By Jeffrey Catalano
Assistant Editor
On Wednesday, February 18, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the “Jewish and Israeli Film Festival” will be screening the eighth film in its diverse line-up, “Among Neighbors,” at the Mayerson JCC. The film will be presented in partnership with Jewish Federation of Cincinnati – Jewish Community Relations Council and The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center.
“Among Neighbors” is a 100 minute-long English and Polish-langue documentary directed by Yoav Potash. Potash is a Jewish American filmmaker whose previous credits include “Crime After Crime” and “Food Stamped,” both of which are documentaries.
Potash’s film tells the story of a small, rural town where Jews and Polish Catholics peacefully lived side by side for centuries until the outbreak of WWII.
“Among Neighbors” explores the complex Polish response to the Holocaust through the last living witnesses of this small town, telling a harrowing story filled with stories of both love and betrayal.
This documentary is often chilling and upsetting. One of the aging Jewish interviewees of the film saw Jews being killed in town by her own Polish neighbors, not by the Nazis. Also, six months after the end of WWII, Holocaust survivors were murdered in the town. Potash’s documentary is as heartrending as it is unflinching.
“Among Neighbors” is a stylistically stunning and unforgettable documentary that combines magical realism and hand-drawn animation with revelatory interviews and verité footage.
“Among Neighbors” carries a content warning of antisemitism, graphic content and violence. There is a fee for admission.
