The Yiddish Book Center's

Wexler Oral History Project

A growing collection of in-depth interviews with people of all ages and backgrounds, whose stories about the legacy and changing nature of Yiddish language and culture offer a rich and complex chronicle of Jewish identity.

A Joke, A Riddle, A Family Secret: My Polish Great-Grandmother's Hidden Jewish Identity

Watch now:

Katka Reszke, writer, filmmaker and Polish-Jewish activist, recounts a story about her great-grandfather playing a joke his wife by impersonating a religious Jew, and explains the impact that this had on her explorations into her family's hidden Jewish identity.

This is an excerpt from an oral history with Katka Reszke.

This excerpt is in English.

Katka Reszke was born in Wroclaw, Poland in 1978.

Jump to map

This interview is part of the Yiddish and the Arts: musicians, actors, and artists series.

Other video highlights from this oral history

Growing Up In a Philosemitic Polish Home

1 min 14 sec

"An Absolutely Unshakable Hunch" of My Jewish Identity

1 min 47 sec

Discovering My Polish Family's Jewish History

Constantly in the Process of Becoming: Reflections on the "Third Generation" of Jews in Poland

1 min 58 sec

The Connection Between Academia and Jewish Culture

1 min 46 sec

"Positive Reasons to Visit Poland": Festivals, Academia, and Contemporary Jewish Life in Poland

2 min 10 sec

The Importance of Asking Questions: The Challenge to Future Generations of Polish Jews

2 min 7 sec

"Not a Renaissance, An Entirely New Phenomenon": The Making of Contemporary Polish Jewish Culture

1 min 40 sec

"It's Very Interesting to Understand Why": Varied Jewish Communities within Poland

2 min 18 sec

More information about this oral history excerpt

Themes: