UPCOMING EVENTS
-- check back for updates soon --
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PAST EVENTS
November 14-25, 2018
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November, 2018
English Theatre Berlin, Germany
"We Keep Coming Back" - Berlin performances:
Nov 7 - 8pm
Nov 8 - 8pm
Nov 9 - 8pm
Nov 10 - 8pm
October 30, 2018
The Jewish Museum London
"Generation Unexpected and Jewish Life in Contemporary Poland"
Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert St, Camden Town, London, UK

Katka Reszke is a Polish-born Jew living in the United States, and Michael Rubenfeld
a Canadian-born Jew in Poland. The two theatre makers will draw from their unique personal stories to talk about Jewish life and culture in today’s Poland, and their professional and personal involvement in building the Polish Jewish community.
a Canadian-born Jew in Poland. The two theatre makers will draw from their unique personal stories to talk about Jewish life and culture in today’s Poland, and their professional and personal involvement in building the Polish Jewish community.
- Doors – 6pm
- Café – 6-7pm
- Galleries – 6-7pm and 8-8:30pm
- Shop – 6-7pm and 8-8:30pm
October 11, 2018
Rutgers University, Institute for Research on Women
2018-2019 Distinguished Lecture Series
“Generations after Genocide: Family Histories of Displacement”
July 16-20, 2018, Krakow, Poland
XIth Congress of the European Association for Jewish Studies
-Searching for Roots of Jewish Traditions-
"The Meshugene Effect"
June 24 - July 1, 2018
Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow & Ride for the Living
June 28 - Pecha Kucha Style Session "Home Sweet Home" at JCC Krakow
March 13-14, 2018
"We Keep Coming Back" plays Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver, BC
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Performances on March 13 and 14 at 8PM at The Norman Rothstein Theatre
950 W 41st Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 2N7 https://www.facebook.com/events/169483737013999/ |
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March 11, 2018
Limmud Winnipeg - "Return of the Jew and The Meshugene Effect" - Katka Reszke
11:30 Asper Jewish Community Campus in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Over the past few decades, Poland has become a hotbed of contemporary Jewish identity debate—in Europe, but perhaps even more so in North America and in Israel, where we fnd so many descendants of Polish Jews. "The Meshugene Effect" is a research-creation project situated in a socio- cultural milieu, which has been receiving much attention in academic and popular circles.
Since the fall of communism, thousands of people in Poland have discovered Jewish roots. Among them is a peculiar category of those, whose discovery was preceded by a ‘hunch’ – an irrational conviction that they were Jewish before they actually knew they were Jewish. Katka Reszke tries to make sense of the personal narratives of several Polish women (including her own), who embarked on a pursuit of Jewish identity following a feeling, an intuition, an uncanny precognition about their Jewish descent. These self-narratives reveal different ways of making sense of extraordinary experiences of memory and transition set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.
March 6-11, 2018
"We Keep Coming Back" runs at the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Winnipeg Jewish Theatre (WJT) presents five performances of We Keep Coming Back from March 6 to 11. There will be an ASL interpreted performance on Thursday, March 8. Tickets for We Keep Coming Back are available at in person at the WJT office in the Asper Jewish Community Campus (C148-123 Doncaster Street), by phone by calling (204) 477-7478 or www.wjt.ca
Co-created by Michael Rubenfeld and Sarah Garton Stanley, the show features Rubenfeld, Mary Berchard and Katka Reszke. We Keep Coming Back tells the true story of a trip to Poland that Michael took along with his mother. Both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, the mother and son reconnect with their past and each other. The quest, however, takes an unexpected turn when they discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland.
We Keep Coming Back is performed by Winnipeg's Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, who are real-life mother and son, alongside Katka Reszke, author of 'Return of the Jew'. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage from the team's research trips, archival material (photographs, maps) and live and recorded music.
"We Keep Coming Back is an thought-provoking, timely new work. I am excited to have it come to Winnipeg and play an integral part of WJT's 30th anniversary," says Ari Weinberg, WJT's Artistic Director.
Co-created by Michael Rubenfeld and Sarah Garton Stanley, the show features Rubenfeld, Mary Berchard and Katka Reszke. We Keep Coming Back tells the true story of a trip to Poland that Michael took along with his mother. Both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, the mother and son reconnect with their past and each other. The quest, however, takes an unexpected turn when they discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland.
We Keep Coming Back is performed by Winnipeg's Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, who are real-life mother and son, alongside Katka Reszke, author of 'Return of the Jew'. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage from the team's research trips, archival material (photographs, maps) and live and recorded music.
"We Keep Coming Back is an thought-provoking, timely new work. I am excited to have it come to Winnipeg and play an integral part of WJT's 30th anniversary," says Ari Weinberg, WJT's Artistic Director.
February 1, 2018
7PM, Boston, MA
Polish Jewry Today at the Vilna Shul - Boston's Center for Jewish Culture
http://vilnashul.org/events/event/polish-jewry-today

