In a town where history has been silenced, an eyewitness to murder speaks out in search of the boy she loved.

A documentary by award-winning filmmaker Yoav Potash

Using hand-drawn animation to bring the past to life, “Among Neighbors” investigates the story of a small, rural town where the longstanding peace between Jewish and Polish neighbors was shattered by World War II. The film focuses on the only living Holocaust survivor from the town, and an aging eyewitness who saw Jews murdered there — six months after the Nazis were defeated. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Yoav Potash (“Crime After Crime,” Sundance Film Festival).

Screenings

“This town has something to hide.”

In the small town of Gniewoszów, all signs of its once-vibrant Jewish life have vanished — even the tombstones from the destroyed cemetery were stolen, erasing nearly every trace. Decades after the Holocaust, award-winning American filmmaker Yoav Potash (”Crime After Crime,” Sundance Film Festival) unearths the haunting mysteries of this town, revealing the complex interplay of love and hatred that shaped the lives of local Poles and their Jewish neighbors.

The town’s oldest residents, now in the twilight of their lives, break decades of silence, sharing secrets they have carried for a lifetime. Their poignant stories are brought to life with stunning animated sequences, enriched by artful touches of magical realism. Together, these accounts illuminate the life-and-death decisions made by ordinary Polish townsfolk — decisions that expose both the heights of human compassion and the depths of cruelty.

As attempts to rewrite this history in favor of a more politically convenient narrative gain momentum, “Among Neighbors” offers a powerful counterpoint. The film boldly asserts that true patriotism lies in facing history honestly, no matter how painful the truths may be.

Featuring

Pelagia Radecka, Polish eyewitness to murder

85 years old when we first meet her, Pelagia still holds memories of her Jewish neighbors, the Weinbergs, close to her heart―and she remains both outraged and haunted by their murders. Threatened by the killers after witnessing the crime as a 15-year-old girl, and threatened again today by the highest ranks of the Polish government, Pelagia risks spending her final days in prison in order to offer her testimony to the world. She breaks over seven decades of silence for this film, all in hopes of finding Janek Weinberg, the Jewish boy she loved.

Yaacov Goldstein, Holocaust survivor

Born in 1933, Yaacov Goldstein is one of the last Jews alive who can recall prewar life in Gniewoszów, an era he describes as a “magic story” despite underlying tensions in Jewish-Polish relations. His wartime experiences, which come to life in vivid animation as he describes them, include jumping from a moving wagon headed for a death camp, hiding for two years in a storage nook so small he could not straighten his legs, and escaping execution by firing squad thanks to “a miracle.”

Rabbi Michael Schudrich

Chief Rabbi of Poland
Henryk & Slawomir Smolarczyk

Father and son in possession of a stolen Jewish tombstone
Anita Friedman & Aaron Tartakovsky

American-born descendants of Jews from Gniewoszów
Piotr Wilczek

Polish Ambassador to the United States
Konstanty Gebert

Award-winning Polish/Jewish journalist and social critic known for his wit and insight.
Magda Teter

Historian and author of award-winning books including Blood Libel: On the Trail of An Antisemitic Myth (2020), and Christian Supremacy: Reckoning with the Roots of Antisemitism and Racism (2023).
Łukasz Baksik

Polish photographer who documented widespread theft and misuse of Hebrew tombstones as building materials
Aleksander Schwarz

Mass graves investigator
Gniewoszów elders

The last eyewitnesses to Jewish life in their town