In 1939, between World War I and World War II, 3.5 million Jews lived in Poland, but only 250,000 survived World War II. This “once vibrant world,” was united by religious traditions, but was also divided by geography, social class, and different political views. Photographs, posters, home movies, and recordings are integrated into interviews with Holocaust survivors. “The Setting” presents Jewish life across the villages, towns, and cities. Prior to World War I, Poland was partitioned by Russia, Austria, and Germany, but that changed at the end of the First World War in 1919. Poland was largely an agricultural country, and a minority of Jews lived in villages. Although artist Toby Knobel Fluek remembers a lonely childhood in a small village, with non-Jewish children calling her names, her family was proud to be Jewish and put a Star of David on their roof. More commonly, Jews lived in towns, referred to as “shtetls,” where religious conventions were generally accepted. Between the 1880s and the 1920s, 1.5 million Jews emigrated from Eastern European towns to America. Upon their return visits home, many Jews created home movies, including footage featuring Chiena Kossowsky, who was one of the few survivors of her shtetl of 250 to 300 families. She remembers a close-knit family life and a strong community. However, the center of Jewish life turned toward the cities, where Jews were open to new ideas and lifestyles. In an interview, Roman Eisner states that he was not ashamed to be a Jew, but felt no need to advertise it, and he had “friends of all kinds.” Film footage and photographs reveal street life with workers, vendors, and jugglers. Most Jews in the cities lived in “walk-up” buildings surrounding courtyards. Lillian Klempner remembers that barterers and tradespeople would call out their business in the courtyards, and on the first floor of her building was a school for boys only. However, the doors were open and Lillian overheard the prayers. Wealthy Jews lived in splendor outside the city neighborhoods. Some had strong economic power in the worlds of banking, commerce, and industry, and they built a few of the earliest factories. Their connection to the Jewish community was primarily through philanthropy, and they thought of themselves as Poles of Jewish faith. During the period between the wars, Jewish Poland was “a world in motion,” with thinkers and writers emerging with differing views of a Jewish future. By tradition, Jewish people embraced knowledge and read, discussed, and debated. Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish, German, and Russian were the primary languages, and the choice of language reflected a person’s point of view. Zygmunt Gross spoke Polish, claiming his father was a typical man of the enlightenment and did not believe in racial division. He felt that Jews were a longstanding part of Poland’s towns and industry, so he did not think there was a conflict between the Jews and the Poles. Zionists took another view, arguing that the future of Polish Jews was to build a modern Jewish state in their ancient homeland of Palestine, and they should speak their ancient national language of Hebrew. Jewish nationalists were critical of the Zionists, and believed that as a result of the disaspora/dispersion, Jews had created new communities in the cities and towns of Eastern Europe. Sophia Dubnow-Erlich’s father believed that the diaspora was their national inheritance, with Jews gaining from the world around them and giving to it. He felt they should concentrate on life in Poland, and Yiddish was the proper language. During this time, Yiddish writers prospered in Poland. Writers and journalists formed associations, printed magazines, and created thought-provoking material. In “To The Stars,” the film returns to the end of World War I, where the victors redrew maps of Europe and signed the Polish republic into existence. Henry Rubinlicht recalls being drafted to fight a border war between Russia and the Polish republic. Rumors arose that Jewish soldiers were traitors, and 10,000 were confined to Jablonna camp. They were later exonerated, but Jews began to realize they had powerful enemies. Life was difficult after the war and poverty was prevalent. Possibilities for immigration to America virtually ended in 1924, and other countries adopted similar exclusive policies. In Poland, poverty and a history of anti-Semitism resulted in anti-Jewish riots known as “pogroms,” particularly in small towns. Some fled to the city, where life became more secular as time progressed. Scholars and writers flourished. The adaptation of modern models to the Jewish community included the building of Montessori type schools. There were summer camps, special schools for mentally disturbed children, and others for street children. Dina Abramowicz recalls that when Vilna became a Polish city, it was not a problem for children to learn Polish, but it was difficult for parents, who spoke Russian and Yiddish. Many Yiddish schools were built, but Poland would not recognize degrees from such institutions, and Dina spent additional time in Polish schools to obtain entry into a university. The transition to the Polish university was difficult, but her family photographs reveal that she, her brother and sisters succeeded, notably in the arts. “Among the Organized” details a time where modern schools and programs grew alongside those more traditional. Political and ideological competition grew, including Socialism, the Bund movement, and the Zionist party. Each group sought to make a new way of life for its members. The Bund was a party of the working masses, and leadership in trade unions were mostly Bundists. Bund-sponsored activities involved theater, literature, libraries, outings, and summer camps. Unique to the Zionist movement was the “kibbutz,” an agriculture collective aimed at preparing Jewish youth to resettle Palestine. Zionists were prominent in politics, but Anti-Zionists were also powerful. Hasidic groups, representing Jewish orthodoxy, were also a strong presence, and created afternoon religious schools for girls, who had been previously excluded from religious education. It was an active time for Jewish youth. However, “Darkening Clouds” reveals the imminence of World War II. As Fascist regimes came to power in Europe, anti-Semitic groups in Poland grew bolder. Jews were attacked on all fronts; businesses were boycotted, the slaughter of animals for kosher meals was forbidden, and Jewish students were harassed at universities. Although poverty and anti-Semitism made life more difficult, the “inner life of the Jewish people” grew stronger. Plans were designed to build a new Jewish children’s library to sustain their culture through the crisis and keep the children’s hope alive. Pearl Kahan speaks of a sanitarium for children at risk of tuberculosis that developed into a broader educational institution. She claims it was a “dream world,” but the dreams of most of the children featured in the school’s photographs would never have a chance to be realized. The era of Hitler had arrived, but very few Jews left Poland in the 1930s because it was too expensive and too difficult. A photograph taken in August 1939 reveals everyday Jewish life in Vilna, with the participants unaware it was “the eve of complete destruction.” On 1 September 1939, the Nazis invaded Poland.