Their life stories, in Poland and Israel alike, are the theme of the exhibition composed of memories, excerpts from letters, documents, photos from family albums, and present-day photographs inspired by writer and reporter, Agata Tuszyńska.

The protagonists are a group of friends, says Agata Tuszyńska, the author of the exhibition. They have known one another forever. Since they were children. They lived in the centre of post-war Warsaw. March events changed the course of their lives as they bid their final farewell to Poland. Despite the distance between them, they have remained in close contact throughout the years. They have been lifelong friends. They have treated themselves as substitutes for the family in Poland. They are not only the March generation but they are also the March family.

We are presenting photographs from protagonists‘ family albums and their present-day portraits taken by Włodek Pawłow, the photographer. Personal stories are reinforced by the historical background of March 1968.

Anti-Semitic persecutions were the echo of a reverberating Six-Day War. The victory of Israel over Arab states, supported by the USSR, changed the Cold War power game. Władysław Gomułka in his public speech compared Poles of Jewish origin to ‘a fifth column’, suggesting that they were the implicit ally of Israel, the country the PRP had just broken diplomatic relations with. With press smear campaign, the denouncing of ‘hidden Zionists’ started in the whole country. While exact figures remain unknown, it is estimated that several thousand citizens of Jewish origin lost their jobs or fell prey to threats and harassment. The authorities implemented special procedures enabling emigration to Israel in exchange for declaration of alienage. By virtue of those laws around thirteen thousand people left Poland from 1968-1971. Only 30% of the departing people settled in Israel as the rest went to Western Europe and North America.

Anti-Semitic propaganda from 1968 had disastrous consequences for Polish science and culture. Approximately 500 scholars, 200 journalists, 100 musicians, several dozen actors and filmmakers emigrated from Poland.