A panel of experts moderated by Poland’s Honorary Consul General Marek Lesniewski-Laas will discuss the revived interest in the history of Jews in Poland and the resurgence of Jewish culture in Poland today. Panelists include: Amy and Josh Degen, American facilitators for the advanced completion of the Bialystok Cemetery Restoration, a project focusing on the preservation of Jewish history in Bialystok and restoration of neglected Jewish cemeteries in the area; Leora Tec, founder and director of Bridge To Poland, an organization committed to breaking down stereotypes through trips that highlight how non-Jewish Poles are commemorating Jewish life in Poland today; Katka Reszke, author of Return of the Jew: Identity Narratives of the Third Post-Holocaust Generation of Jews in Poland, filmmaker, and photographer working in the US and Poland.
We Keep Coming Back
Poland Tour - Summer 2017
A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity and a way to reconnect with each other. The plot takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new story unravels.
We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music.
A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity and a way to reconnect with each other. The plot takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new story unravels.
We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music.
Facebook Event links and ticket information:
July 1, 6PM - Kraków
For tickets visit: Eventbrite
July 4, 6PM - Lublin
July 5, 7PM - Lublin
Free Admission
July 8, 7PM - Warsaw
For tickets go to this Teatr Dramatyczny link
July 9, 7PM - Warsaw
For tickets go to this Teatr Dramatyczny link
July 12, 6PM - Wrocław
For tickets visit: Eventbrite
July 15, 6PM - Białystok
Free Admission
July 1, 2017, 2PM - JCC KRAKÓW, 24 Miodowa St.
Jewish Cultural Festival
The Future Past Is Female
discussion with Jacqueline Nicholls (UK) and Katka Reszke (US/PL)

It is an interesting time to be a feminist. Some had considered the work of feminism to be over, but inequality is still ever-present in societies, religious and political, around the world. Writer/filmmaker Katka Reszke and artist/educator Jacqueline Nicholls will discuss the ways in which women are weaving their identities, finding their fighting spirit, and exploring what it means to have non-patriarchal leadership.
November 10, 2016, 6:30PM
The Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto, Canada
"Karski & The Lords of Humanity" screens at Ekran Polish Film Festival in Toronto
with Q&A with screenwriter Katka Reszke
ekran.ca/film/karski-lords-of-humanity/
November 8, 2016, 7PM
Congregation Habonim Toronto, Canada
Holocaust Education Week: Confronting the Demon <> Dispelling the Demon
September 4, 2016, 6PM
Ashkenaz Festival, Toronto, Canada
MBCS, Harbourfront Centre
"The Meshugene Effect" - talk

Since the fall of communism, thousands of people in Poland have discovered Jewish roots. Among them is a peculiar category of those, whose discovery was preceded by a ‘hunch’ – an irrational conviction that they were Jewish before they actually knew they were Jewish. “The Meshugene Effect” is a research-creation project, which explores cultural and discursive contingencies surrounding religion, gender and authenticity. Katka Reszke tries to make sense of the personal narratives of several Polish women (including her own), who embarked on a pursuit of Jewish identity following a feeling, an intuition, an uncanny precognition about their Jewish descent. These self-narratives reveal different ways of making sense of extraordinary experiences of memory and transition set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.
September 3, 2016, 8:30PM
Ashkenaz Festival, Toronto, Canada
Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre
www.ashkenaz.ca/dt_portfolio/we-keep-coming-back/
"We Keep Coming Back" - Canadian Premiere

A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity, and using their quest as a way to reconnect with each other. The plot, however, takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Unbeknownst to them, their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new and unexpected story is born. We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music.
July 2. 2016, 5PM
WHY DO WE KEEP COMING BACK TO POLAND (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Sue Balint, Mary Berchard, Maia Ipp, Katka Reszke, Michael Rubenfeld - English/Polish with live translation
Teatr bez Rzędów, Kraków
Krakowska 13
July 3, 2016, 5PM
THE MAKING OF WE KEEP COMING BACK (PANEL DISCUSSION)
Sue Balint, Erika Batdorf, Mary Berchard, Katka Reszke, Michael Rubenfeld - English/Polish with live translation
Teatr bez Rzędów, Kraków
Krakowska 13
July 1, 2016, 6PM; July 2, 2016, 3:30PM; July 3, 2016, 3PM
"We Keep Coming Back" performances
Teatr bez Rzędów, Kraków, Poland

