The Power of Words. On Jewish Languages exhibition

THE POWER OF WORDS. ON JEWISH LANGUAGES / MOC SŁÓW. O JĘZYKACH ŻYDOWSKICH

Date: 21.11.2025–8.06.2026
Place / Miejsce: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews / Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN, Warsaw / Warszawa

EN:
What language do Jews and Jewish women speak? What does Yiddish sound like — present in Polish streets before the War, today almost invisible and inaudible? What links it with Hebrew, Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian or Ladino?

The Power of Words presents languages that accompanied Jews scattered across the globe over the centuries. It tells how, for a dispersed community, languages became a space for cultural development. They shaped the sacred sphere, everyday communication and religious, social, local and national identity, drawing strength from diversity and cultural continuity. At the heart of this story is Hebrew — an ancient, sacred and contemporary language.

The exhibition features original objects including:

• Babylonian magic bowl
• richly decorated Sephardi Torah mantle
• antique tomb stelae with Greek epitaphs
• Hebrew amulets

Exhibits come from the collections of POLIN Museum and, among others:

• Jewish Museum in Prague
• Jewish Museum in Rome
• Jewish Museum in Berlin
• Jewish Historical Institute
• National Museum in Lublin

Contemporary art (selected):

• Mordechai Ardon
• Moshe Castel
• Monika Krajewska
• Ewa Gordon
• Helena Czernek
• Marek Podwal
• Oded Ezer
• Ella Ponizovsky Bergelson
• Anna Elena Torres

Music by Maria Ka, Vittoria Hanna and Daniel Kahn.

Curator: Dr Tamara Sztyma

The Power of Words is organized by POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in cooperation with the Jewish Museum in Prague.

For more information
Tickets

Partners and supporters:

• Organizer: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews / Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich POLIN
• Co-organizer: Association Jewish Historical Institute in Poland / Stowarzyszenie Żydowski Instytut Historyczny w Polsce
• Main Partner of the exhibition: Jewish Museum in Prague / Muzeum Żydowskie w Pradze
• Patron of the Museum: Orlen
• Patron of the exhibition: Jankilevitsch Foundation
• Exhibition created with the support of: The David Berg Foundation
• POLIN Museum’s strategic sponsor: TVN
• POLIN Museum’s official carrier: LOT
• Joint institutions of culture: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage; The Capital City of Warsaw; Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland
• Partners: Jewish Historical Institute; Centrum Kultury Jidysz; Mojżesz Schorr Foundation; Hebrew Union Collage; Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Warsaw
• Media partners: Zwierciadło; Sens psychologia dla ciebie; Tygodnik Powszechny; Vogue; TOK FM; Multikino; Viva!; Newsweek; Newsweek Historia; K Mag; Onet.