Photo : Portrait de quatre jeunes filles juives posant avec une amie polonaise non identifiée dans l’école publique de Chelm (Pologne), 1934 : (de gauche à droite) inconnue, Ewa Baliat, Henia Pojazd, Marysia Wilenka, Kasia Harczuk ©YIVO
A Youth in Yiddishland by Jonathan Hayoun
Step back into the vanished, pulsating heart of a lost era through this poignant documentary exploration. By weaving together rare personal journals and forgotten film footage, the screening restores the authentic voices of a youth poised between immense hope and gathering shadows.
Mémorial de la Shoah (Paris 4th)
About
On Sunday, November 8, 2026, the Mémorial de la Shoah hosts a special screening of Jonathan Hayoun's documentary, "Une jeunesse dans le Yiddishland," from 19:00 to 21:00. By highlighting rediscovered autobiographical accounts from the 1930s and rare archival footage, the film provides a poignant look at the lives and dreams of a lost generation. This screening features a discussion with the filmmaker and philosopher Léa Veinstein. The venue is wheelchair accessible, and the event is open to attendees aged 16 and over, requiring a ticket price between 3€ and 5€.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at the MahJ
Part 1: 1918-1933. The Age of Possibilities
Thursday, November 12, 2026 at the Shoah Memorial
Part 2: 1933-1939. The Age of Broken Dreams
Responding to a competition for autobiographical accounts launched by YIVO (Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut) in the 1930s, more than 600 young Jews from Yiddishland, aged 16 to 22, testified to the vitality, the thirst for emancipation, and the ideological and political upheavals of their generation—the last before the catastrophe. Through the miraculous rediscovery of some twenty of these autobiographies and through rare footage, amateur films, and early Yiddish cinema, Jonathan Hayoun gives a voice back to the youth of a tragically vanished world.
In the presence of the director.
In conversation with Léa Veinstein, author and philosopher.
With the support of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah.
Our take on this event
Jonathan Hayoun’s documentary brings to life the stories of over 600 young people from the Yiddishland who shared their hopes, ideological shifts, and desires for emancipation through an autobiographical contest in the 1930s. Using rare home movies and early Yiddish cinema, the film offers a rare perspective on the vibrant lives of a generation living just before the catastrophe.
The screening takes place on Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 19:00 to 21:00 at the Mémorial de la Shoah. Following the film, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with director Jonathan Hayoun and philosopher Léa Veinstein. This event is organized with the support of the Fondation pour la mémoire de la Shoah.
Tickets are priced between 3€ and 5€. The session is suitable for viewers 16 years and older. The venue is fully accessible to wheelchair users, and reservations are required to attend this insightful evening.