WE KEEP COMING BACK
A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity, and using their quest as a way to reconnect with each other. The plot, however, takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Unbeknownst to them, their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new and unexpected story is born. We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music. Each performance will be followed by a short talk-back with the audience. Please join us for discussion panels as well. www.wekeepcomingback.com
Link to Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/1192656740779069/
A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity, and using their quest as a way to reconnect with each other. The plot, however, takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Unbeknownst to them, their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new and unexpected story is born. We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music. Each performance will be followed by a short talk-back with the audience. Please join us for discussion panels as well. www.wekeepcomingback.com
Link to Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/1192656740779069/
July 1, 2016, 1PM
Szabat Kobiet - Women & Shabbat
Karolina Szykier-Koszucka, Olga Danel, Alicja Beryt - panel discussion moderated by Katka Reszke
JCC Krakow, Jewish Culture Festival In Krakow
June 30, 2016, 6PM
"We Keep Coming Back" - WORLD PREMIERE
Teatr bez Rzędów, Kraków, Poland

WE KEEP COMING BACK
A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity, and using their quest as a way to reconnect with each other. The plot, however, takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Unbeknownst to them, their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new and unexpected story is born. We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music. Each performance will be followed by a short talk-back with the audience. Please join us for discussion panels as well. www.wekeepcomingback.com
Link to Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/654829621336370/
A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity, and using their quest as a way to reconnect with each other. The plot, however, takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Unbeknownst to them, their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new and unexpected story is born. We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music. Each performance will be followed by a short talk-back with the audience. Please join us for discussion panels as well. www.wekeepcomingback.com
Link to Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/654829621336370/
June 30, 2016, 2:30PM
Meshugeners & Troublemakers
Katka Reszke & Jacqueline Nicholls in conversation
JCC Kraków
June 24, 2016, 5PM / June 25, 2016, 5PM
Kana Theater, Szczecin, Poland
pre-premiere performance 1 & 2

WE KEEP COMING BACK
A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity, and using their quest as a way to reconnect with each other. The plot, however, takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Unbeknownst to them, their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new and unexpected story is born. We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music. Each performance will be followed by a short talk-back with the audience. Please join us for discussion panels as well. www.wekeepcomingback.com
Link to Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/1192656740779069/
A mother and son, both descendants of Polish Holocaust survivors, decide to return to Poland in the hopes of finding their lost identity, and using their quest as a way to reconnect with each other. The plot, however, takes an unexpected turn when Michael and Mary discover a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life in Poland. Unbeknownst to them, their journey will reveal a parallel narrative among Poles seeking a reconnection with lost Jewish identities. A new and unexpected story is born. We Keep Coming Back is performed by real-life mother and son, Mary Berchard and Michael Rubenfeld, as well as Katka Reszke, author of “Return of the Jew”. It is presented in a media rich environment, incorporating video footage, archival material, and music. Each performance will be followed by a short talk-back with the audience. Please join us for discussion panels as well. www.wekeepcomingback.com
Link to Facebook event: www.facebook.com/events/1192656740779069/
March 31, 2016, 12PM
Bergen College, New Jersey

Holocaust remembrance
Katka Reszke on "Return of the Jew & The Meshugene Effect"
Overview: Katka Reszke tries to make sense of the personal narratives of several Polish women (including her own), who embarked on a pursuit of Jewish identity following a feeling, an intuition, an uncanny precognition about their Jewish descent. These self-narratives reveal different ways of making sense of extraordinary experiences of memory and transition set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.
Katka Reszke is a Polish-born, U.S.-based writer, documentary filmmaker, photographer and researcher in Jewish history, culture, and identity. Currently affiliated with Brandeis University, Katka holds a Doctorate in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is the author of "Return Of The Jew: Identity Narratives of the Third Post-Holocaust Generation of Jews in Poland" (2013) and the screenwriter of the acclaimed documentary film "Karski & The Lords of Humanity" (2015). As a writer and filmmaker, Katka specializes in Polish-Jewish history and relations, as well as human rights, social justice, minority and gender issues. Katka Reszke lectures on different aspects of the Polish-Jewish experience at educational and cultural institutions in North America, Europe and Israel. Recipient of fellowships from the Memorial Foundation of Jewish Culture and the Mandel Foundation, Katka is a member of the ROI Community – A Schusterman Initiative, and a contributor to the core exhibition of POLIN – The Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
"The Meshugene Effect" – a book and an experimental documentary featuring personal narratives of several Polish women, who embark on a pursuit of Jewish identity following an irrational feeling, a hunch about having Jewish ancestry. The project explores cultural and discursive contingencies surrounding religion, gender and authenticity and how they affect the way we make sense of experiences of memory and transition. All of this set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.
Katka Reszke on "Return of the Jew & The Meshugene Effect"
Overview: Katka Reszke tries to make sense of the personal narratives of several Polish women (including her own), who embarked on a pursuit of Jewish identity following a feeling, an intuition, an uncanny precognition about their Jewish descent. These self-narratives reveal different ways of making sense of extraordinary experiences of memory and transition set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.
Katka Reszke is a Polish-born, U.S.-based writer, documentary filmmaker, photographer and researcher in Jewish history, culture, and identity. Currently affiliated with Brandeis University, Katka holds a Doctorate in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is the author of "Return Of The Jew: Identity Narratives of the Third Post-Holocaust Generation of Jews in Poland" (2013) and the screenwriter of the acclaimed documentary film "Karski & The Lords of Humanity" (2015). As a writer and filmmaker, Katka specializes in Polish-Jewish history and relations, as well as human rights, social justice, minority and gender issues. Katka Reszke lectures on different aspects of the Polish-Jewish experience at educational and cultural institutions in North America, Europe and Israel. Recipient of fellowships from the Memorial Foundation of Jewish Culture and the Mandel Foundation, Katka is a member of the ROI Community – A Schusterman Initiative, and a contributor to the core exhibition of POLIN – The Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
"The Meshugene Effect" – a book and an experimental documentary featuring personal narratives of several Polish women, who embark on a pursuit of Jewish identity following an irrational feeling, a hunch about having Jewish ancestry. The project explores cultural and discursive contingencies surrounding religion, gender and authenticity and how they affect the way we make sense of experiences of memory and transition. All of this set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.
March 11, 2016, Kabbalat Shabbat
"Generation Unexpected: Discovering Jewish roots and the resurgence of Jewish life in contemporary Poland"
Congregation Shirat Hayam, Swampscott MA

