Among Neighbors (2024)

Seven decades after the end of World War II, award-winning filmmaker Yoav Potash uncovers the lost Jewish history of a small Polish town by the name of Gniewoszów. For hundreds of years, Poles and Jews peacefully coexisted in this little-known enclave. Today, this sleepy farm town has not a single Jewish resident, and even the Jewish tombstones are gone, having been stolen from the cemetery to be used by locals as grindstones and building materials. When the descendants of the town's Jews travel from San Francisco to Gniewoszów to search out and honor whatever traces of their heritage they can find, the filmmaker uncovers both harrowing and inspiring accounts of the past. The town's oldest residents, now in the twilight of their days, reveal secrets held their entire lives. They vividly recall how ordinary Polish townsfolk made life and death choices about their Jewish neighbors, with decisions that reflect both the very best-and the very worst-of human nature. This complex history reverberates into the present, as the rededication of the town's Jewish cemetery sparks memories and controversies alike. The commemoration marks a promising awakening-especially for the next generation of young Poles-but it also leads the filmmaker a surprising discovery that sheds light on the complexity of anti-Semitism today.