P2G Exclusive Post-Film Discussion with Eric Bednarski, Director of “Warsaw: A City Divided,” and Rabbi Michael Schudrich

Can’t attend Sunday’s community event? Join Classrooms Without Borders and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether in an alternative post-film discussion with film director Eric Bednarski and Rabbi Michael Schudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland, taking place Wednesday, April 22 at 11 am on Zoom. To RSVP or learn more about this discussion, please contact Debbie Swartz, Israel & Overseas Planning Associate at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh: [email protected].
In 1941, soon after the creation of the Warsaw Ghetto by the Nazis, a Polish amateur filmmaker shot a remarkable 10-minute 8mm film from both sides of the Ghetto walls. This never before seen footage is woven into “Warsaw: a City Divided”, acting as a silent witness to the tragedy of the wartime division of the city and the murder of its inhabitants. Ghetto survivors and witnesses recount their extraordinary memories, while architects and urban-historians examine the chilling Nazi vision for Warsaw. By interweaving rich material from the past with glimpses of present-day Warsaw, both its human face and its urban fabric, “Warsaw: A City Divided” affirms the importance – and the difficulty – of remembering.

“Warsaw: A City Divided” is a 70-minute documentary film directed by Eric Bednarski.

Eric Bednarski

Eric Bednarski is a film director/writer born in Halifax, Canada. He lives and works in Warsaw, Poland. Bednarski studied history and filmmaking in North America and Europe. His documentary film work with the National Film Board of Canada has garnered him a Gemini Award and a Writers Guild of Canada Award nomination, and he was awarded the Decoration of Honor “Meritorious for Polish Culture” by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in 2015. Bednarski’s films have been broadcast across the world and have also screened at international festivals, at the United Nations, the European Parliament and the State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Rabbi Michael Schudrich
Rabbi Michael Schudrich is the Chief Rabbi of Poland. Born in New York City, his grandparents emigrated to the United States from Baligród, Poland, before World War II. Before being appointed as Chief Rabbi of Poland in December 2004, he served as rabbi of the Jewish Community of Japan (1983-1989) and rabbi of Warsaw and Łódź (2000-2004). After leading Jewish groups on numerous trips to Europe, Schudrich began working for the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation and resided in Warsaw from 1992 to 1998. Rabbi Schudrich has played a central role in the “Jewish Renaissance” in Poland.