Drawing from her research and personal experience, Katka Reszke discusses the unique cultural and historical circumstances, in which an 'unexpected generation' of Jews began to emerge in Poland following the collapse of communism. Once home to the greatest Jewish community in the world and then site of the biggest tragedy in Jewish history, today Poland is experiencing what some have called a “renaissance of Jewish culture.” Simultaneously, more and more Poles are discovering or newly embracing their Jewish roots. Can there be “authentic” Jewish life in Poland after decades of oppression?
March 10, 2016, 6PM
"Generation Unexpected: Discovering Jewish roots and the resurgence of Jewish life in contemporary Poland"
Facing History and Ourselves, Brookline, MA

Drawing from her research and personal experience, Katka Reszke discusses the unique cultural and historical circumstances, in which an 'unexpected generation' of Jews began to emerge in Poland following the collapse of communism. Once home to the greatest Jewish community in the world and then site of the biggest tragedy in Jewish history, today Poland is experiencing what some have called a “renaissance of Jewish culture.” Simultaneously, more and more Poles are discovering or newly embracing their Jewish roots. Can there be “authentic” Jewish life in Poland after decades of oppression?
March 10, 2016, 12PM
"Generation Unexpected: Discovering Jewish roots and the resurgence of Jewish life in contemporary Poland"
Hadassah Northeast, Andover MA

Drawing from her research and personal experience, Katka Reszke discusses the unique cultural and
historical circumstances, in which an 'unexpected generation' of Jews began to emerge in Poland following
the collapse of communism. Once home to the greatest Jewish community in the world and then site of the
biggest tragedy in Jewish history, today Poland is experiencing what some have called a “renaissance of
Jewish culture.” Simultaneously, more and more Poles are discovering or newly embracing their Jewish roots.
Can there be “authentic” Jewish life in Poland after decades of oppression?
historical circumstances, in which an 'unexpected generation' of Jews began to emerge in Poland following
the collapse of communism. Once home to the greatest Jewish community in the world and then site of the
biggest tragedy in Jewish history, today Poland is experiencing what some have called a “renaissance of
Jewish culture.” Simultaneously, more and more Poles are discovering or newly embracing their Jewish roots.
Can there be “authentic” Jewish life in Poland after decades of oppression?
March 6, 2016
"The Meshugene Effect" at LIMMUD TORONTO

The Meshugene Effect
Katka Reszke
Since the fall of communism, thousands of people in Poland have discovered Jewish roots. Among them is a peculiar category of those, whose discovery was preceded by a ‘hunch’ – an irrational conviction that they were Jewish before they actually knew they were Jewish. Their self-narratives reveal different ways of making sense of extraordinary experiences of memory and of transition set against the landscape of troubled Polish-Jewish history and a new curious Polish-Jewish present.
March 5, 2016, 7PM
Consulate General of Poland, 2603 Lake Shore Blvd W, Toronto

