YIVO Presents the US Premiere of Proof of Identity

(New York, NY) – On Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7:00pm (ET), the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research will host a screening of Proof of Identity, a documentary from the POLIN: Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film’s director Mikołaj Grynberg, Columbia University Film Professor Annette Insdorf, and Head of the Exhibition Department at the POLIN Museum Joanna Fikus.

The film explores what it means to be a Polish Jew today. How do Polish Jews define their own identity at different stages of life? How do they define their identity when they’re religious or atheist? Writer, reporter and photographer Mikołaj Grynberg seeks answers to these and many more questions in his directorial debut, Proof of Identity.

The interviewees in this poignant documentary represent a variety of Jews residing in Poland today. By interviewing the generation that has had no direct contact with the Holocaust survivors in their families, this film encourages viewers to ponder how Holocaust memory has evolved in Poland. The conversations reveal a vast array of attitudes and experiences, as the protagonists come from both big cities and Polish provinces. The audience learns not only about each interviewee's family history, but also about their modern-day encounter with antisemitism in Poland.

What:            Proof of Identity
When:           Thursday, December 5, 2024, 7:00pm (ET)
Where:          In person at YIVO, Located in the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011)
Cost:              Free
Reservations Available at:  yivo.org/Proof-of-Identity

This program is co-sponsored by POLIN: Museum of the History of Polish Jews. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

For more information contact:
Shelly Freeman
Chief of Staff

YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. For nearly a century, YIVO has pioneered new forms of Jewish scholarship, research, education, and cultural expression. Our public programs and exhibitions, as well as online and on-site courses, extend our outreach to a global community. The YIVO Archives contains 24 million unique items and YIVO’s Library has over 400,000 volumes—the single largest resource for the study of East European Jewish life in the world. yivo.org / yivo.org/the-whole-story