Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Art, Adventure and Pleasure Foundation ARTS – the leader of this initiative – is happy and proud to announce that the project “Call me Isza. Femininity: theJewish-Polish Women’s Heritage” has officially started!
Lady, maiden, girl, woman – in one word: żeńszczyzna. Polish “żeńszczyzna”, a rough equivalent to English “femininity”, is one of the earliest terms for women common to all Slavic languages, a rough equivalent of the Hebrew “isha”, which means woman. Its meaning encompassed a wide range of “female issues”: from gender and female characteristics, to family and social roles, to emotions, values or associations related to the sphere of femininity. Finding the stories hidden in it is like a journey one step at a time: from childhood legends about a great-grandmother, through anecdotes about a distant aunt, to the complete reconstruction of a forgotten story – the HERstory.
“Call me Isza. Femininity: The Jewish-Polish Women’s Heritage” is an initiative we created to give voice to the heroines of everyday life. Our aim is to draw attention to female figures in history and culture: Jewish and Polish women living in the areas of Wiśniowa, Dobczyce and Myślenice – neighbouring towns in southern Poland during the Occupation (and beyond). Ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and extraordinary women in ordinary situations inspired the series, which is set against the backdrop of monuments testifying to Poland’s (Małopolska’s) multiculturalism, including the wooden synagogue in Wiśniowa, unique in the country, listed as a Cultural Property in 1993, the ruins of the mikveh in Dobczyce and the Jewish cemetery in Myślenice.
Among the current inhabitants of the region and the descendants of those who have already emigrated from the region, we will look for the stories of their Jewish and Polish ancestors: activists, community workers, members of farmers’ clubs, NGOs, committed citizens, creative and active women. We will write down the stories of our mothers, grandmothers and great, great, great… grandmothers. We will collect stories of enterprising aunts, talented cousins and creative neighbours. We will showcase and celebrate the achievements of little known or completely forgotten activists, creators and even socially creative relatives.
The project has been made possible thanks to funding from the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) – we are incredibly thankful for this opportunity!