We Keep Coming Back tells the true story of a trip to Poland that theatre artist Michael Rubenfeld took along with his mother Mary Berchard, director Sarah Garton Stanley, and Polish author/filmmaker, Katka Reszke. It was a trip of return to the country of Michael and Mary's Polish origins that they embarked on to better understand Poland's complicated history, and in turn, their own. The journey, however, took an unexpected and remarkable turn when Michael and Mary discovered a vibrant contemporary world of Jewish life re-emerging in Poland.
On March 5th, Michael, Sarah, Katka and the Polish Consul General Grzegorz Morawski, invite you to a special presentation about the project. The evening will include a video presentation highlighting the first journey to Poland, and excerpts of the show-in-progress, as well as a conversation about the resurgence of contemporary Jewish life in Poland.
This event is a fundraiser to support the premiere of We Keep Coming Back at the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow in June/July 2016. A buffet dinner and drinks will be served.
***
R.S.V.P. by March 1, 2016 to suebalint@gmail.com
On March 5th, Michael, Sarah, Katka and the Polish Consul General Grzegorz Morawski, invite you to a special presentation about the project. The evening will include a video presentation highlighting the first journey to Poland, and excerpts of the show-in-progress, as well as a conversation about the resurgence of contemporary Jewish life in Poland.
This event is a fundraiser to support the premiere of We Keep Coming Back at the Jewish Culture Festival in Krakow in June/July 2016. A buffet dinner and drinks will be served.
***
R.S.V.P. by March 1, 2016 to suebalint@gmail.com
February 10, 2016, 6:30PM
"Karski & The Lords of Humanity" screens at University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley, California
Q&A with Director Slawomir Grünberg & Screenwriter Katka Reszke
"Karski & The Lords of Humanity"
"...a moving look at a Polish resistance fighter" -- The Los Angeles Times
"...fascinating…" -- The New York Times
"...striking animated sequences…" -- The Village Voice
December 10, 2015
"Regarding the 'Real' Jew" - presentation by Katka Reszke at Brandeis University
December 3, 2015
CLOSING NIGHT! "Karski & The Lords of Humanity" at Cinema Village, NYC
7:15PM screening followed by Q&A with screenwriter Katka Reszke

November 27-December 3, 2015
"Karski & The Lords of Humanity" at Cinema Village, NYC.
Q&A with Slawomir Grünberg on November 27, 28 & 29.
November 24, 2015
"Karski & The Lords of Humanity" at JCC Manhattan.
Q&A with Slawomir Grünberg & E. Thomas Wood moderated by Annette Insdorf will conclude the showing.
November 13-19, 2015
"Karski & The Lords of Humanity" at Laemmle Theater Playhouse 7, Pasadena, CA

Karski is a universal, timeless hero, a role-model for the young generation all over the world. It’s in the young people’s nature to seek the meaning of life and proper moral standards. KARSKI & THE LORDS OF HUMANITY proves that a seemingly banal question: “can I, as an individual, change the world?” is worth asking."
November 5, 2015
U.S. Pre-Premiere of "Karski & The Lords of Humanity"
at Georgetown University, Washington DC

With remarks by the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United States Ryszard Schnepf,
former Ambassador of the United States to Poland Stephen Mull, Rev. Dennis McManus,
Director of the Jan Karski Institute for Holocaust Education, Dr. Robert Lieber, Professor, Edmund A.
Walsh School of Foreign Service, as well as the filmmakers: Director Slawomir Grünberg, Producer Dariusz
Jabłoński and Screenwriter Katka Reszke.
former Ambassador of the United States to Poland Stephen Mull, Rev. Dennis McManus,
Director of the Jan Karski Institute for Holocaust Education, Dr. Robert Lieber, Professor, Edmund A.
Walsh School of Foreign Service, as well as the filmmakers: Director Slawomir Grünberg, Producer Dariusz
Jabłoński and Screenwriter Katka Reszke.
July 2, 2015, 5PM
JCC Krakow

Crafting a New Judaism: Artists on the Forefront of Re-Inventing Jewish Identity
Visual artist Jacqueline Nicholls and writer-filmmaker Katka Reszke discuss the role of art in different ways of being Jewish in today’s world.
July 2, 2015, 8PM
Krakow, Synagoga Wysoka
June 2015
Katka Reszke curates debates accompanying the "Vot ken you mach?" exhibit at the Wroclaw Contemporary Museum

Many of the pieces shown at the first (Dresden) and second (Wrocław) version of the „Vot ken you mach?“ exhibition refer to the complicated relations between the past and the present, and also – to the future, which seems understandable in the context of the history of Europe as such, and Poland and Germany in particular. The thematic focuses include strategies of identity shifts in pop culture, new scenes of Jewish culture in Eastern Europe, family secrets and the silence between generations, remembrance as obligation, the unwritten cultural history of Jewish revenge and the search for a ‘normal’ Jewish everyday life. - See more at: http://muzeumwspolczesne.pl/mww/kalendarium/wystawa/vot-ken-you-mach/?lang=en#sthash.tZ7ZkdFB.dpuf
June 2015
"Karski & The Lords of Humanity" - Special Screening at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem

