Museum of the History of Polish Jews | Newsletter | July 2025
30 07 2025
Our very first Summer School for Early Career Scholars is in the books!
POLIN Museum organized a week-long program for early-career scholars – doctoral students & post-docs – working in Jewish Studies.
Last week, POLIN Museum hosted the very first POLIN Museum Summer School for early career scholars. Over seven days, 16 participants from Europe, Israel and the North America to take part in workshops and field visits.
The Summer School offered a multi-faceted approach to scholarly development. Participants engaged in seminars focused on improving pre-circulated papers. They also benefited from soft-skill workshops covering essential topics like pedagogical skills, navigating the current academic job market and enhancing public speaking.
A significant experiential component immersed scholars in the rich Jewish heritage of Poland. This included field visits to exhibitions and collections at POLIN Museum and the Jewish Historical Institute, tours of Jewish sites in Warsaw, and a day-long excursion to Jewish Lublin in partnership with Grodzka Gate. The program also fostered a strong sense of community, with dedicated time for socialization and integration, including a dinner at Warsaw’s Jewish Community Center.
Admission was competitive, based on the quality of their application materials, including a writing sample. Thanks to the generous support of our donors and partners, the Summer School was free of charge and provided travel reimbursements, accommodations and partial meals.
Watch Now: Prof. Marcos Silber’s Keynote on Postwar Jewish Migration!
We are pleased to announce that the compelling keynote address by Prof. Marcos Silber (University of Haifa) on postwar migration between Poland and Israel is now available for you to watch and listen!
This insightful lecture was a vital component of our recent international conference, “Not the End, Not the Beginning: Reconstructing Jewish Life in Poland and Central Europe after the Second World War.”
Marcos Silber delves into the complex transnational process of Jewish migrations between Poland and Israel during the years 1945–1957. Moving beyond traditional “push-pull” theories and challenging nation-state historiography, the lecture illuminates two crucial phenomena: strategic identity presentation and transnational networks.
Silber reveals how migrants tactically emphasized different aspects of their identities—be it ethnic, professional, or ideological connections—depending on the context of their migration processes. These strategic self-presentations highlight migration not as a singular event, but as an ongoing negotiation of belonging. This perspective offers a more nuanced understanding of Jewish life after the Holocaust, acknowledging the remarkable vitality, resilience, and agency that existed alongside immense loss.
Click to access Marcos Silber’s keynote address and deepen your understanding of this pivotal historical period.
“Not the End, Not the Beginning” – Conference Recordings Now Available!
We’re excited to announce that recordings from our recent International Conference, “Not the End, Not the Beginning,” are now available upon request!
This powerful conference delved into a truly remarkable period of history. Despite the unfathomable catastrophe of the Holocaust, Jewish survivors in Poland demonstrated incredible resilience, successfully establishing a diverse and vibrant network of social, political, cultural, religious, and economic institutions.
“Not the End, Not the Beginning” explored the many facets of this revived Jewish life in Poland between 1945 and 1955, drawing compelling comparisons with developments in other countries across the region during the same period.
If you missed out on attending or wish to revisit the insightful discussions, simply reach out to us to gain access to these invaluable recordings. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about a testament to human spirit and determination.