Krakow

"To Leave Something to the World." Beyond the Pages of Renia Spiegel's Diary

Jun 28 - Jan 31 2025       ul. Miodowa 24
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The diary of Renia Spiegel (1924-1942), written in Przemyśl from January 1939 to July 1942, is undoubtedly a valuable historical source, an important work of personal document literature by Polish Jews, and an extraordinary record of the final years of this young, talented, ambitious woman, murdered by the German Nazis in July 1942.
Renia Spiegel in 1936.
To introduce Renia's diary to audiences in Poland and abroad, the Galicia Jewish Museum, in collaboration with the Education and Art Foundation and with support from the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, implemented a project in 2023 involving the creation of a series of short films and accompanying educational programs. Initially, eight short episodes combining animation and live action were produced under the direction of Miłosz Kozioł and Tomasz Głodek. Each episode also includes excerpts from an interview conducted in May 2023 in the U.S. with Renia's surviving sister, Elizabeth Bellak. The next step was the production of a twenty-minute film that metaphorically tells Reni's entire story.

Continuing and expanding upon the film project is the exhibition 'To Leave Something for the World. Beyond the Pages of Renia Spiegel's Diary'. The film is an integral part of the exhibition. While the film focuses on Renia herself, giving her voice primarily to her creators, the exhibition provides contextual information, quotes, and archival photographs to also narrate the stories of Renia's closest relatives and the diary itself.

'Now one must still live, one must try, strive, one must leave something for the world.' - these are the words of Renia Spiegel, recorded in her diary. They became the title and guiding principle of the new temporary exhibition at the Galicia Jewish Museum. Renia left the world much: a personal story of love, attachment, empathy, respect, universal human values, and an important message about threats to these values: hatred, exclusion, persecution.
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