Decades after Karski rang alarm, unheeded Shoah warnings brought to life | The Times of Israel
BY RENEE GHERT-ZAND June 14, 2015, 1:53 pm
--The film, written by Katka Reszke, premiered on April 24 (the 101st anniversary of Karski’s birth) at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. It will be screened Sunday in Jerusalem at a special event at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center celebrating the 25th anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic relations between Israel and Poland.--http://www.timesofisrael.com/decades-after-karski-rang-alarm-unheeded-shoah-warnings-brought-to-life/
BY RENEE GHERT-ZAND June 14, 2015, 1:53 pm
--The film, written by Katka Reszke, premiered on April 24 (the 101st anniversary of Karski’s birth) at POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. It will be screened Sunday in Jerusalem at a special event at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center celebrating the 25th anniversary of the renewal of diplomatic relations between Israel and Poland.--http://www.timesofisrael.com/decades-after-karski-rang-alarm-unheeded-shoah-warnings-brought-to-life/
June 2015
Westchester Jewish Life:
"Katka Reszke to Attend 2015 ROI Community Summit in Jerusalem"

One-hundred fifty of the Jewish world’s leading change makers from 32 countries will convene in Jerusalem on June 7-11 for the 2015 ROI Summit, ROI Community’s flagship program. ROI Community is an initiative of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.
Over the five-day gathering, these change makers will embark on a journey of pausing, experimenting with new forms of expression and shifting perspectives, ultimately leaving them with renewed motivation, ideas and professional skills and connections to bring back to their communities.
This year’s participants bring a diverse set of skills and talent -- including app developers, crusading journalists and toy designers -- to their efforts to build a thriving Jewish future and a better world.
Among the ROI participants will be Katka Reszke of Yonkers, who is a writer, documentary filmmaker, photographer, and researcher on Jewish history, culture, and identity. She is the author of the acclaimed “Return of the Jew” and her recent films include Shimon’s Returns, Coming Out Polish Style, and Magda.
Over the five-day gathering, these change makers will embark on a journey of pausing, experimenting with new forms of expression and shifting perspectives, ultimately leaving them with renewed motivation, ideas and professional skills and connections to bring back to their communities.
This year’s participants bring a diverse set of skills and talent -- including app developers, crusading journalists and toy designers -- to their efforts to build a thriving Jewish future and a better world.
Among the ROI participants will be Katka Reszke of Yonkers, who is a writer, documentary filmmaker, photographer, and researcher on Jewish history, culture, and identity. She is the author of the acclaimed “Return of the Jew” and her recent films include Shimon’s Returns, Coming Out Polish Style, and Magda.
April 23, 2015, 8:30PM
Polish Premiere of "Karski & The Lords of Humanity"
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
April 10, 2015, 3:30PM
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Special Pre-Screening of "Karski & The Lords of Humanity" for educators
http://www.polin.pl/pl/wydarzenie/karski-i-wladcy-ludzkosci
April 9, 2015, 7:15PM
Edith Stein House, Wroclaw, Poland
"Return of the Jew" - book talk and signing
February 17, 2015, 12PM
Columbia University, Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies
Academic Luncheon
https://www.facebook.com/events/868162249894024/?ref_newsfeed_story_
February 1st, 2015, 6PM
Karski and the Lords of Humanity
- Special Screening at the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre
January 15, 2015, 6PM
Krakow, Fundacja Polistrefa, Ul. Zakątek 3
"Coming Out Polish Style" film screening and discussion
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1506320909632481/?ref=br_tf

"Coming Out Polish Style" offers a rare look into LGBTQ life in contemporary Poland. The film explores the issue of sexual minorities' rights in a conservative society, which is undergoing a very dynamic transformation, allowing for more and more successful liberal changes. The documentary focuses on the diverse and complex identity struggles involved in the process of 'coming out'. It profiles both celebrities who are openly gay in Poland, as well as young people from small towns who are still in the process of 'coming out'.
December 28 - January 1, 2015
LIMMUD UK
http://limmud.org/conference/whos-presenting/
November 20, 2014, 7PM
YIVO Institute at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street - NYC
Towards Life: Reviving Jewish Life in Contemporary Poland
How can a culture flourish when its members are less than 1% of a population? This fall, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews unveils its core exhibition against a backdrop of nearly 20 Jewish festivals in Poland, and the proliferation of Jewish-themed art, Jewish Studies departments, bookstores, and Jewish-style restaurants. Yet Poland’s Jewish population is only 25,000. How do we interpret this phenomenon? Scholars Konstanty Gebert(European Council on Foreign Relations), Geneviève Zubrzycki(University of Michigan), and Samuel Kassow, moderator (Trinity College), and artists Katka Reszke (writer and filmmaker) and Piotr Paziński (novelist) discuss the needs of the Polish Jewish community, the reasons for Poles’ increasing interest in Jewish culture, and the complicated use of the word “revival” in connection to Jewish life in Poland today. For those interested, there will be a discussion following this program in the Great Hall.
Presented by YIVO, the Polish Cultural Institute, and Tablet Magazine.
Towards Life: Reviving Jewish Life in Contemporary Poland
November 19, 2014, 7PM
Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Pl, New York, NY
http://www.polishculture-nyc.org/?eventId=2326

