In 1940, in the Jewish ghetto of Nazi-occupied Warsaw, the Polish historian Emanuel
Ringelblum established a clandestine scholarly organization called the Oyneg
Shabes to record the experiences of the ghetto’s inhabitants. For three years,
members of the Oyneg Shabes worked in secret to chronicle the lives of hundereds
of thousands as they suffered starvation, disease, and deportation by the Nazis.
Shortly before the Warsaw ghetto was emptied and razed in 1943, the Oyneg Shabes
buried thousands of documents from this massive archive in milk cans and tin
boxes, ensuring that the voice and culture of a doomed people would outlast the
efforts of their enemies to silence them. In 2018, Professor Kassow’s book was made
into a film directed by Roberta Grossman. Program registrants will receive a link to
view the film at their convenience in the two week period prior to the program, so be
sure to register early!