citizens. And no better place for him to start than the most concentrated location: Poland.

When the Allies’ victory was secured, and the dust settled, the world we privy to the horrors of Nazi rule in Poland. Death camps uncovered and remaining survivors rescued, the memory of Poland was simply, “land of the death camps—Polish death camps.” Nobody would go there—ever. Nobody would go back there—ever—unless it was for a death camp tour.

When the Iron Curtain descended upon Poland in 1945, the survivors fled or attempted to live under communist rule. The Jewish identity of Poland was erased for good—so it seemed. What the Nazi’s started in 1939, the Communists completed by educating a generation by omitting the Jewish story of Poland and World War II from its schools and oral history.

But What has Changed in Poland?

But the newly emancipated Polish people of 1989, curious about who they were as a nation and people, began to dig—literally and figuratively. Gravestones and papers with odd writing (Hebrew) and family traditions seemed to make little sense within the Catholic and communist cultures.

Poland’s independence in 1989 opened not only the door to a brighter future for Poland, but it also opened the door for Poland to discover its past erased by tyrants and hidden by dictators. As the Polish people began to discover the identity of one-third of their population who were stolen from them, and that this theft was hidden from them for 35 years, the liberated Poles decided to discover and honor that which they lost. During this cultural revolution of sorts, individuals—in the unique ways—learned about their Jewish roots. Many Poles hid Jewish children in plain sight—re-casting them as Catholics, their lives were spared. Now, two and three generations later—the roots of these identities are being discovered and Jewish life in Poland is not just being archived and preserved, it is being resurrected and revived.

Out of the ashes of WWII and in the sunlight of a dismantled Iron Curtain, Christians began to seek the truth about their own heritage’s role in the Holocaust.

Why Does This Matter to Us?

As Christians seek to reconcile, connect, and build bridges with Jews, the centuries of lost trust will take more than a day to establish. One effective opportunity to do that is to jointly discover the shared past of each community—that which is discoverable in today’s Poland whose doors and hearts are open to honest examinations of the past and formulating new ways to build a future.

Discover the untold story of Poland’s Jewish heritage with the documentary ‘Revelations.’ Journey through a thousand years of history, from vibrant beginnings to the shadows cast by World War II and the Holocaust. Explore the deep and complex bonds between Jewish and Christian communities, and witness the inspiring revival of Jewish culture in modern Poland.

‘Revelations’ isn’t just a documentary—it’s a testament to resilience, understanding, and hope for the future. Experience history in a way that touches the heart and opens the mind.

The Jerusalem Connection is producing a film documenting the journey of Jews and Christians discovering the richness of Poland’s past to find hope for tomorrow. We need your help to make this film a reality. Donate to the Revelations Production fund. Together, we can bring this story to life.

Funds are needed immediately to secure the June 2025 filming timetable. All donations are tax-deductible. All donors will receive acknowledgment in the film’s credits. Committed agencies are donating travel expenses and additional production costs—we need your help to get started.

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