The long-awaited film Karski and the Lords of Humanity by Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and Guggenheim Fellow Slawomir Grunberg is a feature-length, partially animated documentary about the man who tried to prevent the Holocaust. After the screening director Slawomir Grunberg will sit down with the screenwriter Katka Reszke and Jan Karski's biographer E. Thomas Wood to discuss the film and for a Q&A with the audience.
November 6, 2014, 6:30PM
London, UCL, Room 433
Room 433, SSEES, Taviton, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT
Special Screening of "Coming Out Polish Style" directed by Slawomir Grünberg & Katka Reszke - PLAY OUT in collaboration with eMigrating Lanscapes and Women Online Writing
+ Q&A with Katka Reszke

"Coming Out Polish Style" offers a rare look into LGBTQ life in contemporary Poland. The film explores the issue of sexual minorities' rights in a conservative society, which is undergoing a very dynamic transformation, allowing for more and more successful liberal changes. The documentary focuses on the diverse and complex identity struggles involved in the process of 'coming out'. It profiles both celebrities who are openly gay in Poland, as well as young people from small towns who are still in the process of 'coming out'.
November 2, 2014, 4:30PM
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September 19, 2014
Spotkanie autorskie ze Sławomirem Grünbergiem i Katką Reszke połączone z prezentacją niepokazywanych do tej pory fragmentów filmu „Karski i władcy ludzkości”.
August 25-26, 2014
LIMMUD South Africa, Durban
August 22-24, 2014
LIMMUD South Africa, Cape Town
Delve deep into Jewish culture with Limmud SA international presenter, Katka Reszke
August 21, 2014, 7PM
Cape Town Holocaust Centre > Events > 15th Anniversary screening: "Shimon's Returns"
August 19, 2014, 7:30PM
Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre > Events > Discovering Jewish Roots and a "Renaissance" of Jewish Life in Contemporary Poland
May 21, 2014, 5PM

Wednesday 21 May, 5-8pm, UCL, Gower Street, LONDON, Pearson Lecture Theatre G22
(entrance through the UCL main gate on Gower Street)
FREE, no registration required
Holocaust Survivors Revisiting Eastern Europe
Workshop and UK film premiere of "Shimon's Returns"
directed by Slawomir Grünberg and Katka Reszke
http://www.polishculture.org.uk/literature/events/news/article/holocaust-survivors-revisiting-europe-2324.html
(entrance through the UCL main gate on Gower Street)
FREE, no registration required
Holocaust Survivors Revisiting Eastern Europe
Workshop and UK film premiere of "Shimon's Returns"
directed by Slawomir Grünberg and Katka Reszke
http://www.polishculture.org.uk/literature/events/news/article/holocaust-survivors-revisiting-europe-2324.html
March 9, 2014, 1:30PM

Jewish Genealogical Society in Philadelphia
Main Line Reform Temple, 410 Montgomery Avenue, Wynnewood, PA
Return of the Jew: Discovering Jewish Roots and the Reconstruction of Jewish Life in Contemporary Poland
http://mlrt.org/index.cfm
Main Line Reform Temple, 410 Montgomery Avenue, Wynnewood, PA
Return of the Jew: Discovering Jewish Roots and the Reconstruction of Jewish Life in Contemporary Poland
http://mlrt.org/index.cfm
March 20, 2014, 7:30PM
11th JCC Rockland International Jewish Film Festival
450 West Nyack Road, West Nyack, NY
Panel discussion following the screening of "Aftermath" ("Pokłosie") directed by Władysław Pasikowski.
With Katka Reszke and Slawomir Grunberg.
450 West Nyack Road, West Nyack, NY
Panel discussion following the screening of "Aftermath" ("Pokłosie") directed by Władysław Pasikowski.
With Katka Reszke and Slawomir Grunberg.
February 22, 2014, 7PM

Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, 300 S. 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Katka Reszke in conversation with Michael Steinlauf
Read more:
http://www.bzbi.org/home/Calendar/TempleCalendar/tabid/133/vw/3/itemid/454/d/20140222/Default.aspx
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/events/239618026.html
Katka Reszke in conversation with Michael Steinlauf
Read more:
http://www.bzbi.org/home/Calendar/TempleCalendar/tabid/133/vw/3/itemid/454/d/20140222/Default.aspx
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/events/239618026.html
February 8, 2014, 5:15PM
Congregation Ramath Orah, 550 West 110th St, NY, NY 10025
Return of the Jew - presentation by Katka Reszke
February 7, 2014, 6:45PM
The Village Temple, 33 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
Jewish Return to Poland - a talk by Katka Reszke
January 23, 2014, 7PM
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
https://www.facebook.com/events/249188935257950/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
100 S. The Grove Dr., Los Angeles, California
https://www.facebook.com/events/249188935257950/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
100 S. The Grove Dr., Los Angeles, California
January 22, 2014, 3:30 PM
Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles
3077 University Ave, Los Angeles, California
https://www.facebook.com/events/1389639897961149/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
January 21, 2014, 7:45PM
Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, Jewish Genealogical Society in Los Angeles
Return of the Jew: Discovering Jewish Roots and the Revival of Jewish Life in Contemporary Poland
http://jgsla.org
Address: 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles 90049
January 4, 2014
Shabbat Afternoon Talk at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, New York
http://images.shulcloud.com/111/uploads/bulletins/Parshat-Bo-Jan-3-2014.pdf
December 15-17, 2013
Association for Jewish Studies Conference, Boston, USA

AJS honors its authors.
December 5, 2013
White Stork Synagogue, Wroclaw, Poland

Presentation on "Return of the Jew" at the Wroclaw Synagogue.
Followed by an open discussion with the author, Katka Reszke.
December 2-3, 2013
White Stork Synagogue, Wroclaw, Poland

Slawomir Grünberg and Katka Reszke present special Hannukah screenings of:
Dec 2:
"Saved by Deportation"
"The Peretzniks"
Dec 3:
"The Legacy of Jedwabne"
"Paint What You Remember"
"Castaways"
"Magda"
November 24, 2013
JCC WARSAW, Poland at 1PM

Presentation for Mi Dor Le Dor, Taube Center for the Renewal of Jewish Life in Poland
(closed event)
(closed event)
November 23, 2013
Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw, Poland at 6PM

Katka Reszke in a presentation and discussion led by Stanislaw Krajewski.
On "Return of the Jew" and the Polish-Jewish experience between the 1960s and present day Poland.
The event is presented in partnership with YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/644012185620932/
On "Return of the Jew" and the Polish-Jewish experience between the 1960s and present day Poland.
The event is presented in partnership with YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/644012185620932/
October 19, 2013
JDC Shabbaton in Jugowice, Poland

Book talk and discussion.
October 20, 2013
Contemporary Museum in Wroclaw, Poland

20.10.2013 (Sunday) 5:00 PM
“Return of the Jew” – about identity, “rebirth” of Jewish life in Poland and difficult coming-outs – Bartek Lis in conversation with Katka Reszke, author of the book “Return of the Jew”.
Link to the event on Facebook - open to public:
https://www.facebook.com/events/633916473315824/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
“Return of the Jew” – about identity, “rebirth” of Jewish life in Poland and difficult coming-outs – Bartek Lis in conversation with Katka Reszke, author of the book “Return of the Jew”.
Link to the event on Facebook - open to public:
https://www.facebook.com/events/633916473315824/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
August 4-7, 2013
Jewish Genealogical Conference, Boston

Deciphering and translating old Polish Jewish records
JULY 24, 2013 7:30 PM
YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
15 W. 16th St., New York, NY

Join us in celebrating Katka Reszke’s book Return of the Jew: Identity Narratives of the Third Post-Holocaust Generation of Jews in Poland, published by Academic Studies Press. Author’s presentation and Q&A session will be followed by a modest reception.
The event is presented by YIVO in partnership with the Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
Link to the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/243182159139659/
JULY 4, 2013 2 PM (in Polish) & 5 PM (in English)
KRAKOW JEWISH CULTURE FESTIVAL
JCC KRAKOW, 24 Miodowa St.

2 PM: Q&A session with Katka Reszke (Poland), author of “Return of the Jew: Identity Narratives of the Third Post-Holocaust Generation of Jews in Poland” moderated by Edyta Gawron, Ph.D.
5 PM: Author talk and Q&A run by Jonathan Ornstein, Executive Director of the Krakow JCC
Katka Reszke will be signing books in English and in Polish at both events.
JULY 3, 2013 7 PM
KRAKOW JEWISH CULTURE FESTIVAL
JCC KRAKOW, 24 Miodowa St.

Premiere screening of documentary film “Magda” (9min.) directed by Slawomir Grünberg & Katka Reszke and a special screening of “Castaways” (“Wyrzutki”) (17min.) directed by Slawomir Grünberg & Tomasz Wiśniewski, edited by Katka Reszke. Q&A session with the filmmakers. Both films are in Polish with English subtitles.
